Needed Repairs Overdue At Our National Parks

Above: Over 20 members from the Olympia, Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett chapters of The Mountaineers volunteered their time for several hours on Mt. Rainier National Park’s Paradise area trails last Saturday. The group used shovels and brooms to reclaim edges of paved trails covered with mud and gravel, took out rebar and rope guidelines along meadow trails, and placed erosion control checks along the newly repaved Skyline Trail.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

While blizzard-like conditions swirled high on the Muir snowfields at Mt. Rainier National Park, over 20 members of the Olympia, Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett chapters of The Mountaineers worked several hours on trail maintenance at 5,420 feet last Saturday.

Under the direction of National Park Service trail maintenance staff Kevin Watson and Kenny Allen, the group finished the day by placing erosion control rocks and fill at regular intervals, about every four feet, along the steep, newly repaved Skyline Trail.

The rocks, called checks, if angled properly, help water flow in neat rivulets over, not under, the pavement, which would cause unintended erosion and unwanted culverts.

Just as their work was done, the rain started pouring and the checks quickly demonstrated their purpose. The Mountaineers cheered, satisfied that their efforts were effective.

“Burying the checks is one of the most time-consuming projects,” said Allen, who helped supervise the volunteers with good humor. After years of volunteering at projects along the Columbia River Gorge, this was his first season as a National Park Service trail maintenance crew member. 

Allen said more fill will be placed along the trail within a couple of weeks.

Above: Newly installed checks and fall colors on the Skyline Trail above the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Paradise, Mt. Rainier National Park.

If only tackling Mt. Rainier National Park’s list of deferred maintenance projects was so easy.

The National Park System celebrated its centennial in 2016 with lots of well-deserved praise and 307 million visits last year, but with increasingly unreliable funding from the U.S. Congress, all eyes are now on the next 100 years.

It would appear that H.R. 3556, the National Park Service Centennial Act introduced last year, is stalled in the U.S. House of Representatives this 114th Session, and with it, hopes of securing funding to finance, preserve, and maintain access and public safety at the park system's 413 sites.

With 10,000 miles of roads, 18,000 miles of trails, 1,500 bridges, and more than 60 tunnels, the National Park System is $12 billion in the hole in deferred maintenance projects, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Deferred maintenance is the cost of maintenance which was not performed for at least a year from when it should have been or was scheduled to be.

Of the $12 billion, nearly six billion is transportation related, with $2.4 billion considered to be critical, high priority repairs for roads, bridges, trails, wastewater treatment and electric systems, and historical buildings, among other assets.

“Our national parks are a proven economic generator - $16 billion. These deferred maintenance projects are more than just a broken park bench,” said Marcia Argust, director, of Restore America’s Park, a dedicated program of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Argust briefed members of the Society for Environmental Journalists on the topic last month in Sacramento.

Above: Half-Dome at Yosemite National Park. Yosemite has $560 million in deferred maintenance projects, with more than $271 million related to access and transportation. According to the National Park Service, for every dollar invested in the NPS, $10 is returned to cities and towns. Park visitors spent an estimated $16.9 billion in gateway communities in 2015, supporting 295,300 jobs and $32 billion in economic activity nationwide.

Based on the park system's 2015 fiscal year numbers which were released in February 2016, Pew is creating 45 deferred maintenance case studies, including one on Washington State’s Mt. Rainier National Park. 

Using the park's numbers and asset categories, Mt. Rainier National Park has nearly $287 million in deferred maintenance costs - $286,949,885 to be exact.

With current boundaries at over 236 million acres, most of Mt. Rainier National Park's costs are, by far, for paved roads, about $194.9 million, followed by buildings, road bridges, electrical systems, trails, parking lots, landscaping, and water and wastewater systems. The park was established in 1899.

The last push to improve our national park system was during the creation of the National Highway system and the Mission 66 project after WWII. Congress gave money for facilities after huge lines for bathrooms and other inadequate assets resulted in public outcry.

Congress has the responsibility to provide safe national parks, and Pew is working to obtain dedicated annual funding through the Highway Trust Fund, $268 million a year, to address the park’s transportation issues. It is a fund reviewed every five years. It is also looking for policy reforms to prevent the backlog from escalating.

“People have expressed concerns about logos added to Mt. Rushmore, but there are more realistic options for private/public partnerships. We’d like to see corporations donate time and technology,” said Argust.

The site in need of the most finances for repairs is the National Mall, which needs an estimated $900 million. The Memorial Bridge in Arlington needs an estimated $250 million.

The worst case scenario is a total loss of access to a national park, monument, or site due to deferred maintenance and public safety issues.

