Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
"I gave him an unlimited budget, and he exceeded it."
Talk about throwing good money after bad! So far, Montgomery County has spent $120 million of our money on the severely flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center. (More than half the funding for the SSTC are federal funds.) And, Montgomery County isn't done yet! There's the two inch latex concrete overlay that Montgomery County intends to install when the weather thaws. And, there are 250 beams to strengthen, leaks to fix, cracks to seal, etc. How much will this work cost? Who knows? Montgomery County hasn't said, and the media hasn't asked. And, there will be future maintenance costs, which will likely be through-the-roof because of the SSTC's numerous flaws. And, then there will be legal costs--LOTS and LOTS of legal costs. We'll be picking up the tab for Montgomery County's outside legal consulting fees and in-house administration costs for years while Montgomery County and its paid contractor/builder Foulger-Pratt, its paid engineer designer Parsons Brinkerhoff and its paid concrete tester/inspector and special quality inspector Balter Company fight out in court as to who's going to pay for the SSTC's numerous construction, design and testing and inspection flaws.
In the early 1970s Redskins' owner Edward Bennett Williams said of Coach George Allen "I gave him an unlimited budget, and he exceeded it!" At least George Allen bought a respectable football team with his unlimited budget. Montgomery County bought a severely flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened white elephant. And, Montgomery County hasn't finished squandering our money yet.
Such a deal!
In the early 1970s Redskins' owner Edward Bennett Williams said of Coach George Allen "I gave him an unlimited budget, and he exceeded it!" At least George Allen bought a respectable football team with his unlimited budget. Montgomery County bought a severely flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened white elephant. And, Montgomery County hasn't finished squandering our money yet.
Such a deal!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Where we stand
Last March we learned that Montgomery County MD had contracted with local (Washington, D.C.) engineering firm KCE to evaluate extensive cracking in the yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center. KCE's report (which can be downloaded from Montgomery County's website at http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgtmpl.asp?url=/content/dgs/SSTC-STRUCTURAL-REPORT.asp ) attributes the extensive cracking to errors and omissions by the SSTC's builder/contractor Foulger Pratt, the engineer/designer Parsons Brinkerhoff and the concrete tester/inspector and special quality inspector Balter Co. Besides the extensive cracking, KCE's report addresses other serious flaws: slabs more than an inch thinner than the 10 inches thick slabs called for in construction documents, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement and other construction, design and inspection and testing flaws. Since release of the KCE report last March, other flaws have been discovered: 250 beams that are under-designed, leaks, etc. We also learned that Montgomery County intends to add a two inch thick latex concrete overlay to the SSTC in spring 2014 after freezing temperatures have passed.
Besides being seriously flawed and overdue, the SSTC is over-budget. (More than half of the funding for the SSTC are federal funds.) Montgomery County officials and their paid consultants have also made numerous public statements about the safety of the SSTC since last March. Notably missing from these public statements and media reports is an announcement for a public meeting(s) where those paying for the SSTC (you and me) are given the opportunity to ask County officials our questions and to make our comments for the record.
We're entitled to answers to our questions. After all, the SSTC is OUR transit center. We're paying for it. However, there are no indications at present, either from Montgomery County's public statements or from media reports, that Montgomery County will schedule a public meeting(s) so that our questions can be answered and our comments can be heard for the record. So much for transparency in government.
Monday, January 20, 2014
the SSTC is still a pig
A latex concrete overlay is to the Silver Spring Transit Center as lipstick is to a pig.
If the SSTC cracks because it doesn't have expansion joints (standard construction practice and a WMATA requirement), then a latex concrete overlay won't fix the problem.
It's still a pig.
It's still a pig.
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
Abraham Lincoln
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Something(s) to hide?
Lack of transparency creates suspicion.
