graffiti that's "in character" with the community

I've been a big supporter of having more places to skate in Silver Spring and thus was glad to see a skate spot built in the park in 2010. But when I stopped by to see how it was doing last week, I was bummed to see it covered in graffiti.

I should specify that it was crappy graffiti. While some regard all graffiti as vandalism, I personally think it can be a powerful means of expression and a form of bottom-up public art. One of my favorite sights in Silver Spring is the huge and persistent "SMASH INHIBITIONS" tag next to the Red Line tracks between Burlington and Georgia avenues.

As skateboarding has become more mainstream, so has graffiti, so it's not surprising that they'd go together. I was excited to read that Howard County chose to preserve the graffiti at the Centennial skate park in Ellicott City as a form of "urban art," though within a few weeks it was removed after County Executive Ken Ulman declared it "out of character for the neighborhood."

I don't buy that argument. While there are some regional skateboarding destinations like Freedom Plaza in downtown D.C., most of the skaters at Centennial probably lived nearby, thus the graffiti would actually be a reflection of the neighborhood's character.

That brings me to the Woodside Park skate spot. The greater Silver Spring area has something resembling an arts community: folk singers, punk houses, sculptors who make giant tricycles and even an arts high school. We even have a skate park in Kensington built by skaters themselves.

Yet the best someone could do is a tag saying "SK8 4EVER," a recreation of the DC Shoes logo and a boner (on the ground)? This graffiti is out of character for the neighborhood, but I'd be open to something that took more than 20 minutes and half a can of green spray paint. This stuff will get scrubbed away and deserves to be, but a more meaningful image might spark some discussion and even calls for preservation.

Young people and skaters deserve a place in our public realm, provided they take care of it. To me, that means one of two things: keeping it clean, well-kept and free of Sharpie scribbles, like at the Arlington skate park rain garden, or keeping it clean, well-kept and adding your own mark. Isn't that what graffiti is about? If you're going to leave your mark in the public realm, at least make it a good one.

harry sanders memorial to be dedicated thursday

Harry Sanders, the so-called "Father of the Purple Line," will get a memorial in his honor at Woodside Park in Silver Spring, just a few blocks from where he lived and campaigned for the light-rail line between Bethesda and New Carrollton.

Neighbors of Harry Sanders, along with the Action Commitee for Transit and Purple Line NOW!, came together to plant a tree and lay a plaque in his honor at Woodside Park, located at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Spring Street, and they'll hold a dedication ceremony for it this Thursday at 10am at the park.

Sanders moved to Silver Spring with his family in the 1970's in anticipation of the Metro opening; soon after, he became an advocate for transit it Montgomery County, co-founding the Action Committee for Transit and pushing for the proposed Georgetown Branch Trolley, a line between Bethesda and Silver Spring that eventually became the Purple Line. Sanders continued in Woodside until he passed away in 2010.

From the press release:

"Harry remains an inspiration to us all as we work to realize his prescient vision for the County's future," says Purple Line NOW! President, Ralph Bennett. Many of the donations for the memorial plaque and surrounding redbud tree came from neighbors of the Sanders' family who reside on Noyes Lane in the Woodside community. Neighbor and friend Liz Gayaldo says "It was something we wanted to do for Harry, a gift in honor and with affection for him."

Greg Sanders, who is currently an officer on the Purple Line NOW! Board of Directors and the son of Harry and Barbara Sanders reacted to the gift, "this wonderful tree and plaque were a gifts from my father's neighbors who valued his work to form connections within the community. That same impulse motivated his work for the Purple Line. Transit is not mere concrete and steel - it is connecting people with jobs, family and friends, and education. Harry loved trains, but he loved people even more. Connecting all our people is worth paying for."

This won't be the only memorial to Harry Sanders. Shortly after his death, the County Council voted to rename the future Woodside Purple Line station after him. The future Sanders/Woodside station will be located on 16th Street between Spring Street and Second Avenue; if the state of Maryland can find a funding source, it's scheduled to open in 2020.

Longtime readers know I grew up across the street from Woodside Park and had the privilege of working with Harry Sanders at Purple Line NOW! I'm excited to see this memorial put in place.

report: silver spring transit center is unsafe & everyone's to blame

Structural problems make the Silver Spring Transit Center unsafe and all parties involved were responsible, says a report released yesterday by Montgomery County. While there are ways to fix the complex, it's unclear how much it'll cost and when it'll be done.

