The City of Port Angeles receives the IACC "Creative Solutions" award
The City of Port Angeles received the "Creative Solutions" award presented by the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) of Washington State. The award was presented at the recent IACC conference on 1 October 2014.
The award recognizes the City’s innovative design of the Combined Sewer Overflow project which reutilized existing infrastructure, greatly reducing project costs and construction timelines. The design reutilized an abandoned industrial water line, which was slip-lined with 3 waste water pipes, greatly reducing excavation in environmentally and archaeologically sensitive areas. In addition, an unused 5 million gallon storage tank was repurposed to temporarily hold combined sewer overflows during heavy rain events. The design was a combined team effort of City engineers, the design firm of Brown & Caldwell, the environmental firm of Farallon Consulting, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and the Department of Ecology.
The Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Washington communities and tribes identify and obtain resources they need to develop, improve, and maintain infrastructure. It consists of staff from state and federal agencies, local government associations, and nonprofit technical assistance organizations.
Where the combined sewer overflow begins combining,
thanks to award-winning design!
So...Do you proud Port Angelesites feel innovative? Or is this a bogus award from a circle jerk organization? In other words, is having a 5 million gallon sewage tank on your shoreline a point of pride, or just a crock of shit? 
You have to love how Glenn Cutler's much-touted "most expensive public works project in the history of Port Angeles," the one that's going to cost us at least $50 million dollars before it's through, is described as having "greatly reduced project costs."
ReplyDeleteWar is peace. Slavery is freedom. Expensive is cheap.
Beautiful.
You have it right!!
DeleteIf you only knew how our so-called public representatives, elected and "staff", screwed us with this project. From local levels, to the Director of Wa. Dept. of Ecology. They INTENTIONALLY ignored data and information that showed the very reasons for proceeding with the project were wrong. City staff generated "facts" to justify a pre-determined goal. Come up with a huge project, and then fabricate reasons to support it. Corrupt ?
Even the current replacement of Cutler says HALF of the projects costs are for a pump that needs to be replaced because of normal wear and tear. That this project is a convenient way to fund infrastructure that any other city usually plans and establishes long range budgets and funds for.
As part of this award winning project, the City shows pictures of grease clogged pipes being dug up and replaced, saying this is an example of the "CSO" problem. Most cities require grease traps, and "source control" , to prevent big producers of fats, oils and grease from clogging underground sewer pipes. They have regulations, regular inspections, and public education to prevent the problem. But here,Port Angeles spends millions to just dig up clogged pipes by having staff say those magic words: "CSO".
Included in the reasons the people of Port Angeles got stuck with this hugely expensive "scam the people" project is the Peninsula Daily News. The reporters were provided information, but all they did is spout the party line. Just reprint the city issued statement.
Slavery is freedom. Free Press is government mouthpiece.
This is the most embarrassing project sensible people can derive. Pull the plug on it while we can still save $26 million.
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad to think about the huge amounts of money that have been poured into this project, and what else could have been done with those funds. It's criminal, heartbreaking.
DeleteNew slogan for PA, for the chamber or PA untied to use...Port Angeles: Our Turd Tank rules!
ReplyDeleteGiven how valuable coastal properties can be, doing what the city is doing is like paying someone a million bucks to crap on the hood of your Rolls Royce and calling it a hood ornament.
ReplyDeleteThis is insanity. And unfortunately, even though this is a nothing, log rolling :award," the city will doubtlessly point to it and tell themselves they're doing everything right.
Sigh...The only "creative solutions" I see around Clallam County is the same old good old boys finding ways - creative or otherwise - to keep themselves, their families and their cronies attached to the few well-paying jobs around here. That's about it. Are there any awards to be won for nepotism?
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, did you all see how the group of realtor-led morons fighting the Dungeness water rule have raised tens of thousands of dollars? All for a fight they have to know they'll lose. All for a fight that sets them against science, and against how our social/legal system is evolving. I guess it's the cover charge to prove you're willing to be even more clueless and shrill than anyone else. Whatever the reason, it's sheer foolishness. Just one more useless effort wasting time in Clallam County.
