http://couv.com Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. Fri, 07 Nov 2014 16:49:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. http://couv.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://couv.com http://couv.com/issues/tiffany-couch-crc-finances http://couv.com/issues/tiffany-couch-crc-finances#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:11:21 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=6203 http://couv.com/issues/tiffany-couch-crc-finances/feed 0 Boondoggle,bridge,bridging the gaps 2,columbia river,CRC,crc investigation,david evans and associates,fraud investigations,freedom of information,Light Rail Tolling Project,scott thompson,tiffany couch Vancouver-based forensic accountant Tiffany Couch gave an update of her analysis of financial documents related to the Columbia River Crossing Bridge and Light Rail project at Bridging the Gaps 2 on Oct. 8. - Vancouver-based forensic accountant Tiffany Couch gave an update of her analysis of financial documents related to the Columbia River Crossing Bridge and Light Rail project at Bridging the Gaps 2 on Oct. 8. Couch initially reported on the CRC's poor accounting practices during the first Bridging the Gaps conference in June. Couch examined thousands of pages of electronic documents supplied by the CRC via a Freedom of Information request. She found that the CRC was unable to adequately account for how it spent $108 million in public funds between July 2005 and February 2011. Oddities included invoices totaling $15 million lacking vendor names and invoices worth $38 million that lacked codes to identify services rendered. More recently, Couch received and analyzed the CRC’s seemingly sweetheart contract with David Evans and Associates, general contractor on the CRC project. Couch describes how the CRC’s original call for consultants in 2005 listed a budget of $20 million for the environmental phase of the project. The only firm to bid was David Evans and Associates, an engineering firm based in Portland. In May 2005, the CRC signed a $50 million contract with David Evans to deliver a draft environmental impact statement for the project. The contract included large mark-ups for overhead and an assortment of other fees on top of labor charges. For example, in one invoice dated April 17, 2007, David Evans listed its labor cost as $91,536, but the invoice totaled $280,291 after the various mark-ups were applied. The CRC paid it. Couch also discovered that until August 2009 David Evans routinely added a four percent fee to subcontractor billings, a practice not stipulated in its original contract. David Evans received more than $1.4 million in income from these unapproved fees. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) discovered the practice during an internal audit dated Jan 26, 2010. However, rather than requiring David Evans to pay back the money received, the internal auditor advised that the contract be retroactively changed to allow for the markup. Couch also describes how David Evans asked for an additional $40 million, without detailed explanation, to complete its contract. WSDOT not only agreed, but later approved another $10 million. In all, David Evans is scheduled to receive $105 for what was originally a $50 million contract. Couch said her investigation is ongoing and will continue as the CRC provides her with requested documents. CREDITS Video directed by Jordan Thompson Video shot by LifePoint ______________________________________________________________________________________ See our continuing coverage of the Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project. Do you have information to share on the CRC? To respond anonymously call 260-816-1426. To allow your comments to be used on COUV.COM call 260-816-1429. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 47:39 http://couv.com/community/bridging-the-gaps-2 http://couv.com/community/bridging-the-gaps-2#comments Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:00:18 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=4950 http://couv.com/community/bridging-the-gaps-2/feed 0 http://couv.com/sidebar/skyhigh http://couv.com/sidebar/skyhigh#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:00:54 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=3592 http://couv.com/sidebar/skyhigh/feed 0 Boondoggle,bridge,carol doane,chris girard,columbia river,columbia river crossing light rail project,cortright report,CRC,hoover dam,Light Rail Tolling Project,the columbian,video The Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project carries a $10 billion* price tag. - To date, how the project will be funded has not been ascertained and is referred to as a “debt bomb” by Chris Girard in his preface to the Cortright Report. The Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project carries a $10 billion* price tag. To date, how the project will be funded has not been ascertained and is referred to as a “debt bomb” by Chris Girard in his preface to the Cortright Report. Despite the heavy price tag, the CRC project falls short of fixing other known transportation issues, such as the bottlenecks at the Rose Quarter and the Terwilliger Curves on the Oregon side of the river, and congestion restrained by limiting the river crossings to only two. Comparing three other bridge projects in the United States to the CRC Light Rail project demonstrates what has been done and what could be done, all at far lower taxpayer expense. Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, Arizona In January 2005, construction began on the Hoover Dam bypass project, a 2,000-foot long bridge spanning the Black Canyon in Arizona positioned 890 feet above the Colorado River. It was completed almost six years later in the fall of 2010. It is also called the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. It connects the highways of Arizona and Nevada, and addressed congestion issues presented by switchbacks leading up to Hoover Dam and other restrictions of the area. The overall Arizona project included five miles of new freeway and numerous bridges along rough cut and fill terrain at a price tag of $240 million, less than 10 percent the cost of the Columbia River Light Rail project (CRC). Specifically, the cost of the bridge portion was even less, only $114 million. Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge, Washington/Oregon In 1977 construction began on the Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge, an 11,750-foot span, also known as the I-205 bridge. At only 144 feet above the Columbia River, it stands much closer to the water than the bridge in Arizona. Cost of the bridge hit $169 million, with the federal government providing $155.7 million, Washington $4 million and Oregon $9.9 million. In 1982, the I-205 bridge was officially opened. Columbian archives state that the bridge was expected to carry 27,000 cars a day, 20,000 siphoned from I-5 which now carries 130,000 vehicles a day. The Columbian archive shows a higher price tag, $175 million, which is still less than 2 percent of the cost of the CRC. Proposed 192nd Ave. bridge, Washington/Oregon The 192nd area is a hotbed of development. In a Feb. 7, 2010 Columbian article on the rapid expansion of east Clark County, the 192nd area was dubbed the “Gateway to east Vancouver or the Entrance to west Camas.” The purpose of the proposed crossing at 192nd Avenue is to relieve congestion on the Glenn Jackson Bridge and provide a shorter distance for many East County commuters. It is championed by citizens who want to encourage discussion of third, fourth and fifth bridges between the two states. The 192nd Ave. bridge is estimated to cost $400 million, with recommendations to save the money first, then build, thus saving the exorbitant cost to finance. Its price tag is 5 percent of the cost of the current projections of the Columbia River Crossing. CRC: Project cost comparison video The above video presents a visual perspective of the price of each of these completed bridge projects and the proposed crossing at 192nd Ave. The video uses a rough estimate of one foot per $100 million, and sends an unmanned aerial system to hover in the air at spatial touch points that represent the value each. MORE COMING Next week COUV.COM will have citizen video from the Hoover Bypass project showing the project’s multiple bridges. Additional resources: Funding pie of Hoover Dam Bypass Project (image). Wiki info Hoover Dam Bypass Project. A Google search on the 192 Ave Bridge. * The well-documented cost to taxpayers, if the CRC stays on budget, is $10 billion. This was established by the Cortright Report (PDF) which used data from an independent review panel hired by the governors of Washington and Oregon. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 1:40 http://couv.com/issues/little-gulls http://couv.com/issues/little-gulls#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:09:22 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=3070 http://couv.com/issues/little-gulls/feed 2 Boondoggle,carol doane,columbia river,columbia river crossing light rail project,CRC,gus torres,light rail,Light Rail Tolling Project,video A new perspective brings fresh views to any project. The way children view our world brings laughter or may sober grown-ups who pay attention to their youthful, direct assessment. - Take a quick journey straight up into the air. A new perspective brings fresh views to any project. The way children view our world brings laughter or may sober grown-ups who pay attention to their youthful, direct assessment. Take a quick journey straight up into the air. Two young seagulls view the complexity of the adult problems of the Columbia River Light Rail project and make simple observations. This fresh bird’s-eye view offers interesting transportation insights. The animation demonstrates visually how light rail brings additional issues to an already stressed traffic area. CREDITS Animation by Gus Torres See our continuing coverage of the Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project. Do you have information to share on the CRC? To respond anonymously call 260-816-1426. To allow your comments to be used on COUV.COM call 260-816-1429. TRANSCPRIPT - Little Gulls Sister: Hey big brother, whatcha doin’? Brother: Watching. Sister: Watching what? Brother: The same two bridges down