Located next to the Silver Spring Metro station, the transit center is intended as a hub for local, commuter and intercity buses, MARC trains, and the future Purple Line. Construction began in 2008, but stopped over a year ago after workers discovered that the concrete was too thin.

Montgomery County hired KCE Structural Engineers to look at the three-story complex. They found significant construction defects, ranging from improperly laid concrete to columns that don't meet fire codes, which are described in detail in a 100-page report that was published and posted on the county's website two months after its January deadline.

KCE concluded that the situation resulted from a "lack of coordination" between contractor Foulger-Pratt and engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff, while the county's independent inspectors from the Robert B. Balter Company failed to report problems or find adequate solutions for them.

The County Council discussed the report in a closed session yesterday afternoon, and County Executive Ike Leggett released a statement expressing dismay at its results. "Unfortunately, the news is not good," he said.

Project plagued by construction errors, lack of oversight

According to KCE's report, discrepancies between Parsons Brinckerhoff's design documents and the working plans drafted by Foulger-Pratt's subcontractors led to improperly installed and treated concrete, which was exposed to harsh winter weather and settled unevenly. The concrete developed cracks and broke away in places, leaving the complex susceptible to water damage and reducing its life expectancy to just 12.5 years when it was supposed to last for 50.

In addition, the transit center's concrete decks, meant to carry buses and other vehicles, aren't as strong as they're supposed to be. In some places, they were built without necessary reinforcing steel.

As previously noted, about 60% of the concrete in the decks were poured too thinly in some places and too thick in others. The slabs were supposed to be roughly 10 inches thick, but in reality, they ranged from 7 to 12 inches. And some columns, while being structurally sound, are thinner than what's allowed by the fire code.

Yet the county's inspectors looked the other way. KCE claims that they "did not raise sufficient concern" about cracks in the concrete and didn't look for a solution. It wasn't until September 2011, when the first reports of deficiencies were made public, that county officials directed Foulger-Pratt to find a fix. When they proposed sealing the cracked concrete with a waterproofing solution, the county said it was insufficient and sought out the help of KCE.

Solutions recommended, but no plan to implement them

While the Transit Center is unsafe, KCE said the building can be saved and strengthened to meet the International Building Code and WMATA's standards. Much of the concrete and reinforcing steel is sound and the structure is strong enough to allow construction to resume.

KCE proposed a variety of "remedial actions" to make the complex stronger and more durable. They include waterproofing the structure, laying new concrete atop areas where it's too thin, replacing concrete slabs that have deteriorated, and strengthening some beams and girders with fiber reinforced polymers.

David Dise, director of the county's Department of General Services, told the Gazette that the transit center "can be fixed, will be fixed," though no cost for the repairs or date for their completion has been given. Since 1999, the project's costs have tripled to $112 million.

Despite the results of the report, Foulger-Pratt insists that Montgomery County is still responsible for the ongoing delays. Last month, they filed a claim against the county.

"Everyone in this community – including us – has been waiting for more than a year for the County to act," said managing principal Bryant Foulger in a prepared statement. "If only the County had been willing to work cooperatively, the Transit Center would have been open by now for the benefit of everyone in Montgomery County."

The Silver Spring Transit Center has been planned for nearly 20 years. It's already one of the region's largest transportation hubs, with nearly 60,000 users each day, and an important part of the revitalization of downtown Silver Spring.

While it's a relief to finally have some answers about what went wrong, new questions have arisen, namely when the parties involved are going to get this long-awaited project finished.

come get your wheaton plaza t-shirt

Remember when I said that my Wheaton Plaza T-shirt design was almost ready? Now it is! I'm proud to announce the new Just Up The Pike store on Spreadshirt, where you can get one of your very own.

Right now, the shirt comes in three varieties, including men's and women's cuts, and a couple of different colors. If it's popular, I'll add some other products and maybe even some other designs as well. (I've been playing around with one for the Glenmont Arcade.)

And if it does really well, you might be able to pick this shirt up at Wheaton Plaza itself. A lot of y'all left comments both on the blog and Facebook page about the shirt, which caught the attention of our friends at Westfield Wheaton, better known as the Mall Formerly Known as Wheaton Plaza:



Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions about the shirts. And if you order one, send me a photo of you wearing it and I'll feature it on the blog.