Even kids know the difference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyyVJQmMewo

"most egregious ways taxpayer money is wasted"

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/taxes-wasted-120m-parking-center-150000921.html

"The project, first begun in 1997 by local officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, was intended to allow easier pedestrian, vehicle and mass transit access to the D.C. Metro train system, Amtrak and the local commuter train, MARC. The original plans expected the transit center to open in 1998. Sixteen years later, the center remains shuttered and the costs have skyrocketed.

Regardless, millions of local, state and federal tax dollars keep flowing in. That’s why it earned a mention in Sen. Tom Coburn’s latest annual “Wastebook” report, which highlights what the senator calls the most egregious ways taxpayer money is wasted each  year.

 

“Sometimes it costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time to build something great,” Coburn said in the report. For example, “It took one year and 45 days to complete New York’s Empire State Building for a cost of $41 million in 1931. But should it take more than 16 years and $120 million to complete a parking garage?”

The cost increases have approached nearly 500 percent, with the federal government providing nearly 50 percent of total funding. Though the costs keep adding up with no tangible results, county officials are still forging ahead. There is apparently no clear idea of when the project will be complete."

 

 



Has "reporting the news" come to this?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/isiah-leggett-doug-duncan-expected-to-dominate-montgomery-executive-race/2013/12/28/19d488c8-6850-11e3-a0b9-249bbb34602c_story.html


Where is the “news” here? Or has the “news” been reduced to political drama? Has it come to this? That the public is more interested in political drama than it is in REAL news? Like a SERIOUSLY flawed, yet-to-be-opened, over-budget transit center that has SERIOUS structural and cost issues? Not to mention government competence and integrity issues for which there are no answers at present. What a shame. Where are Woodward and Bernstein when you need them?

 

 

 



ramming the SSTC down our throats

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/duncan-agency-leading-transit-center-project-broken-leggett-says-he-is-responsible/2013/11/19/373b225e-510e-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story.html

At what point is Montgomery County going to stop trying to ram the severely flawed Silver Spring Transit Center down our throats and accept its responsibility to the public? Explain to the public why you believe that the SSTC is safe despite its MANY flaws (e.g., a 3-inch thick piece of concrete that fell from the SSTC that is attributed to voids in the concrete, NUMEROUS cracks, slabs more than an inch thinner than they're supposed to be, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, understrength and overstressed concrete, under-designed beams, lack of expansion joints, etc.). Explain why you selected Foulger-Pratt to build the SSTC, Parsons Brinkerhoff to design it and Balter Company to inspect and test the concrete and to serve as special quality inspector. Were political contributions part of the selection process? Explain why the SSTC wasn't bid for construction as has been standard practice for decades. Explain Montgomery County's view of its responsibility to the public (all 50 states and the District of Columbia) for its use of federal funds for this project. Explain why Montgomery County continues to push ahead with construction without answering the public's questions.

Public hearings/meetings are held for even small re-zonings and road projects. If a doctor wants to open a small family practice at a location that's not zoned for that use, then a public hearing must be held for the public to ask questions and have their comments recorded on the record. If the County wants to make improvements to a dangerous intersection with federal funds, then a public hearing is required so that the public can ask questions and have their comments recorded on the record (at least that's the way that it used to be). But, the County presses on with repairs to the seriously flawed Silver Spring Transit Center, that THOUSANDS will use every day, without a single meeting to explain to the public what they're doing and why, to take the public's questions and comments, and to record on the record the County's responses to the public's questions and comments.

Formal meetings provide the public with an opportunity to review the project, ask questions and have their comments recorded for the record. More than half the funding for the severely flawed SSTC is federal aid. Montgomery County should be holding a series of formal public meetings that will allow the public to ask questions and to provide their comments. For a costly project (that we're paying for) that has severe structural flaws, with public safety as well as future (maintenance) cost implications, we at least deserve a public forum where we can ask our questions and have them, and the answers provided, made part of the public record.