there. Sister: No third or fourth bridge yet? Brother: Nope Sister: What are they gonna do with just two bridges? Brother: Stay stuffed, I guess. Sister: Stuffed? Brother: Yup, it’ll be folks stuffed on two bridges going reeeaaallly slow. Sister: But people like going fast. They like getting around zippity quick, right? Brother: Yup. Speed baby speed. Sister: So, what are they gonna do? Brother: Stuff a train on the bridge. Sister: A fast train? Brother: Nope a slow one riding along side the cars and trucks stuffed on a bridge. Sister: But it saves lots of money for the people, right? Brother: Nope. It costs a gazillion bucks. Sister: I can count all the way up to 100 and that sounds like a whole lot more! Brother: Oh yeah, a gazillion bucks IS a lot. Sister: I know, it’ll finally fix that Gross Morter Noodle Neck! Brother: Nope. Won’t fix the Rose Quarter bottleneck. Sister: I may be only four but I just don’t get it. Brother: That’s OK sis. They’re a bit older and they don’t get it either. What's your perspective? Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 1:24 http://couv.com/issues/crc-alternatives http://couv.com/issues/crc-alternatives#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:47:34 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=2668 http://couv.com/issues/crc-alternatives/feed 0 http://couv.com/issues/clark-county-today/cct-peterson http://couv.com/issues/clark-county-today/cct-peterson#comments Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:32:41 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1793 http://couv.com/issues/clark-county-today/cct-peterson/feed 0 Boondoggle,bridge,Clark County Today,columbia river,CRC,david madore,kevin peterson,Light Rail Tolling Project,video Architect Kevin Peterson stopped by COUV.COM to share his transit and transportation planning knowledge in the latest episode of Clark County Today. - Peterson has more than 30 years of experience that includes work on transportation projects the worl... Architect Kevin Peterson stopped by COUV.COM to share his transit and transportation planning knowledge in the latest episode of Clark County Today. Peterson has more than 30 years of experience that includes work on transportation projects the world over, including design and consultation on at least a half-dozen bridge projects and numerous rail transit systems. Locally, Peterson has played a role in the Seattle Sound Transit project, the Downtown Olympia Transit Center, the Westside Corridor Project in Portland and the Pierce Transit Centers in Tacoma. During his examination, Peterson noticed a discrepancy between the airplane glide slope criteria from Pearson Airport used in the bridge plans and the criteria used in more common downtown Vancouver construction projects [to see a COUV.COM profile of Pearson Airport click here].  A glide slope is how much lateral distance is needed for every vertical foot of space an airplane needs to land or take-off. Construction of new buildings or infrastructure cannot interfere with that air space. The bridge plans called for a 1- to 34-foot ratio glide slope, while the more common downtown glide slope calculation is a 1- to 20-foot ratio, according to Peterson. These ratios determine how tall structures can be without disrupting air traffic at Pearson field. The 1- to 34-foot ratio is the most restrictive of the two ratios. Bridge planners also have a ground level restriction to ensure that any bridge plan leaves enough space for trains to pass below on the existing railroad tracks that the new bridge is slated to be built above. The situation, based on the current 1- to 34-foot glide slope ratio included in the bridge plan, created a narrow window within which a new bridge could be positioned as not to interfere with Pearson air traffic above or railroad traffic below. The bridge plan’s ratio glide slope made a stacked bridge design impossible to fit within the cleared space, but if the ratio was too conservative then planners could use the standard 1- to 20-foot glide slope ratio which makes a stacked bridge design possible. That realization led Peterson to conclude that there is a simpler way to build a new I-5 bridge both with a lower cost and a more elegant design. He suggests a two-level straight aligned bridge with dedicated interstate traffic on the upper level and more local shore-to-shore traffic on the lower level - something Peterson calls a collector/distributor model. With the current project proposal*, Peterson said the design is based in a freeway-only mentality, but a stacked bridge option with a collector/distributor mentality would not only satisfy the freeway needs, but also assist local traffic needs. Above all, Peterson said the replacement of the I-5 bridge system is an important opportunity to create a transportation platform that future generations can manipulate to meet their needs – something he sees best accomplished with a straight-aligned stacked bridge design. Peterson's report on collector/distributors:  "How a collector distributor might work" PDF: Download (1.6MB)   A shorter version of the video interview:   * The well-documented cost to taxpayers, if the CRC stays on budget, is $10 billion. This was established by the Cortright Report (PDF) which used data from an independent review panel hired by the governors of Washington and Oregon. (View the panel’s final report.) See our continuing coverage of the Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project. Do you have information to share on the CRC? To respond anonymously call 260-816-1426. To allow your comments to be used on COUV.COM call 260-816-1429. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 1:21:37 http://couv.com/issues/neighborhoods-impacted http://couv.com/issues/neighborhoods-impacted#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:59:40 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1921 http://couv.com/issues/neighborhoods-impacted/feed 0 http://couv.com/issues/city-council-has-crc-workshop http://couv.com/issues/city-council-has-crc-workshop#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:17:09 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1641 http://couv.com/issues/city-council-has-crc-workshop/feed 0 http://couv.com/issues/clark-county-today/rob-mckenna http://couv.com/issues/clark-county-today/rob-mckenna#comments Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:49:44 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1418 http://couv.com/issues/clark-county-today/rob-mckenna/feed 1 Clark County Today,columbia river,CRC,david madore,governor,rob mckenna,tiffany couch,video,Washington Listen to an audio podcast of this interview here: - Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna believes it's important for the public to have access to information when it's asked for. - McKenna, who stopped by COUV.COM on June 16, Listen to an audio podcast of this interview here: Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna believes it's important for the public to have access to information when it's asked for. McKenna, who stopped by COUV.COM on June 16, said that type of transparency is a key component of his campaign. That was a welcome statement to David Madore and forensic accountant Tiffany Couch, who asked McKenna about the Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project* and what role the attorney general could play in making the project more transparent. McKenna said the CRC is the type of project where transparency is important, but he said much of that responsibility falls to elected officials who are willing to ask the tough questions. Although not an elected official, Couch said she has been asking questions but has found few answers. One of her key questions revolves around a CRC financial statement that so far does not exist, she said. McKenna said it’s a logical inquiry that could possibly be addressed with the state auditor’s office. As far as the AG's involvement goes with CRC questions, McKenna said his office is happy to review and applicable laws, but added that those questions need to come from elected officials or state agencies. McKenna said citizens should press their representatives to ask these questions and help make the project more transparent. He said it could be a situation that goes back to the legislature with a question of why the CRC is not required under the law to have certain financial documents or comply with an audit. Aside from government transparency, McKenna said his campaign for governor will also focus on job creation and education reform. * The well-documented cost to taxpayers, if the CRC stays on budget, is $10 billion. This was established by the Cortright Report (PDF) which used data from an independent review panel hired by the governors of Washington and Oregon. (View the panel’s final report.) See our continuing coverage of the Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project. Do you have information to share on the CRC? To respond anonymously call 260-816-1426. To allow your comments to be used on COUV.COM call 260-816-1429. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 31:44 http://couv.com/issues-viewpoint/bridging-the-gaps-video-coming-soon http://couv.com/issues-viewpoint/bridging-the-gaps-video-coming-soon#comments Sun, 05 Jun 2011 01:58:17 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1137 http://couv.com/issues-viewpoint/bridging-the-gaps-video-coming-soon/feed 2 Boondoggle,columbia river,columbia river crossing light rail project,CRC,gus torres,Light Rail Tolling Project,video Listen to an audio podcast of this video here: - The "Bridging the Gaps" event is over, but check back later this week for a video of the full event. - For now, enjoy this teaser video. - CREDITS Animated by Gus Torres Listen to an audio podcast of this video here: The "Bridging the Gaps" event is over, but check back later this week for a video of the full event. For now, enjoy this teaser video. CREDITS Animated by Gus Torres ______________________________________________________________________________________ See our continuing coverage of the Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project. Do you have information to share on the CRC? To respond anonymously call 260-816-1426. To allow your comments to be used on COUV.COM call 260-816-1429. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 1:24