Why won't Montgomery County hold public meetings to explain to those who are paying for the Silver Spring Transit Center (you and me) what they are doing and why? (More than half of the funding for the SSTC are federal funds.) Why does Montgomery County press ahead with repairs to a brand new, yet-to-be-opened public transit center? We paid top dollar for the SSTC; we're entitled to a brand new, unflawed SSTC, and an explanation from Montgomery County as to why they feel that we aren't. Why won't Montgomery County explain how and why they 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? Why doesn't Montgomery County explain why the SSTC wasn't bid for construction, as has been standard practice for public works projects for decades? Why wasn't the SSTC's construction bid in an open process? Why doesn't Montgomery County explain why it believes that the SSTC's lack of expansion joints (which are standard construction practice and a WMATA requirement) is acceptable, even though lack of expansion joints is undoubtedly causing the SSTC to crack? Why doesn't Montgomery County explain publicly why it believes that slabs that are more than one inch less thick than required (10 inches thick) and why 250 under-designed beams are acceptable? Why doesn't Montgomery County explain to the public, for the record, why it believes that the SSTC is safe and won't be a financial burden on you and me and our children and grandchildren in the future because of high maintenance costs caused by its numerous flaws?
Why won't Montgomery County face the public in public meetings and answer our questions (questions that the media won't ask) on the record?
Why won't Montgomery County hold public meetings to explain to those who are paying for the Silver Spring Transit Center (you and me) what they are doing and why? (More than half of the funding for the SSTC are federal funds.) Why does Montgomery County press ahead with repairs to a brand new, yet-to-be-opened public transit center? We paid top dollar for the SSTC; we're entitled to a brand new, unflawed SSTC, and an explanation from Montgomery County as to why they feel that we aren't. Why won't Montgomery County explain how and why they 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? Why doesn't Montgomery County explain why the SSTC wasn't bid for construction, as has been standard practice for public works projects for decades? Why wasn't the SSTC's construction bid in an open process? Why doesn't Montgomery County explain why it believes that the SSTC's lack of expansion joints (which are standard construction practice and a WMATA requirement) is acceptable, even though lack of expansion joints is undoubtedly causing the SSTC to crack? Why doesn't Montgomery County explain publicly why it believes that slabs that are more than one inch less thick than required (10 inches thick) and why 250 under-designed beams are acceptable? Why doesn't Montgomery County explain to the public, for the record, why it believes that the SSTC is safe and won't be a financial burden on you and me and our children and grandchildren in the future because of high maintenance costs caused by its numerous flaws?
Why won't Montgomery County face the public in public meetings and answer our questions (questions that the media won't ask) on the record?
Friday, January 10, 2014
Political Puffery, the Gullible Press, and the Gullible Public
I hate politics and the press' (and much of the public's) gullibility. Here's why:
http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/New-library-opens1-9-2014
Quote from David Dise, Director, Montgomery County Department of General Services:
“Every challenge makes the finish of the project that much sweeter and we appreciate that the public does not see those challenges, they just know it is taking longer. Our job is to beat those challenges and overcome them and still focus on delivering a first-class product, which I believe we have done in this case and I believe we do in all the projects that we construct.”
Quote from County Council President Craig Rice:
“We here in Montgomery County are really trying to see things through. We went through some fits and starts and had a tough economy and were really challenged when it came to our budget to make sure we continued on with a lot of these projects,” Rice. “We know how important they are to the community and wanted to make sure we delivered. We are going to see the results of this. You can see from the people that are out here today have really been waiting and wanting it so it is great for us to say we delivered.”
"County Executive Ike Leggett said he likes attending groundbreaking events, but he enjoys ribbon-cutting ceremonies even more."
Let's get this straight... Dise, Rice, Leggett and The Sentinel would have us believe what a GREAT job that Montgomery County is doing building public works' projects... Two old sayings come to mind:
"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
"I was born at night; but, not LAST night!" (Author unknown)
Is there any wonder why polls show that people view politicians with such disdain?
http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/New-library-opens1-9-2014
Quote from David Dise, Director, Montgomery County Department of General Services:
“Every challenge makes the finish of the project that much sweeter and we appreciate that the public does not see those challenges, they just know it is taking longer. Our job is to beat those challenges and overcome them and still focus on delivering a first-class product, which I believe we have done in this case and I believe we do in all the projects that we construct.”