SPEAK OUT! If you're a Montgomery County resident, then tell your representative on the County Council that you want NO MORE construction on the SSTC until public hearings are held where you and your fellow Montgomery County residents can be briefed on the project by County staff, have yours and your neighbors' questions answered and have the County's answers to yours and your neighbors' questions recorded ON THE PUBLIC RECORD.

If you're not a Montgomery County resident, then tell your US representatives in Congress (1 House and 2 Senate) that you want NO MORE of YOUR MONEY (federal aid) going to the SSTC until there's a FULL, INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION of how YOUR MONEY has been used/misused on the SSTC. Tell your representatives that you want NO MORE construction on the SSTC until an INDEPENDENT investigation is complete, made public and ALL of the public's questions and comments have been recorded and answered ON THE PUBLIC RECORD.

SPEAK OUT! Don't let Montgomery County ram the SSTC down our throats!



educational video

http://youtu.be/kyyVJQmMewo


For those (especially the media) who don't know the difference between opinions and facts.

The FACTS say: "Tear it down"

We've heard PLENTY of OPINIONS regarding the Silver Spring Transit Center. From David Dise, Montgomery County's Director of the Department of General Services: "It absolutely will be safe." From the Montgomery County Council and Executive. From Montgomery County's paid consultants. From WMATA and its paid consultant. But, let's look at the facts:

 

1. The SSTC is cracked throughout. When concrete fails, it cracks.

 

 

2. Some slabs in the SSTC are more than one inch thinner than what they're supposed to be (10 inches thick).

 

 

3. Reinforcement is exposed. Some reinforcement was found to be missing entirely.

 

4. The 580 ft. x 315 ft. SSTC lacks expansion joints. Standard engineering practice (and WMATA construction standards, to which the SSTC was supposed to have been designed) requires expansion joints to be placed no farther apart than every 100 feet. (The lack of expansion joints is likely contributing to the cracking, which can be expected to continue without expansion joints.)

 

5. 250 beams need to be strengthened because they can't carry design loads within allowable design stress limits.

 

6. Some concrete in the SSTC is understrength and overstressed. Water was added on-site and standard cold weather curing procedures were not followed. Concrete test reports show the same test results for many samples suggesting that concrete testing did not conform to standard industry practice.

7. Initial loads applied to the post-tensioning tendons exceeded specified limits (another factor that likely contributed to the cracking).

 

8. The SSTC leaks.

 

9. We don't know why the engineer/designer failed to include expansion joints in the SSTC's design. We don't know why 250 beams were under-designed. We don't know why the builder/contractor built slabs that are more than an inch less thick than what they're supposed to be. We don't know why reinforcement is exposed, and in some cases missing entirely. We don't know why water was added to the concrete on site and why standard cold weather curing procedures were not followed. We don't know why the concrete was overstressed during the initial post-tensioning. We don't know why concrete inspection and testing failed to follow industry standards and contract requirements. We don't know why the SSTC's special quality inspector, Montgomery County's onsite construction management team, and other Montgomery County and WMATA personnel who inspected the project periodically failed to address these deficiencies until construction was almost complete. We don't know why Montgomery County selected the SSTC's builder/contractor, engineer/designer, concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector. We don't know if political contributions were part of the selection process. We don't know why the SSTC wasn't bid for construction as has been standard practice for public works projects for decades.

 

Look at the facts. Take the opinions for what they're worth, especially the opinions of those involved in the project before the many deficiencies with the SSTC became public. Take a look at who is paying those who are providing opinions. Are they impartial?

 

Look at the FACTS. The SSTC should be torn down. You can't retrofit expansion joints into a finished concrete building. It's "set in concrete". You can't see missing reinforcement. You can't see if what's supposed to be a no. 7 bar (7/8 inch diameter) is actually a no. 5 bar (5/8 inch diameter). It's "set in concrete". You can't tell what other latent defects there may be. They're "set in concrete".

