Silver Spring Transit Center "insanity"

Montgomery County MD: 

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." 

Albert Einstein

In May 2014 Montgomery County's Inspector General reported that problems with the Silver Spring Transit Center (aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center) were known in 2010.

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.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/05/report-problems-with-silver-spring-transit-center-may-have-been-known-years-ago-103358.html 

Nothing was done in April 2010 when Montgomery County's inspector "raised a red flag".

Fast forward from April 2010 to June 2012 when Montgomery County hired KCE Structural Engineers, PC to conduct an extensive document review and structural evaluation of the SSTC. KCE's report dated March 15, 2013 is on Montgomery County's website.

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DGS-BDC/SS/509974.html

KCE's report documents severe structural flaws with the SSTC's concrete frame, including extensive cracking of slabs, beams, girders and columns, slabs more than an inch thinner than the 10 inches thick called for, understrength and overstressed concrete, exposed reinforcement, missing reinforcement, a complete lack of expansion joints, etc.

In March 2013 Montgomery County decided to proceed with "repairs" to the SSTC without holding public meetings to answer the public's questions and to obtain their input. Bad decision. Had Montgomery County bothered to hold public hearings to obtain citizen input before deciding to "repair" the SSTC, they may have found:

1. that the SSTC is a LEMON -- severely flawed, beyond repair.
2. that the public paid more-than-retail for a brand new transit center, not a severely flawed transit center that needs "repairs".
3. that when we (the public) are sold a LEMON, that we don't accept it.
4. that we, the public, object to Montgomery County using public $ to pay for "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC.

But, Montgomery County didn't hold public meetings to get citizen input in March 2013. Instead, the county decided on their own to make "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC.

Fast forward to former Montgomery County council member Valerie Ervin's May 2014 public remarks: http://www.mymcmedia.org/valerie-ervin-on-silver-spring-transit-center-video/

a "wake up" call? one would think.

Fast forward again to January 13, 2015 -- Montgomery County holds a public hearing to sell $16+ million in county general obligation bonds to pay for "repairs" to the severely flawed LEMON SSTC (in addition to using $5 million from other well-designed and well-constructed projects to fund "repairs" to the LEMON SSTC). No one speaks for the public. (Jonathan Gruber is right.) Nonetheless, County council members say that their constituents are complaining to them about the cost and safety of the SSTC. 

Fast forward once more to the proposed Purple Line -- a "public-private partnership" -- just like the SSTC.

Albert Einstein is right. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Silver Spring Transit Center
aka Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center