Buck blames DOT for dry-dock fiasco
12 January @ 14:46:42
Sequim
Gazette
The finger of blame points straight at the state Department of Transportation,
said 24th District Rep. Jim Buck, R-Joyce.
The department is at fault for policies that forced a decision to
move a dry-dock site away from Port Angeles harbor and possibly out
of Clallam County, he said. And the department is responsible for
spending $59 million without producing any bridge components, said
Buck.
At a meeting with local backers Saturday, Buck said the department
alienated the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe when its project fell behind
schedule. Buck said a legislative investigation of the department's
failures should be convened immediately.
Linda Mullen, communications manager for the department said, "Bring
it on."
"The Legislature is welcome to any of the records we have, and
we'll cooperate (with the investigation)," she said Monday.
The dry docks in Port Angeles were to be used to build replacement
concrete pontoons and anchors for the Hood Canal bridge.
During more than 15 months of work at the site, no bridge components
were produced and very little of the facility for building the components
was built. Three weeks ago the tribe asked the state to stop all work
at the site. Two weeks ago the department announced it would find
a different site for the construction.
Buck sees the problem in simple financial terms. He said costs to
stop work, liquidated damages, delay costs and finishing the archaeological
excavation could double the current expenses.
"The question is whether an agency director has the power to
walk away from $59 million without legislative authorization,"
said Buck.
To get an answer to that question, Buck wrote a letter to the speaker
of the House calling for "an investigation of the events surrounding
the abandonment of the graving dock project in Port Angeles."
Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Grays Harbor, and Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam,
joined Buck in signing the letter to Rep. Frank Chopp, R-Selah, speaker
of the House. The letter said the bridge should be replaced quickly.
"The bridge is already failing as evidenced by the inability
to fully open the draw span without jamming the mechanism," it
said.
At the meeting Buck said the dry dock should stay in Port Angeles
because moving to a new location would cause a delay in bridge renovation.
He said there is no guarantee a different site would not encounter
problems, causing more delays.
Ten days ago state Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald gave
orders that no activity would be allowed at the site. Last week the
department had a security fence erected around the 22.5-acre waterfront
site.
--by William Simonsen
Gazette staff writer
Published 1.12.05
Copyright © 2004 Olympic View Publishing. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
for any commercial purpose without permission of the Sequim Gazette.