Quote from County Council President Craig Rice:
“We here in Montgomery County are really trying to see things through. We went through some fits and starts and had a tough economy and were really challenged when it came to our budget to make sure we continued on with a lot of these projects,” Rice. “We know how important they are to the community and wanted to make sure we delivered. We are going to see the results of this. You can see from the people that are out here today have really been waiting and wanting it so it is great for us to say we delivered.”
"County Executive Ike Leggett said he likes attending groundbreaking events, but he enjoys ribbon-cutting ceremonies even more."
Let's get this straight... Dise, Rice, Leggett and The Sentinel would have us believe what a GREAT job that Montgomery County is doing building public works' projects... Two old sayings come to mind:
"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
"I was born at night; but, not LAST night!" (Author unknown)
Is there any wonder why polls show that people view politicians with such disdain?
The severely flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center:
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Case Study: Concrete Failure
http://failures.wikispaces.com/Concrete+System+Collapses+%26+Failures+During+Construction
2000 Commonwealth Avenue: January 5, 1971
This was a progressive collapse of a cast-in-place reinforced concrete flat-slab structure. Punching shear was determined to have been the triggering mechanism but the real problem was in the numerous errors and omissions by every party involved in the project (Delatte 133-143). The investigating committee determined that if the construction had had a proper building permit and had followed codes, then the failure could have been avoided (Delatte 142). Some of the problems leading to the collapse are:
1. Not following the structural engineers specifications for shoring and formwork
2. Lack of concrete design strength
3. Lack of shoring or removed too soon
4. Improper placement of reinforcement
5. Little construction control on site
6. Owner changed hands many times
7. Almost all jobs were sub contracted
8. No architectural or engineering inspection done
9. Inadequate inspection by the city of Boston
10. The general contractors representative was not a licensed builder
11. Construction was based on arrangements done by the subcontractors
12. No direct supervision of subcontractors
Sound familiar? For the Montgomery County, MD Silver Spring Transit Center, add:
13. Under-designed
14. Failed to provide expansion joints
15. Built slabs more than one inch thinner than specified
16. Failed to adequately inspect and test concrete before and during placement
17. Understrength concrete
18. Added water at the jobsite to the concrete mix
19. Failed to follow standard cold weather curing requirements
20. Missing reinforcement
21. Applied greater initial posttensioning forces than called for
22. Failed to address extensive concrete cracking in a timely manner
2000 Commonwealth Avenue: January 5, 1971
This was a progressive collapse of a cast-in-place reinforced concrete flat-slab structure. Punching shear was determined to have been the triggering mechanism but the real problem was in the numerous errors and omissions by every party involved in the project (Delatte 133-143). The investigating committee determined that if the construction had had a proper building permit and had followed codes, then the failure could have been avoided (Delatte 142). Some of the problems leading to the collapse are:
1. Not following the structural engineers specifications for shoring and formwork
2. Lack of concrete design strength
3. Lack of shoring or removed too soon
4. Improper placement of reinforcement
5. Little construction control on site
6. Owner changed hands many times
7. Almost all jobs were sub contracted
8. No architectural or engineering inspection done
9. Inadequate inspection by the city of Boston
10. The general contractors representative was not a licensed builder
11. Construction was based on arrangements done by the subcontractors
12. No direct supervision of subcontractors
Sound familiar? For the Montgomery County, MD Silver Spring Transit Center, add:
13. Under-designed
14. Failed to provide expansion joints
15. Built slabs more than one inch thinner than specified
16. Failed to adequately inspect and test concrete before and during placement
17. Understrength concrete
18. Added water at the jobsite to the concrete mix
19. Failed to follow standard cold weather curing requirements
20. Missing reinforcement
21. Applied greater initial posttensioning forces than called for
22. Failed to address extensive concrete cracking in a timely manner
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