video status report

http://youtu.be/31bAYkx9eBY

"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!

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. 

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.

"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

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?

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?

 

 

The severely flawed, over-budget, yet-to-be-opened Silver Spring Transit Center:

 

 

 

 

 

 



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

 

 

 

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. :)