Tuesday, November 25, 2008

District needs to call in the Mythbusters.

Single reading, approve Acceptance of Public Works Contract, District Support Center - early site grading package, Resolution #08-47.
It was moved by Director Shields and seconded by Director Noble to approve the acceptance of public works contract – District Support Center early site grading package, Resolution #08-47. It was confirmed that there was no soil contamination on the site and that the early site grading was complete. All aye.


So, I have to ask, who "confirmed that there was no soil contamination"? Any reasonable person would have to ask such a question. Confirmation of such a condition would require the requisite qualifications to make such an assessment. Better still, the public should, at the very least, seek "certification" from the designated environmental engineering firm working for the District. The best path forward would be an independent assessment from a third party - which will never happen.

If AMEC is prepared to certify that the site is free from contamination, the public should be reasonably confident that future problems with abating or mitigating contamination would be minimal.

This particular board action item smacks of utter stupidity. Why not just "confirm" that Gary Noble is god, that Nick Brossoit is dependable or that Marla Miller is honest. Under what authority is such a confirmation offered? What good is such a confirmation if there is nothing of substance to back up the confirmation. The only confirmation offered by the board action item is the Board's absolute and irrefutable detachment from any sense of obligation to the community.

Is anyone fooled by this meaningless confirmation inserted into the board minutes? I would be willing to bet that if you can read words written in the English language then you likely share my view that our district is being driven into the ground by a tag team of bobbleheads.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

If I was on the board I would ask for a 3rd party evaluation of the soil just to shut up the blog! If it isn't contaminated then the blog would drop this topic. If it is contaminated, then, "Oh my"!

Anonymous said...

Mark--Approx. what would a 3rd party evaluation cost?

Anonymous said...

I love the Mythbusters guys! Just last week they were the guest speakers at the National Science Teachers Assoc convention in Portland, Oregon. You'd be surprised how many of my students love that TV show.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I LOVED the episode where they blew a school bus over while dragging it through a jet's exhaust. And just for fun, tried it with a taxi which rolled multiple times while doors and hoods went flying!!

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving to all who read the blog. Have confidence--things will get better!! For now, enjoy today, the turkey and your friends/family.

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving to those who don't work on the second floor.

Anonymous said...

Would the Snohomish County Courthouse(Property/Building department), have record of the condition of the property purchased by the District? There must be a way to prove that the property is/isn't contaminated.

Anonymous said...

Weclome to black friday,
We as employees, will ask questions about anything that this lame district, asks us to do. I mean anything!
We will know how to do PUBLIC DISCLOSURES, if we feel for any reason the kids are wronged and employees are wronged.
I ask that Nick, step down from his job. This is a MUST.
I also ask that all contracts that this district has done be looked over by the state of washington.
I also would ask that the state look into hiring practices, at this district.
First, would be the 3 amigo's.
Second, would be the lack of respect by some of managers, of this district.

ESD15.org said...

Public records depend upon property owners filing the legally-required paperwork with the proper agencies.

Center 5000 was registered as a contaminated site, due to the construction of I-5. Between Center 5000 and I-5 is the New Admin site. No one carried the waste over the New Admin site to Center 5000.

Also, the New Admin site was an unregulated and informal dump site for the community for decades.

The people that "sold" the contaminated site were of the opinion that a contaminated site would be easier to develop if a public agency owned it. Regulators tend to go lightly on poor, simple-minded school administrators.

ESD15.org said...

We wouldn't need a third party evaluation if AMEC provided a written guarantee that the site is not contaminated. AMEC will not provide such a guarantee, however, because they know it is contaminated.

As far as Nick's assertion that thousands of test pits ("holes") were dug at the site, he is full of bovine feces. There were a handful of pits, at minimal depths and clustered around areas that did not adequately represent the condition of the entire site.