Governor Gregoire Announces Boards/Commissions Cuts/Changes

Governor Gregoire recently issued recommendations for changes to the many boards and commissions in Washington state. (Follow the link for the Governor's press release and lists of affected agencies.)

She eliminated 17 boards via executive order and has proposed another 78 be eliminated by legislative action. She is also proposing the consolidation, movement and merger of some boards and sub-cabinet agencies.

For the most part there is very little impact on the architectural profession by these proposals. The licensing board, for instance, would be unaffected. And, many of those being eliminated likley will not be missed by the profession or the people of Washington. However, there are a few proposals that merit a closer look by the AIA|WA.

Architects serve on the following boards being proposed for elimination:

• The Capital Projects Advisory Review Board (CPARB)
• The Capitol Campus Design Advisory Committee

In addition the AIA has had an interest in the following board being proposed to be eliminated:

• Home Inspector Advisory Licensing Board

CPARB is a board that the AIA|WA helped to create and has protected against elimination in the past. It serves a vital regulatory and oversight function regarding the use of alternative public works procurement processes by state and local government agencies. Norm Strong, FAIA, is the AIA’s current representative on CPARB. It is not clear if the Project Review Committee, which reports to CPARB, would also be eliminated.

The Capitol Campus Design Advisory Committee, “Advises the State Capitol Committee and the director of General Administration to review programs, planning, design, and landscaping of state capitol facilities and grounds and to make recommendations that will contribute to the attainment of architectural, aesthetic, functional, and environmental excellence in design and maintenance of capitol facilities on campus and located in neighboring communities.” The law requires that the appointees be: two architects; one landscape architect; and an urban planner. The AIA members serving on the committee are Paul Blanton, FAIA, of Spokane and Alex Rolluda, AIA, of Seattle and Dennis Haskell, FAIA, of Seattle.

The Home Inspector board was created only recently to oversee the development and implementation of the home inspector licensing program. AIA|WA supported the creation of the licensing program.

The Governor is also proposing to create an environmental and land use hearings office by reducing and combining the Growth Management Hearings Boards and the Environmental Hearings Office

Finally, Gregoire proposes to reorganize the Department of Commerce (formerly CTED). Currently, the State Building Code Council is housed at Commerce. Gregoire is proposing to move it to the Department of Labor & Industries. John Cochran, AIA, of Seattle, serves as AIA's main representative on the board and we have several members serving on the Council and on technical advisory groups (too many to succinctly list).

There is some logic to this move. Related programs, such as elevator and electrical inspection, are housed at L&I. But, L&I is an agency that has a very political culture and has been problematic in a number of other areas. For instance, we’ve received complaints about the lack of responsiveness of the elevator inspectors.

What are your thoughts on the elimination proposals? Are they needed reforms. Or, are there problems with the proposals. Comment below.

NGA Endorses 2030 Goals

The AIA has received press coverage from the New York Times regarding its 2030 goals. What garnered the attention of the paper was an endorsement by the National Governors Association (NGA) as part of their resolution on energy efficiency.

Washington State was at the forefront of reducing greenhouse gas emissions with the passage of Senate Bill 5854 during the 2009 Legislative Session. Governor Gregoire announced shortly after signing the bill that she would be taking the new legislation to NGA meeting so that other states could effectively mirror it.

With NGA’s resolution a new push for every state to implement a carbon neutral construction code will begin. You can read the NY Times article here.

Massive Construction Tax Increase Moving in Legislature

In 7 days, SB 6173 was introduced, passed out of the Senate and now is out of the House Finance Committee on its way to the House floor. This is definitely a bill on the fast track. It is request legislation from Governor Chris Gregoire.

SB 6173 would be a massive tax increase on construction projects: more than $100 million over 4 years.

The committee hearing today was interesting. The only proponent for the bill was the WA Department of Revenue. Those testifying against the bill included the AIA|WA and groups representing engineers, contractors, retailers and union workers. In other words it the entire private sector is against the bill and only the agency responsible for collecting the money was for it.

While the bill passed out 7-3, on a party line vote, several Democrats spoke of significant concerns with the bill. Representatives Santos, Ericks and Springer all said that they are only voting to move the bill forward and are not committing to supporting the bill on the House floor. They called for a lot work to be done to improve the bill before it moves further.

The Republicans on the committee all voted against the bill, citing its massive impacts on the construction industry.

The bill now goes to the House Rules Committee, which determines which bills go to the floor.

Those paying close attention may note that this bill is moving after all of the normal legislative deadlines have passed. It has been deemed “necessary to implement the budget,” and thus, is exempt from the deadlines. Look for a more detailed review in another post.

Also, normally a tax increase requires a two-thirds vote of the legislature or a vote of the people. Because this is framed as a change in the way taxes are collected, it in not deemed to be a tax increase.

Media Focuses on Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is gaining attention in Washington. An article in the Seattle PI today, July 21, 2008, details what the state has been doing with regard to rainwater collection. The article also prompted an hour of debate on KIRO (710 a.m.) radio’s Dori Monson program. You can download and listen to a copy of the show here, click on the 1:00 pm-2:00 pm slot.

The Council continues to work with a broad group of stakeholders and attend meetings on this issue as part of our overall efforts to promote sustainable development in Washington. We encourage the use of reclaimed water and see potential for captured rainwater to expand the availability of usable water in our state.

Keep the Current Viaduct? - Talks continue

AIA members have spoken many times about how the Viaduct must be taken down for the health and welfare of the city. The AIA/WA continues to participate in talks and work alongside AIA Seattle to voice the opinion of architects.

Yet in the midst of many Viaduct proposals on how to replace the aging structure, a different, and potentially risky, idea has been added. A former state historic preservation officer wants to preserve the Viaduct and have it declared a historic landmark.

The AIA position favors removing the Viaduct in order to revitalize Seattle's waterfront. Eight proposals for replacing the current structure are being considered at this time.

What do you think?

Voice your opinion at any of the public meetings held by the Department of Transportation.

Viaduct Meeting Thursday - Will Consider Options

Scenarios for replacing the central part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be discussed Thursday, June 26, at a meeting of viaduct neighborhood representatives and other interested groups.

The meeting will be from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Bertha Landes Room of Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave. The location was changed from a previously scheduled site to accommodate larger crowds.

State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Emily Fishkin said the session will concentrate on two types of solutions: "surface and transit," in which viaduct travelers are shifted onto surface streets and into buses; and "bypass scenarios" that would retain a highway in the viaduct alignment between the Battery Street Tunnel and the Sodo area.

The Race is On

Filing week came to a close last week on June 6. Who is involved in state races is now set and the AIA Washington Council is reaching out to political candidates. Among the candidates the Council supports is Sue Lani Madsen, who is running in the 7th district. If Madsen wins she would be the only Washington state legislator in the architectural profession. Madsen is the founding partner of Madsen Mitchell Evenson Conrad, pllc.

The Secretary of State’s office makes it easy to view who has registered at their website. The site will allow searches both by Federal and State office; the Governor’s race is under the Statewide Office label. Make sure to click on the Legislative Offices tab to see who is running in your district.

Washington has races this year for all nine congressional seats, nine statewide office, three state Supreme Court positions and numerous legislative and local races. The races have drawn heaps of candidates this year.

The new top-two primary may be the reason for the increased amount of candidates. As of April 2008, Washington will allow the two candidates with the most votes to move on to the general election, even if they are from the same party. The primary election is Aug. 19, and the general election is Nov. 4.

In addition to the primary modification, candidates also no longer list their party affiliation, but instead list a preference. These changes have been the source of some confusion and amusement that may make the new primary system short lived. Regardless of the outcome, results of the 2008 elections promise to be interesting. Stay posted for new updates on AIA involvement.

Alaskan Way Viaduct Discussions Continue

Discussions are continuing on how best to replace the crumbling Alaskan Way Viaduct. After the public vote in 2007 on the elevated and tunnel ideas, the state, City of Seattle and King County went back to the beginning. An advisory committee of local stakeholders was formed and all ideas were put back on the table.

The Seattle Times reports that there are ten options on the table (though really three categories). The categories are an elevated structure, a tunnel and a surface solution. Within these categories there are different options. For instance there is consideration of a deep bore tunnel and a partially lidded, depressed roadway as “tunnel” options.

The AIA/WA, along with AIA Seattle, continues to be engaged in the development of the various options. We are actively monitoring the advisory committee process and participating in stakeholder meetings.

The advisory committee is set to make a recommendation by the end of the summer (likely at its August meeting). Then the decision shifts to the Seattle Mayor, King County Executive and the Governor.