The Atlanta birth home of Martin Luther King, Jr. was closed in August for floorboard and structural issues. The house was built in 1895 and it is unclear when the repairs will be completed.

Above: California’s Kings Canyon National Park visitor area at Grant Grove. The asphalt sidewalks and paths are in such disrepair that staff offer to assist park visitors and their luggage to cabins using golf carts. The total for Sequoia and Kings Canyon deferred maintenance projects is $162 million. 

Tumwater Acquires Historic Tower

Above: Brambles hang from an archway window of Tumwater's historic Old Brewhouse. City of Tumwater councilmembers entered into an agreement with owner George Heidgerken and his company, Falls Development LLC, to take ownership of the six story tower that is the visual symbol of Tumwater. Photo taken in October 2014.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Tumwater city councilmembers approved a letter of agreement between the city and Falls Development LLC at a public hearing held Tuesday evening to acquire the six story, historic tower that is the symbol of Tumwater. 

The tower is currently owned by developer George Heidgerken and his company, Falls Development, LLC.

The acquisition commits the city to the rehabilitation of the Old Brewhouse structure with an estimated cost of $5.6 million. The acquisition includes easements to access the property and construct trails.

The city will now embark upon a historic preservation strategy that will include finding funding grants and partners to protect the building, and create trails. 

Rushing through the public process, the draft letter of agreement was publicly available and posted to the city’s website on Friday afternoon. Corrections to the letter of agreement were made at the hearing, including sections quoted by Little Hollywood in its story posted April 1.

Details were not reviewed by councilmembers in a work session or council meeting prior to Tuesday evening, leading them to ask questions and learn new information during the public hearing.

Jim Cary of Cardinal Architecture presented information about the tower which is an unreinforced masonry structure. He said it works well when dry, but when wet, and in the process of freezing and thawing, the mortar is loosened. The tower is highly exposed to the elements.

A temporary preservation plan estimated to cost $425,000 would provide immediate protection due to the building’s rapidly deteriorating condition. Cary recommended skipping that step and moving on to the $1.6 million dollar phase that provides more permanent protection, puts a roof on the structure, provides ventilation to keep the building dry inside, repairs the mortar, and cleans up and removes hazardous elements.

This work and financial amount is included in the final $5.6 million dollar cost that prepares the tower for an intensive seismic retrofit plan.

Construction management is not included in the cost.

Comparisons of the historic tower to the Space Needle and the Smith Tower in Seattle, Crusader castles, castles on the Rhine, and the Statue of Liberty were eloquently and persuasively made throughout the evening.

Several members of the public spoke to the proposed letter of agreement, some in favor, some not.  

More than one person was suspicious of the city working with Heidgerken, a developer with a history of committing environmental offenses, even on this property. 

All considered the tower to be a regional asset and a regional responsibility. All councilmembers spoke to the issues.

Councilmember Joan Cathey abstained from the final vote, saying the draft agreement letter was vague. She said she counted five places where it says the city will have “future negotiations,” with the developer.

“I’m not saying I’m against it, but it’s a leap…I don’t think the city is ready to take on this project…I don’t feel totally good about it. I have concerns. We’re financially stepping out farther out on a limb than we ever have before,” said Cathey.

She also wondered why there was a rush to sign the letter of agreement.

Answer: Once the tower is in the city’s hands, the city is eager to take advantage of this current cycle of state heritage grant funding. Applications are due May 19. If the city doesn’t meet the deadline, or does meet the deadline and doesn’t get a grant, then they will have to wait another two years to apply.

Councilmember Nicole Hill questioned a point in the letter that states that the city will pursue funding for a pedestrian bridge across the river to the property. She thought, as did several members of the public, that that idea was taken off the table as unfeasible in the Planned Action land use scenarios currently under consideration by the council. Another public hearing for that process is April 19.

Assistant city administrator and brewery project manager Heidi Behrends Cerniway said the city didn’t include the bridge in the Planned Action environmental impact statement because it was not detrimental, adding that it is not an entirely impossible concept further in the process. Whether or not the answer was satisfactory, Hill voted for the purchase of the tower.

Councilmember Ed Hildreth was absent. Mayor Pete Kmet said Hildreth told him he would vote against it. There is no provision in Tumwater rules that allow voting by correspondence or proxy. A telephone vote requires full capacity to hear the meeting, so Hildreth’s opinion was not counted.

Under Tumwater’s type of council structure, the mayor does not vote. Mayor Kmet said that nothing we do is without risk and if he could vote, he would vote yes.

Staff said the structure could ultimately be a museum, brew pub, offices, or an outlook, depending on the adjacent activities in the other buildings that are currently owned by Falls Development LLC.

Calling the finer points in the letter of agreement with Falls Development “incentives,” the letter of agreement is seen by some as a giveaway to Heidgerken and his company. The agreement offers Heidgerken the right of first refusal for the actual use of the building.

Heidgerken has owned the property for several years. To help move him along, the letter of agreement says the city will negotiate future agreements to share proportionate costs of construction for the utilities and access road necessary to rehabilitate the Old Brewhouse.

It is also offering to reward him with one million dollars for infrastructure improvements if he files a complete building permit application for the warehouse building by January 1, 2019 and obtains a certificate of occupancy by January 1, 2021.

During public comment, Donovan Cathey spoke, saying he grew up in Olympia. His father and grandfather retired from the Brewery.

He said he wanted to see the tower stay but urged the council not to make a decision that evening, expressing concerns that partnerships may not pan out. He said the agreement was full of contradictions and inconsistencies. 

“…Reconsider transferring liability from the owner to the city. Is it really the city’s responsibility to take on that liability? If the private sector thought it should be done, they would have….”

Cathey said he represents the Tumwater firefighters union and a higher city priority is making repairs to two fire stations.

Rob Kirkwood, president of the Old Brewhouse Foundation, says the process to obtain the tower has been a rollercoaster ride.

“Today it feels like we’re on top,” he said. He said the city is making progress, and while the Foundation supports Tumwater acquiring the tower, it has concerns.

Describing the area’s history and use for thousands of years, he said the area deserves a high level of protection beyond what maximizing the return on financial investment can provide. He called upon the council to sign the agreement and form an interjurisdictional group to finance and manage the facility.

Kirkwood said the Foundation has been recruiting volunteers and has received offers for donated crane services from Snell Crane, engineering services from McSquared, and possibly window restoration work.

Several spoke to the environmental assets of the property which will be ruined if Heidgerken gets his way and is able to build a 1,000 vehicle parking garage into the hillside behind the brewery.

Gretchen Christopher Matzen says she grew up on Governor Stevens Avenue and learned to swim in the Deschutes River near the brewery. She said the brewery needs the backing of the trees, and called the view breathtaking. She questioned the lack of details in the agreement and suspects that Heidgerken will take advantage of the city’s preservation of the iconic tower to promote his own development.

“I’m wondering why the developer couldn’t afford to preserve it himself,” she said.

Heidgerken was not present at the hearing.

Jon Potter, representing Falls Development, said that the property was not purchased with the idea that this was a business opportunity. He says Heidgerken lives in Chehalis and is on site every day and that a developer, and characterizing Heidgerken as one, is a misnomer.

“If you can’t have the lending industries support your ideas, your vision, you can’t develop…The property has to pencil out….Lending institutions need to see how they are going to get paid back by lending money for a project…obviously, we can’t demonstrate that today….”

He said that a public-private partnership would create a joint vision to restore the historic complex to its original grandeur. He painted a pretty picture: 

“…That’s the vision of George Heidgerken…that’s the goal… and it’s a tremendous tribute to what the city has done....There’s an opportunity to represent the entire craft brewing industry… in the State of Washington. And through the city’s efforts, the opportunity is to create a craft brewing center....The tower is emblematic of that effort. It is the cornerstone for that to happen. So there's an opportunity to go beyond just the restoration....It's much bigger than just the City of Tumwater, more than the region. It's a statewide initiative,” said Potter.

At that point, Councilmember Oliva jumped in, asking if Heidgerken is willing to be the host of a craft brewing and distilling center.

“That was something I had not heard before,” said Oliva.

“Absolutely. Anything that can be done to support the funding that is absolutely necessary to restore the structure is on the table....Wouldn’t it be neat if you could put those buildings back into use for what they were originally designed for? Then you’d have national recognition,” said Potter. 

Judging by the clucking in the audience, maybe that was going too far.

After all, at one point in the hearing, Heidi Behrends Cerniway said she was out at the property just that day.

“It is still salvageable, but it won’t be like that forever. From last year, it’s changed significantly.”

For more photos and information about the  Old Brewhouse, Tumwater, George Heidgerken, the stop work order, groundwater monitoring, and the proposed planned action for the property, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words in the search engine.

For more information from the City of Tumwater, go to their website at www.ci.tumwater.wa.us.

Above: A new window of opportunity has been opened for the Old Brewhouse Tower. Photo taken October 2014.

Tumwater Old Brewery Public Hearings: Tower Acquisition and Land Use Actions

Above: A picture from the Washington State Archives of the Old Brewery in the early 1900s. Budd Inlet and the Deschutes River, seen here, was tidal, before the creation of Capitol Lake and the dam in downtown Olympia. Ships came to the Old Brewery, offloaded grains and supplies to businesses, and brought products to market.