 

At the very least, further construction on the SSTC should be halted until it's PROVEN (by INDEPENDENT experts not paid by Montgomery County or anyone else involved in the project heretofore) that the SSTC is safe.

 

 



 

 

 

 



"You cannot fool all of the people all of the time"

"You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

 

Abraham Lincoln

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is anybody listening?

Noise. All around is noise. The media. Montgomery County. WMATA. Their paid consultants. The builder/contractor. The engineer/designer. The concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector. All making noise.

Search the internet and you will find that the media are in control. Search "Silver Spring Transit Center" and for the most part all that you'll find are reports from the media--newspapers, TV, radio, etc. Articles. videos. Media reports that are basically regurgitated Montgomery County press releases. No "in-depth" reporting. No "probing questions".

Where are the other voices? Those who may have more to contribute than pulling a press release off the internet or copying a story from one media source to another. Where are the independent experts in engineering and construction who can actually add some meat to the bones and separate facts from spin? Where are the opinions of those who have legitimate concerns for public safety, public spending and government integrity?

They're being drowned out by the media's noise.

 

 

 



More spin than a...

F5 tornado.

 

 

David Dise, Director, Department of General Services at Montgomery County, MD, says “It (the Silver Spring Transit Center) will absolutely be safe”. 

 

 Roger Berliner, Montgomery County Councilman and Chairman of the County's Transportation Committee, says that "WMATA has no less responsibility than our county with respect to the current state of affairs".

 

Spin. Pure spin.

 

Mr. Dise doesn't KNOW that the SSTC "will be absolutely safe". And, apparently the media doesn't know the difference between a fact and an opinion. The FACT is that we don't know how many errors and omissions are hidden beneath the SSTC's cracked, thin (slabs more than an inch less thick than what they're supposed to be), under-reinforced, understrength, overstressed and hardened concrete. And, as far as Mr. Dise's opinion is concerned, he can hardly be considered impartial.

 

Likewise, Mr. Berliner's statement that "WMATA has no less responsibility than our county with respect to the current state of affairs" goes largely unchallenged by media and the public, who should know better. Didn’t Montgomery County chose the engineer, the contractor and the concrete inspection/testing firm? Didn’t Montgomery County have a fulltime, onsite construction management team of County employees on the job during construction? Didn’t Montgomery County issue the building permits? Doesn’t Montgomery County have the responsibility to inspect projects in its jurisdiction during construction? Isn't Montgomery County owner-of-record for the facility? For Mr. Berliner to suggest that WMATA "has no less responsibility than our county with respect to the current state of affairs" is patently absurd. But, apparently neither the media nor the public think so; or, they don't care.

 

 

"You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

Abraham Lincoln

 

 



Media Monkeys

In March 2013 media (newspaper, TV, radio, internet, etc.) reported that the Silver Spring Transit Center is severely flawed. In NINE MONTHS and HUNDREDS of stories it's NEVER occurred to the media to look into WHY Montgomery County selected the builder/contractor, the engineer/designer and the concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector for the SSTC. Why? Have you ever heard of cronyism, boys and girls?

When I was a kid, reporters took pride in investigating a story and reporting their findings (e.g., Woodward and Bernstein, Watergate, Washington Post).

Not so today. "Reporters" sit behind their desks and bring up press releases, videos (the internet is full of video statements by Montgomery County Council members), etc. on their computers and send them in for publication. No "in-depth reporting". No "probing questions".

A sad state of affairs.

 

 

 



Looking for waste?

Look no further.

• END cronyism where local governments can award federally-funded contracts without open competition.
• END the practice of local governments awarding federally-funded public works contracts that are not bid for construction.
• END public/private partnerships.

If you want to see an example of government waste in spending federal funds, then look no further than the nearby Silver Spring Transit Center. (You can throw a stone from the District of Columbia to the SSTC.)



 

 

 

 

Take their word for it?

