Mine Hill man trying to fill sinkhole

MINE HILL – Andrew Kauff returned from work Dec. 30 to an unwanted surprise – a large sinkhole had formed on his Randolph Avenue property just a few feet from his home.

“I left for work at 10 a.m., got back at 2 p.m. and there it was, I saw the large hole,” said Kauff, 60. “Right away I called the police and then town and the mayor came right over and put up a fence around it.”

Later that night he awoke to a loud “thud” at 4 a.m. A second, smaller hole has also opened up right next to the first.

“The Mayor was great about getting the engineer out on New Year’s Eve to take a look,” Kauff said. “There was some water down there before but after the second hole it looks like it got mostly covered with dirt or went into the mine.”

The sinkhole is now 19 feet deep and about 20 by 30 feet wide, with about 15 truckloads of soil disappearing, according to Mayor Sam Morris. He said the sinkhole formed at the entrance of an old ore mine, one of several in town dating back to the late 1800s.

Kauff said that while he was aware of the mines in town (It’s in the name of the town), he didn’t know there was a shaft beneath his home when his father purchased it in 1978 or when he bought it from him in 1987.

“The mine shaft goes right across the street from here,” Kauff said. “Other people in the area had problems years ago, but the state helped them out back then.”

There is no longer state funding available for victims of sinkholes in New Jersey, but Kauff is hoping his story might change that.

“I just want to get the word out to the legislature because we need to do something, even though it won’t help me,” Kauff said. “I’m going to have to take care of this myself. This is all on me. But the mayor has been very helpful with information and resources.”

The damage is also not covered by most insurance companies, including Kauff’s, who said it was defined as “land movement.”

An initial estimate said he would have to pay $10,000 out of pocket to repair the damage, but he found someone willing to do the work for about half that price.

The hole needs to be filled with large boulders covering the shaft area and rocks and soil filling in the rest of it. Kauff said he’s hopeful the holes will be filled by next Monday or Tuesday.

In the meantime, some in town have stopped by to offer their soil and rocks to Kauff.

There’s also a GoFundMe set up to help him pay for the repairs at www.gofundme.com/3ghpdvjg. The fund had raised about $500 by Thursday afternoon, a day after launching.

“There’s been a lot of outpouring for me,” Kauff said.

Morris said he hopes to do something similar in town. He said Mine Hill is investigating which insurance companies would cover sinkhole damage and he will share with residents what he find out. He’s also looking into material aside from soil and boulders that may better prevent sinkholes from reoccurring.

Morris is also hoping for state or federal help, but said the state opted out of the program that would aid sinkhole victims in the 90s.

Should he not receive government aid, Morris is considering setting up a trust fund in town, collecting a few dollars from residents through donations or a special assessment so there will be tens of thousands of dollars set aside to aid Mine Hill sinkhole victims.

During his four years as mayor, there have been seven sinkholes in town, three on private property and four on public property, Morris said. There have also been sinkholes reported in neighboring towns, though they’ve mostly occurred in wooded, unpopulated areas, he said.

Morris said there is no predictability to when a sinkhole may open up but they tend to form at the shaft entrances.

“The bedrock is secure, it’s just the hole they go in that’s the issue,” Morris said. “We know where these things are generally, but the maps are too old and inaccurate to know the exact locations. There's not much to do but be careful."

While Kauff said his wife, son and his son’s girlfriend, who all live in the home, are understandably nervous, they have no plans to move.

“I did my freaking out that first day,” Kauff said. “Now it’s about taking care of it.”

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com