Listen to Dori Monson weekdays on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM
 Dori Monson


southtransfer.jpg
Seattle Public Utilities' new South Transfer Station was built to replace the existing recycling and disposal facility in the South Park neighborhood, which has become obsolete since its construction in 1965. (Photo courtesy Mortenson Construction)

Months after ribbon-cutting, Seattle Public Utilities facility still not open

BY Brandi Kruse  on January 28, 2013 @ 11:31 am (Updated: 2:47 pm - 1/28/13 )

Eight months after a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Seattle Public Utilities' new, state-of-the-art South Transfer Station remains closed.

The structure was built to replace the existing recycling and disposal facility in Seattle's South Park neighborhood, which has become obsolete since its construction in 1965.

Ground was broken on the new facility in November 2010, but two key problems prevented it from opening as planned in June 2012.

In June 2011, the West Seattle Herald posted photos that showed the building's steel structure had been erected. Three months later, in September, The Herald posted a photo that showed the steel had been taken back down.

That's problem number one.

Andy Ryan, a spokesperson for Settle Public Utilities, said that the structure was taken back down in order to apply a more durable paint.

"We recognized that opportunity in the process to do it better," Ryan said when asked by KIRO Radio why the proper paint wasn't chosen to begin with.

Ryan said the process of dismantling the metal, sending it out to be repainted and putting it back up cost $2.7 million; that cost was split 50/50 between the contractor, Mortenson Construction, and the city. The net savings in long-term maintenance costs for SPU is estimated at $1.3 million.

The second problem became apparent only after SPU held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new building in May 2012. It was discovered that an area of the building designed for trucks to come in and out was not built with sufficient clearance. Once a sprinkler system was installed, it became apparent that the ceiling was too low.

"When we started running trucks through here, it became really apparent that while we had adequate clearance when things went right, things can go wrong," said Jeff Neuner, the transfer station business area manager.

"These sprinklers are something that just didn't show up on the drawing boards," Ryan said. "It showed up as soon as our operations people walked through and looked at them."

When asked if the building would have been completed by June 2012 had it not been for the clearance issue, Neuner said it would have.

The cost to alter the sprinkler system to allow for proper clearance is estimated at $300,000. The city will pay for one-third of that change, according to Ryan.

KIRO Radio also spoke with Seattle Public Utilities in order to clear up several discrepancies in their statements about the South Transfer Station.

When SPU reported on the start of construction, they wrote on their website that the project had a price tag of $50 million. SPU officials were quoted in several articles restating that figure, although the actual cost is much greater.

"The government-approved amount that we're going to spend here is about $75 million," Ryan said. "If we weren't, we certainly should in all of our materials have been reporting the actual, total complete cost of the facility."

Ryan called it an "error," and explained that SPU posted the figure paid to the contractor alone, not the cost of property acquisition, site cleanup, environmental studies and other related expenses. As of Monday, the SPU website was changed to reflect the total cost.

Another conflicting piece of information was the actual deadline for the project. While SPU repeatedly stated in print and during interviews that the project would be done in June 2012, Ryan said the deadline had always been December 2012, but that the contractor was "optimistic" it would be done sooner.

SPU said it is going through a final "check list," and anticipates the facility will be open sometime in the first quarter of this year. It will come in slightly over budget, at approximately $75,512,000, due to upgrades they've asked the contractor to complete.

Ryan said SPU does not anticipate having another ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
More Dori Monson

MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (25)