ReplyDeleteDid Lee Whetham install those toilets? I think I saw them in the restroom at City Hall...
ReplyDeletecan we make it multipurpose, and also use it for a dunk tank for prominent good ol'boys and the elected officials who get snowed by them? I'd pay $5.00 a throw to dunk a couple.
ReplyDeleteI love it! Let's use the CSO to put the "flow" in positive cash flow.
DeleteI really, really, REALLY like the dunk tank idea.
DeleteA Guide to Doing Business in Port Angeles:
ReplyDeleteStep 1) Think of something really, really stupid and/or unnecessary and/or horribly outdated that can be pitched as "for the good of the community" in some way.
Step 2) Convince a local governing body to buy into your idea. The dumber the better, and bribes couldn't hurt.
Step 3) Get a grant to pay for your project. If that doesn't work, stick local taxpayers/ratepayers with the costs.
Step 4) Hire your friends and/or relatives as needed.
Step 5) Express surprise and regret when there are cost overruns.
Step 6) Don't forget to grab your share of those cost overruns.
Step 7) Repeat as needed.
Port O Call keeps bashing away at folks, but they still need to get their website in order. Of topic, I know, but...
ReplyDeleteTo give them credit where it's due, the city is always finding new and "creative" ways to drive people out of and away from Port Angeles. If that's their goal, it's working!
ReplyDeleteDidn't the state require the city to do this?
ReplyDeleteOr did Cutler want something to put his name on and skew everything to make like the city really needed to do this?
Just confused on who really required it.
The EPA and Ecology have been trying to clean up the public waters for years. Yes, the City was mandated by law to stop polluting the local waters, but the laws don't dictate HOW to solve the problems.
DeleteCutler, being a moron (yes, he really didn't know much about sewage treatment and related technologies) , along with his equally ignorant but highly ego driven crew at Public Works concocted this extremely expensive approach to try to comply with the laws. This, after the City dragged its' feet to do ANYTHING, for years.
But, they were not completely sub-moronic, and having been taught well by Rodgers et al, saw the opportunity to get grant money to pay for things the City had been deferring for years.
" You want us to stop polluting? We're a poor little town, so, you better chip in money."
And, yes, Cutler and crew skewed everything, made up completely false issues, ran the clock down to get panicked approvals, and buffalo-ed the City Council. The State falls for the plea, and the City pads the project with tens of millions of dollars for things not related to the original mandate. Things most cities budget for as normal and expected maintenance.
So, it becomes the most expensive project in the City's history, based upon contrived information, but who cares, because it's taxpayer money, and it all goes to private contractors. (Hint: Follow the money)
As others pointed out long ago, the pollution could have been stopped for a mere fraction of what was spent.
But, you now see Cutler getting an award (in effect) for a complete travesty.
Typical Port Angeles.
The state told the city to stop violating the Clean Water Act by dumping raw sewage into the harbor whenever the combined sewage/storm-water sewers couldn't handle the volume generated by a hard rain. The city ignored the law for awhile, but when the state became more serious about threatening to issue penalty fines, Cutler's public works department ultimately devised the turd tank project.
DeleteSo - yes, the state ordered the city to stop polluting the harbor with CSO overflows; but no, the state did not require the turd tank method of solving the problem. The city could have selected a much cheaper and more efficient way to deal with the issue.
The Turd Tank TREATS the problem - at great expense - without actually solving the problem.
DeleteFor the same amount of money, the City could have chosen an option to SOLVE the problem. As in, lower ongoing expenses, renewed infrastructure, restored waterfront (minus the Turd Tank) and. to repeat, an actual SOLUTION to the problem.
But that approach wouldn't have allowed Karen Rogers and her cronies to leech money from the City as easily, so...
It should be noted that, just because the Turd Tank project has been built, it doesn't mean there were no outrageous examples of "corruption" involved. Lots of talk around town about old parts cleaned up and painted to look new, and the project billed for new parts. And, the contractor got caught doing it!
DeleteYep! Leeching money.
Like so many things in Port Angeles, it's all about who you know.