Here's James' film: http://youtu.be/6TZrmEj-Xtk
(You can also find James' film on youtube.com ; search "Sarbanes Transit Center IB Documentary Project".)
Here are my comments on James' film:
James,
A+. GREAT job! Your film is outstanding.
You picked the right interviewees. Founder and president of the Silver Spring Historical Society and Silver Spring resident. His credibility is unquestioned. You and he make a great point: that the SSTC is a collosal "bungling" and waste of public money (federal, state & local). I found his remarks about "public outrage" to be particularly insightful. His closing remarks are also VERY insightful. The SSTC is a "glorified" parking garage, not particularly difficult to design or build. The failures were failures in managing the SSTC's design, construction and concrete inspection and testing during construction.
I take exception with Tina Slater's comment that KCE's report blames "all parties". The KCE structural report, as complete, thorough and factual as it is, fails to blame Montgomery County for the debacle SSTC. But then, Montgomery County paid KCE ($1.7 million?) for its investigation and report. "Biting the hand that feeds you" is not a good practice for private consultants to take with their clients. However, Montgomery County is most surely partly to blame for the debacle SSTC. Ms. Slater blames Montgomery County in her remarks to you; but, she's incorrect when she says that KCE's report blames "all parties".
Montgomery County has the responsibility to review and approve all construction within its boundaries. Further, as the SSTC's owner of record and construction manager, they have a further responsibility to manage the design and construction. Further still, as Montgomery County's Inspector General pointed out in his presentation, a Montgomery County building inspector discovered problems with the SSTC's design before construction began, and the County failed to follow up on their own inspector's findings. Certainly some, if not most, of the tens of millions of public dollars that have been wasted on the SSTC could have been avoided had Montgomery County had its act together.
Governor elect Hogan did not support the Purple Line in his campaign. MD needs to take a hard look at the waste in public funds that resulted from the Silver Spring Transit Center public-private partnership, where Montgomery County noncompetitively selected Parsons Brinkerhoff to provide the engineering design for the SSTC, Foulger Pratt to build it and Balter Co. to inspect and test concrete during construction. The complete waste of public $ that resulted from the SSTC, because of crony capitalism, should not be allowed to happen with the Purple Line, which is currently proceeding as/towards a public-private partnership.
Great job! Congratulations!
(You can also find James' film on youtube.com ; search "Sarbanes Transit Center IB Documentary Project".)
Here are my comments on James' film:
James,
A+. GREAT job! Your film is outstanding.
You picked the right interviewees. Founder and president of the Silver Spring Historical Society and Silver Spring resident. His credibility is unquestioned. You and he make a great point: that the SSTC is a collosal "bungling" and waste of public money (federal, state & local). I found his remarks about "public outrage" to be particularly insightful. His closing remarks are also VERY insightful. The SSTC is a "glorified" parking garage, not particularly difficult to design or build. The failures were failures in managing the SSTC's design, construction and concrete inspection and testing during construction.
I take exception with Tina Slater's comment that KCE's report blames "all parties". The KCE structural report, as complete, thorough and factual as it is, fails to blame Montgomery County for the debacle SSTC. But then, Montgomery County paid KCE ($1.7 million?) for its investigation and report. "Biting the hand that feeds you" is not a good practice for private consultants to take with their clients. However, Montgomery County is most surely partly to blame for the debacle SSTC. Ms. Slater blames Montgomery County in her remarks to you; but, she's incorrect when she says that KCE's report blames "all parties".
Montgomery County has the responsibility to review and approve all construction within its boundaries. Further, as the SSTC's owner of record and construction manager, they have a further responsibility to manage the design and construction. Further still, as Montgomery County's Inspector General pointed out in his presentation, a Montgomery County building inspector discovered problems with the SSTC's design before construction began, and the County failed to follow up on their own inspector's findings. Certainly some, if not most, of the tens of millions of public dollars that have been wasted on the SSTC could have been avoided had Montgomery County had its act together.
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This is taken from a presentation that Ed Blansitt, Montgomery County Inspector General, gave on September 3, 2014 to the annual conference of the Federal Audit Executive Committee (FAEC), Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria VA.
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Governor elect Hogan did not support the Purple Line in his campaign. MD needs to take a hard look at the waste in public funds that resulted from the Silver Spring Transit Center public-private partnership, where Montgomery County noncompetitively selected Parsons Brinkerhoff to provide the engineering design for the SSTC, Foulger Pratt to build it and Balter Co. to inspect and test concrete during construction. The complete waste of public $ that resulted from the SSTC, because of crony capitalism, should not be allowed to happen with the Purple Line, which is currently proceeding as/towards a public-private partnership.
Great job! Congratulations!
The local news media (print, TV, radio, internet) should take note. James' video, along with KCE's report and Edward Blansitt's (Montgomery County Inspector General) presentation, are the only "in-depth" reporting of the SSTC that I've seen. As far as "probing questions" are concerned, that the news media so highly tout, James' "probing questions" stand alone, putting the local news media to shame.
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