  • Add A Comment

  • Rick W7PSK wrote...
    Late and over budget
    January 28, 2013 11:49 am
    Typical Government project. Wait till they get the real bill for the Tunnel Project.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dadof3 wrote...
    Cost over runs...
    January 28, 2013 12:08 pm
    Why should Mortenson or any other contractor have to pay any of the cost of poor design? Too often contractors are left dealing with poor design. They give us drawings to bid, we bid them competatively, thats all we can do. Then the city, the state, the county, whoever it is browbeats us into fixing their stupid design problems, and paying for it. All because the polititians don't want to tell the tax payers they screwed up and it's going to cost more. I don't work for Mortenson, but I've seen this garbage time and again. I've been stiffed tens of thousands that was rightfully owed on major public projects.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • mnpat wrote...
    Agreeing with dadof3
    January 28, 2013 12:31 pm
    As acontractors we are held to our bids unless change orders are approved. To often high price DOT work or other Government work seems to have moving bottom lines. It would appear that there was indeed a degree of deception on the public as this project was quoted on numerous occasions to be $50 million, now at $75.5 million it is quoted as being a little over budget. I get a kick out of the 2.7 million spent to save 1.3 million for long term maintenance. I have to also add that this change and asscoiated delays cost in interest carry over the period of the loan.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Amorget wrote...
    2.7 million to save 1.3
    January 28, 2013 1:31 pm
    If you read the article carefully, the NET savings will be 1.3 million. The city paid 1.35, thus the cost saving are either 2.65 million or 4 million, depending on if they used the 2.7 or 1.35 million figure to calculate the "cost" side of it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Typical.
    January 28, 2013 12:26 pm
    And you want these people "running" your lives?....not me.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • imanegro wrote...
    government and health care
    January 28, 2013 12:32 pm
    These are the people that will soon run your health care. Thank you, democrats.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Newton wrote...
    Its a FEMA Camp run for your lives!.
    January 28, 2013 12:58 pm
    Its time to leave this country Big Buisness is leaving. Nothing left but people and empty buildings what "do you" think is going to happen next after the gun grab.?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • monkeyal wrote...
    Doesn't Seattle have some of the highest rates and charges for
    January 28, 2013 1:03 pm
    garbage, grass/leaves, and 'free' recycle pickup in the whole country?? Sure hope SPU used recycleable ribbons for the ceremony. Finally, remember to always use a private recycler for the aluminum cans and other metals that are worth .$$$ per pound.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Amorget wrote...
    Alum cans
    January 28, 2013 1:33 pm
    Are worth about .35 a lb... it's barely worth the gas in driving to a place that will pay you for them. Unless you know of a place that is paying more... I turned in 53 lbs of crushed alum cans just on Saturday.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • monkeyal wrote...
    Try the Recycle Depot place
    January 29, 2013 7:03 am
    near Dearborn Ave. and Rainier Ave. just before getting onto 1-90. $.45 per pound. Some Pioneer Square bars bring in loads of cans. Sure wish Real Change, Boy Scouts, etc. would do mass recycling and give/offer an option to merely giving the metal away for free to Seattle government.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dori monson fan wrote...
    are the 520 designers sharing their beer with seattle public utilities?
    January 28, 2013 1:38 pm
    and say wa ferry boat designers? they screwed up the leaky 520, the boat makers built a catywampus ferry thst is crooked and sits in the drydock with damage from drydocking it poorly while it waits for new propellers that, like the new light rail line were constructed with discount substandard metal. now the dump went over budget because they simply forgot to account for sprinklers? and does that facility really need sprinklers? do they anticipate the metal stucture or the concrete floors catching fire? or the garbage, because we don't want the garbage to be damaged!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • flipper wrote...
    Anyone get fired?
    January 28, 2013 1:39 pm
    Nope. You just ask the public for more "revenues"...er..."contributions" to build the same building twice. Who the heck designed this?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    The is so typical of the Morons that run this state
    January 28, 2013 1:39 pm
    No accountability. No consequences. Totally incompetent and inept people in charge. Nothing ever happens to these idiots. Ooooops, we screwed up again, but its only gonna cost you tax payers $25 Million. Why is it that none of these chickenshit losers in charge EVER GET FIRED???? Nobody in Government gives a ratsass about this THIEVERY and they continue to tell us we need more & more tax money every single day....EF ing DISGRACEFUL!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rangerhawk wrote...
    Follow the money
    January 28, 2013 1:51 pm
    Who else bid on this construction project? Why didn't they get it? Was their estimate close to what it's going to cost now? Who approved it? If no fraud is suspected, then it's a mistake (not the taxpayers) If it's not a mistake, then somebody should be held accountable (again, not the taxpayers).
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }