April 26, 2007
Sewer of Corruption (XXXIII)
Literally: "Sims' plan for sewer contracts slammed"
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at April 26, 2007
09:19 AM | Email This
1. So the cost has nearly doubled. I guess this is the only way to get projects done. Is to underestimate the cost to build. Once it starts well you just say it has started now you have to let us spend 2 or 3 times the amount of money the original project was sold as. Good example why last year 520 new bridge as a little over 1 Billion dollars. And the latest news is 3.3 billion. So what is the real cost to replace the bridge. How can we trust thier estimates when they never seem to be correct.
Plus forcing all towns to use the facility built. Seems to be strange. Where else would they send their waste. Or does Sims know that there is an alternate cheaper way to clean waste he does not want to support that cities could use. It makes one wonder.
2. Very interesting. At one time there was a METRO which consisted of appointed elected officials from the county, city and sewer districts. METRO also did transit.
It was judged to be illegal, so the authority went to King County since they were all elected. If you didn't like the electeds, you could supposedly vote them out. That is democracy.
It seems interesting that King County is acting heavy-handedly in this matter, which is why the cities wanted a METRO in the first place. In METRO, King County government was at the low end of the totem pole (is it okay to say that still?).
3. There's a serious problem with the concept of using 'democracy' (actually abusing it) to elect officials to one office, who then act as unelected officials of quite another function.
It wouldn't be quite the problem if the MSM in its reporting pointed out that "Sims, Nickels & Co blow Sound Transit's budgets by 125%" - but they don't write any such thing. The buck does not stop there any more. Sims and Nickels are allowed to run for their County and City offices as if kissing babies and worshiping environmental gods and cruising in limousines were all they had to do in office.
The problem of such unnacountability won't get any nearer solving until the governing Boards of Sound Transit and the former Metro sewers are directly elected for those purposes only.
4. That is why I tell Eric and the ST staffer that posts here that I will never vote for ST. I also say that this new department the queen set up is still illegitimate even if elected, because ST is allowed to be.
5. Richard Conlin is to be commended for asking questions and trying to protect rate payers. This project is an absolute mystery. No press has ever written an indepth analysis of the breakdown of costs, the reasons for cost overruns, the likelihood of future cost overruns (are they using the same inflation rates as the roads projects for concrete, steel and other materials), the alternatives (like getting Snohomish county to build a plant itself), or critically examined claims that we're running out of sewage capacity. Also no one has ever explained the finances under the various scenarios for length of financing.
6. No one will read this, it is too far down the food chain. However good stuff,,,,
Why are sewer rates high, because KC/Metro manipulates $Billions and no one is the wiser.
Brightwater is all about lousy politics, not needed and will not even reach 30% capacity until 2030. Renton flows are down, anyone heard of water conservation, guess not?
The Waste water divison at KC hires expensive consultants and requires special programs to get around I-220, this is why all costs are 3-5 times what they should be.
Timmy pay attention!
No checks no balances, not even a word when the county council pointed out in the internal audit major contract discrepancies.
The fox is in charge of the hen house, surprise that eggs cost so much?
Get a good challenger for 2008, for county Exec., forget the Governor's race, that is a lost cause.
Not metals, that was flawed iron!