My response to the Savage’s allegations and diatribe before the board of supervisors:

After the events of last week in which my business and my name have been slandered, I will now respond to the Savages. Their accusations center around the cracking cement in their driveway. They mention that after I completed the grading work, they experienced erosion problems. Of course this will happen when the rains start and no vegetation had yet grown on the banks.

The road was built with the only soil available, which is decomposed granite and what we call “sugar sand.” It gets hard in the summer months but erodes easily with rainfall. It is basically like beach sand. Homeowners have a certain amount of responsibility to maintain erosion with plantings and not wait until it undermines the concrete, and then drive over it with commercial trucks.

I did not perform the cement work, and the cement work was not begun until six months had passed. That is what caused cracking in the cement. Another reason for the cracking is the fact that there is no wire mesh or any steel supporting the cement. Instead of cementing the required 10 feet with two-foot separations from the banks, the cement was applied over the entire 14-foot roadway, abutting the banks. If it is mandatory to put rebar in foundations to prevent cracking and separation, why wouldn’t you understand that it is also necessary in slab work.

If the Savages had contacted me before the erosion problem, we probably could have fixed the problem before the major cracking occurred. Instead, they hired the cement contractor to recompact the banks and once again the slope slipped away. I, the owner of Holcombe Excavating, tried to come to the Savage’’s aid and fix the damaged area, but they refused.

They demanded that the entire driveway be replace, including the non-damaged area. Mrs. Savage also stated in the paper that I said, “It’s not my fault the county didn’t catch my bad work.” This is totally untrue. I never made such a statement. I have a good working relationship with the County and would not say such a thing.

It was my understanding we didn’t have to have compaction tests on driveways, but only on house pads and subdivision roads. I have not ignored this situation. I also hired a civil engineer to draw up plans to fix the problem area. But again, the Savages refused and continued their demands that the whole driveway be replaced.

I value my reputation and take pride in my work in this town and would not ignore a problem or fail to fix it if I felt that I was at fault. I have never had a complaint from anyone on my jobs since I have been in Mariposa for the past 10 years. I stand behind my work. I am still willing to reconcile the differences with the Savages, but that is only possible with cooperation, and without the vitriole being exhibited against me personally.

Mark Holcombe Holcombe Excavating