Former Olympia Brewing Company brewmaster and brewhouse historian Paul Knight was asked to describe the scene: “The picture is from mid-1906 before it was complete for brewing. Later in ‘06 the bridge was built over the water way.  The picture does not show the brewery support system but shows the pilings supporting the wharf in front of the building. It shows the brackish water surrounding the structure indicating high tide. The river did run between the wharf and the roadway in the foreground but with the tide out it would be a channel in the middle. The brewery building was built on large stone and concrete pier blocks that extend down to bedrock...the whole area was eventually built up with fill.”

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Two separate public hearings regarding the Old Brewhouse in Tumwater will be held by Tumwater city council in April. 

Both meetings are at 7:00 p.m. meetings in the Tumwater council chambers at 555 Israel Road SW, Tumwater.

A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, April 5, regarding the possible acquisition of the six story, 110 year old tower that is the symbol of Tumwater.

The city council could take action following the hearing, which would authorize the mayor to sign the agreement.

A 14 point draft letter of agreement between the city and Falls Development LLC is available on the City of Tumwater: https://web.ci.tumwater.wa.us/weblink/DocView.aspx?id=289273&page=1&dbid=0

The property is owned by Falls Development LLC. It was recently revealed during a public meeting by the property's owner, developer George Heidgerken, that he may donate the tower to the city.

Among other points, the letter states that Falls Development will deliver to the city statutory warranty deeds on or before April 30 that creates a separate land parcel which includes the Old Brewhouse and necessary easements for site access and utilities, and a public trail and boardwalk.

The city and Falls Development will negotiate future agreements to share proportionate costs of construction for the utilities and access road necessary to rehabilitate the Old Brewhouse.

The city will reimburse Falls Development one million dollars for infrastructure improvements if Falls Development files a complete building permit application by January 1, 2019 and obtains a certificate of occupancy of the Warehouse Building by January 1, 2021. This payment will be credited against the city’s proportionate costs.

The letter also states that the city will explore funding options for future construction of a pedestrian bridge that extends from the property to the Tumwater Historical Park and agrees to work with Falls Development in a future agreement for access to public restrooms at the project site.

The acquisition commits the city to rehabilitation of the Old Brewhouse structure with an estimated cost of $5.6 million dollars for full use.

Potential sources of funding include grants through various state programs, private donations, and tax credits. Operations and maintenance would be additional.

The Old Brewhouse is a historic landmark, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The structure has been on a “watch list” by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

Planned Action Land Use Hearing

There will be a separate public hearing on Tuesday, April 19 on the proposed Planned Action land use ordinance, which impacts the 32 acre area around the Old Brewhouse, also owned by Heidgerken and his companies.

For more information, go to the City of Tumwater website at www.ci.tumwater.wa.us or contact Heidi Behrends-Cerniwey, Assistant City Administrator/Brewery Project Manager at (360) 754-4128 or e-mail at hcerniwey@ci.tumwater.wa.us.

For more photos and information about the proposed planned action for the historic property and the city’s negotiations with Heidgerken to obtain the Old Brewhouse tower, former brewmaster Paul Knight, and more about the Old Brewery, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search button.

Editor's Correction, April 2: No, that wasn't meant to be an April Fools joke. The original article posted on April 1 said that the acquisition includes the tower and several other structures on the property. That was incorrect. The acquisition is just for the Old Brewhouse tower building. Little Hollywood strives for accuracy and greatly appreciates the interest of sharp eyed readers who know how to read complicated documents.

Above:  A mostly roofless and windowless Old Brewhouse is drenched in rain on March 14, 2016. Photo taken from the edge of the Deschutes River, in a very soggy Tumwater Historical Park.

Nature at McLane Creek

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Above: Just before snow turned the South Sound into a winter wonderland on Sunday afternoon, a bald eagle kept a watchful eye at the McLane Creek Nature Trail. The short, one mile, family friendly walk off Delphi Road on Olympia’s westside is popular in all seasons. 

The McLane Creek Nature Trail on the eastern edge of the Capitol State Forest features a peaceful, up close look at beaver ponds and wetlands, ducks, frogs, newts, red-winged blackbirds, eagles, berry-eating cedar waxwings in the summer, and spectacular salmon spawning in the creek in fall. 

Above: McLane Creek pond scene. 

Although there are flat, wooden boardwalks and viewing platforms in several places, the trail is not technically wheelchair accessible. The trail is managed by the state Department of Natural Resources.

Above: Ice crystals on cattail fronds at McLane Creek.