Legislative Deadline Stops Anti-Vesting Bill

SB 5507 to significantly alter the laws for vesting projects under state law failed to pass a key step and died when the Senate adjourned yesterday. The AIA/WA had been actively lobbying against the bill and had gained key allies in legislature. On March 8, at an AIA/WA briefing, Governor Chris Gregoire expressed serious concerns about the bill and pledged to work with the design and construction community to stop the bill if it passed the Senate. A companion measure in the House was stopped in committee earlier this year.

Seattle Voters Reject Waterfront Highway Options

On Tuesday, Seattle voters rejected both highway options for replacing the failing Alaska Way Viaduct on State Route 99. Two options were put before the voters to vote “Yes” or “No” on an elevated highway or “Yes” or “No” on a tunnel highway to replace the viaduct. The votes so far are 70% against the tunnel and 55% against the elevated option.

Governor Chris Gregoire held a press conference today with Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, King County Executive Ron Sims and legislative transportation committee leaders on the next step. The governor laid out a plan that mirrors the proposal put forward by the AIA/WA.

AIA/WA’s proposal for the viaduct replacement includes:

• Create a public facilities district (PFD) to move the project forward. The state should take this project out of WSDOT’s hands and put it into the hands of an agency that can take a larger view of the problem and can represent a broader set of interests.
• Immediately implement transit enhancements, surface street improvements and other mitigation projects.
• Once the traffic mitigation is in place, demolish the viaduct and remove the public safety hazard.
• Create a new design for the waterfront. While the mitigation and demolition are occurring, there will be time to thoroughly evaluate new options for moving people into and around in the City of Seattle.

The Governor’s $900 million plan, which had the support of the other officials at the press conference, includes:

• Develop a collaborative process for bringing the government stakeholders together on a common plan.
• Begin safety repairs on the viaduct to stabilize it until its target demolition date of 2012.
• Utility relocation that can be accomplished immediately.
• Improvements to the Battery Street Tunnel and at Lenora and Battery Streets
• Transit and arterial improvements

Seattle Mayor Nickels, for his part, said he heard a clear message from the voters to not build another highway on the waterfront. He said that he will no longer push his proposal for a tunnel and will continue to oppose the building a new elevated highway.

Other than general comments, there were not details on what the ultimate replacement design may include. The speakers were careful to avoid committing to a plan, instead referencing the new collaborative process that will be developed.

Construction on the mitigation and related projects will begin this summer. The “collaborative process” will not begin until after the legislature adjourns on April 22, 2007.

Overall, the vote and elected leaders’ comments validate the position the AIA has developed on the Viaduct replacement. We will continue to work closely with city, county and state elected officials on the plan.

AIA Seattle and its leadership are to be congratulated for their role in the election and their continuing leadership on the replacement process.

Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct on the Agenda

At the AIA/WA Annual Meeting in November the delegates voted unanimously to support AIA Seattle’s proposal to permanently remove the viaduct. The position supported the Viaduct’s replacement with either a surface/transit corridor option or a cut-and-cover tunnel. Our press release on the issue is on the website, http://www.aiawa.org/.

In early December AIA/WA met with Governor Chris Gregoire’s chief of staff and her lead transportation aide to discuss the viaduct replacement. They were very understanding of the concerns that we raised. We were disappointed when later in December the Governor announced that rather than making a decision on the viaduct’s replacement, she would instead call for the tunnel and the elevated viaduct replacement to be put before Seattle voters in a head-to-head ballot battle.

This has caused no small amount of consternation in Seattle. The AIA/WA’s concern is the ballot measure is a Hobson’s choice for Seattle voters. It puts two bad solutions before the voters without adequate information available to voters on the choices, much less on other alternatives.

Today, the AIA/WA met with House Speaker Frank Chopp (D-43). He asked for the architects’ help in visioning a better option for policymakers to consider. He strongly opposes the tunnel because of its cost and high risk for complications. He supports an elevated solution, but is open to encouraging the development of more information on a surface/transit alternative. AIA/WA will follow-up with the speaker to see how we help with the decision-making process.

Next week will meet with Senator Ed Murray (D-43) from Seattle. He is the former chair of the House Transportation Committee and is now the vice-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. He has been a tunnel advocate in the past, but always has been concerned about the environmental and social impacts of both the tunnel and elevated replacement options.

In other viaduct news, Senator Ken Jacobsen (D-46) introduced a bill (SB 5022) to authorize additional for the Viaduct project and for the Lake Washington Bridges on State Route 520 and Interstate 90. The bill is a mix of new sales taxes and an extension of the stadium taxes.