Jun 30, 2015 By David Singer 2 min read

After mine subsidence damage closed the baseball field at Boyce-Mayview Park on June 5, Upper St. Clair township officials are updating residents on the fallout and further potential damage.

“We expect the ball field to remain closed for the remainder of the (summer) season,” said township manager Matt Serakowski, who indicated early estimates to repair the field are between $70,000 to $100,000.

According to Gateway Engineers consultant Joe Fagan, he and Department of Environmental Protection officials found that a roughly 180 square foot area of the field fell by about three feet after wooden pillars collapsed, leaving the roof of the mine to meet the floor.

“All of the South Hills is undermined. So these things can happen. The pillars have been there for 75 years, and can’t support the rock above it. If residents see sinking, or subsidence damage, call the DEP in California, Pa.,” Fagan said.

“The DEP will be mailing out information on what to do, what to look for,” Serakowski said, “and there’s likely to be information going out about obtaining mine subsidence insurance.”

DEP spokesman John Poister said about 4,000 mailers will go out the week of July 13th, with half going to Upper St. Clair residents in the immediate vicinity of the ball field, and the other half going to South Fayette residents. In the following four weeks, a total of 11,600 mailers will be delivered.

“Mine subsidence is not covered in a homeowner’s policy. It’s one of the big three: mines, earthquakes and floods. You need to get a policy through the state,” said State Farm Insurance spokesperson Dave Phillips.

“And it’s the structures themselves that are covered, not any property inside them. And each structure, like a detached garaged, will likely need its own policy,” Phillips said.

DEP spokeswoman Amanda Witman said the average claim for mine subsidence is $50,000.

“Maximum coverage is $500,000, but a typical policy is less than a dollar a day. It’s very affordable,” Witman said.

According to the website, http://www.dep.state.pa.us/MSIHomeowners/ratetable.html, a property valued at $200,000 would have an annual cost of $107 to insure, while a senior citizen would pay $97 for the same insurance.

According to township officials, no residents have reported any sinking or related damage.