David Dise, Director, Department of General Services at Montgomery County, MD, says “It (the Silver Spring Transit Center) will absolutely be safe”. ( http://wamu.org/news/13/11/20/repairs_on_long_delayed_silver_spring_transit_center_could_be_done_next_year )

So do private consultants hired by Montgomery County and WMATA.

Of course they do.

Do you accept the opinions of those who have a "history" on the project and are paid by Montgomery County, WMATA or anyone else who has a “history” on the project?

I don’t. Give me an independent opinion from an expert(s) who doesn't have a "history" with the project and who is not paid by Montgomery County, WMATA or any of the other "players" in the project so far.



rumors

http://silverspring.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/silver-spring-crime-burglary-at-silver-spring-transit-center-site


"Construction site burglary:
•A construction site burglary occurred at the Silver Spring Transit Center (8404 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring) between Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m. and Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 6 a.m. Forced entry; property taken."

Rumors that concrete was removed from the already-deficient concrete structure (slabs that are more than 1 inch thinner than what's called for in the construction documents) are unsubstantiated. :)

 

 

 

American University radio

http://wamu.org/news/13/11/20/repairs_on_long_delayed_silver_spring_transit_center_could_be_done_next_year


The "light at the end of the tunnel" could be that of an oncoming train (no pun intended). There are many unanswered questions with the SSTC, such as: Is it safe? (despite what Mr. Dise and the rest of Montgomery County and their paid consultants say) Why weren't all the problems with the SSTC discovered sooner (extensive cracking, slabs thinner than what they're supposed to be, 250 beams that need to be strengthened, concrete that’s understrength and overstressed, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, etc.) especially given Montgomery County’s full time construction management team and periodic visits by other Montgomery County and WMATA personnel and their paid consultants? Why did Montgomery County select the builder/contractor, the engineer/designer, and the concrete inspector/tester and special quality inspector for the SSTC? Why wasn’t the SSTC bid for construction as is standard practice for most public works projects? etc., etc., etc. ... So many questions; so few answers.

 

 

 

 

is the SSTC safe?

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=41&sid=3508920


"Concrete doesn't like to be twisted: it cracks. Cracking exposes the member to additional deterioration," Dise explained. ... True--this is a fact, not an opinion. ... "It will absolutely be safe. Remember, we know that it already handles its own weight, and it's already survived an earthquake."  ... These are half-truths, and an opinion. ... Hurray! It handles its own weight! BIG DEAL! What about fully loaded buses? What about the impact on safety of “additional deterioration” over time? ... Hurray! The SSTC survived an earthquake! So did all but a VERY few other buildings, both old and new.

Are you ready to accept the opinion of one who can hardly be called impartial? Dise, and others (especially those who happen to be using the SSTC if disaster strikes), have much to lose if the SSTC is unsafe. So far, those who have been insisting that the SSTC is safe either work directly for Montgomery County or WMATA, or are private consultants paid for by Montgomery County or WMATA. Personally, I will feel better if independent experts, not working for Montgomery County or WMATA, say that they believe that the SSTC is safe. It would still be only an opinion; but, at least it wouldn’t be the opinion of those who have much to lose if the SSTC isn’t safe.

 

 



Fairy tale?

http://youtu.be/82HhnCzC6IY

 



 

You and me and people from all 50 states are paying for the Silver Spring Transit Center. It hasn't even opened yet; but, it's severely-flawed. The concrete structure is cracked throughout. Slabs in many locations are more than an inch thinner than what they're supposed to be. Reinforcement is exposed in some places, and missing entirely in others. Some concrete is understrength and overstressed. 250 beams must be strengthened because they will not carry design loads within allowable design stress limits. The SSTC is WAY over budget and schedule.

 

Contact your US representatives in Congress (1 House; 2 Senate) and tell them that you want an independent investigation of how YOUR federal taxes, user fees, etc. were used or misused in the oversight and construction of the SSTC, including selection of the builder/contractor, the engineer/designer and the concrete/special quality inspector/tester. Do it today.