Coldwatergate 2: Brye Water Tank Gets Painted Despite Freezing Temperatures

[XLFD]

Background- Wasted Money

The Brye Water Tank was slated to be painted back in in these December 2012 threads, watertankgate-no-bids-no-bargain-nobody-s-business and shay-competitive-bids-or-not and especially anatomy-of-an-administrative-appeal, we find that City Manager Shay states quite plainly at the meeting that they have not yet sought any bids for the Brye water tank contract, and yet, again quite plainly the bids were in that meetings councilor packet, itemized fully. 

 

On July 23, 2013 the City posted a RFP for this project:  RFP Brye Tank.  It said that proposals needed to be completed before August 14, fifteen business days.  Pages 8-11 of the proposal directly mimic the terms of contracts that USM draw up, which fits in nicely, since their bid has already been submitted at least eight months before.

 

One has to wonder that since the City painted it for under $60,000 in 2001, and it hasn't needed any maintenance since, and would probably not require maintenance for several years, why spend over 500% more on it now for these nominal services USM provides (even when we subtract the costs of non-painting purchases)? 

 

The RFP for other companies above necessitates the painting of the tank in ten years, but USM contract was found never to say this.  It says that towers/tanks should be painted about every ten years, but never include a second painting on the tenth year in the contract, like this RFP states MUST be done on the tenth year.  The other bid by Fedewa necessitated them to predict the costs of labor and materials in ten years, which is what added greatly to their total, which they have made very reasonable for other municipalities.  Why would USM paint again when they can make a new ten year contract the tenth year with another paint job done many years before it's needed?  It's a gold mine, for somebody involved in the deal made in 2012, not the taxpayers. 

 

About a quarter of a million dollars is put into a maintenance of the paint job contract where no maintenance is likely to occur.  It's kind of like spending $5 million to insure something that is worth $1 million, it just doesn't make sense, unless your the one guiding where the $5 million goes.  Like John Shay and this crooked contractor.  See also when-is-competitive-bidding-not-competitive.

 

Utility Service Maintenance- Incompetent Subcontractors Paint in Cold Wet Weather

 

In the fall of 2012, more than two years after a contract signed between John Shay and USM said they should, the USM subcontractors painted the Danaher water tower as part of a $1.2 million contract.  Other subcontractors worked on the Gaylord Street water tower back in 2010, and did a good job on it during the middle of summer. 

 

In October of 2012, where the external painting was done on the tower, it was cold and rainy predominantly, and the majority of the work happened in the latter half of the month as they rushed to get it done before the really bad weather of November came.  I managed to take some labels off the paint can they used recovered from their dumpster:

 

 

 

The pink highlighted label says:  "Minimum 50 degrees, 5 degrees above dew point”.  During the last couple weeks when they were putting on the topcoat, the temperature rarely got above 50 degrees, including the last seven days when they did their biggest push.  See the weather conditions here:  coldwatergate-painting-by-the-numbers.  Unprofessionally, they applied the paint in conditions contrary to the manufacturer's specifications.  If you take a look at the paint job now close up, about 19 months later, you will note the paint is not smooth but dotted and blushy, a lot worse than the Gaylord tower, painted in proper conditions.

 

Coldwatergate 2:  Cold painting in May of the Brye Tank

 

Now it's May in 2014, after a brutally cold winter some of our great lakes still have significant ice cover (Lake Superior had 23% ice cover at the beginning of this week), our own temperature in Ludington diving into the 20s just last night and earlier this week.  I was out at the Baymont Inn on Friday (May 16), ironically going to a Leadership Conference for Resilient Ludington contemplating the imminent and negative effects of global warming; the outside temperature was in the low 30's, the Baymont had neglected to turn the heat on in the conference room and it was freezing cold. 

 

Before I had attended the conference, I noticed fresh paint on the outside of the Brye water tank, which is directly east of the Baymont, and painter's equipment on the outside.  Under closer inspection, I took some photos with my cellphone of the operation going on at the time, where it appeared the subcontractor was inside painting the tank's interior.  The graph from Weather Underground shows the temperatures and whether it has been raining over the last week (when temperature (red) and dewpoint (green) are equal or nearly so, it is rainy/raining). 

 

 

 

The contractors have been set up for a little while, and so they may have done some before this week, which believe it or not, was cooler.  If you look at the chart, the 50 degree mark is denoted by the light blue line put on as a reference.  Ever since late Wednesday, the temperature was drastically below that line.  But they were still there that Friday morning and painting the interior surface, which was every bit as cold as the outer surface, with the same paint they used for the water towers.  It's specifications:

 

In fact, the only window of opportunity this month that they could be assured to paint the tank above the 50 degree mark and 5 degree difference between dew point and temperature would have been this Sunday and Wednesday afternoon.  Even so, the 'curing' time (which is affected by the humidity) for the paint would have been the better half of a day, which in both day's situations had rain occur around midnight.

 

Conclusion: 

 

For this year, it is still too early, too cool, and too humid, to be painting water towers with this Tnemec paint, just like it was too late, too cold and too rainy in the week before the Halloween of 2012 to do a good job on the Danaher tower.   A good painting of a steel water tower should last 20-30 years, according to experts not trying to sell you overpriced water tower maintenance contracts.  These latest two subcontractors (different ones), have decided to go against the specs of the paint and the letter of the contract to do a paint job on these structures that will necessitate another paint job before that 20-30 years have passed.

 

Coupled with John Shay's assertions to the other contractors and to us that the USM contract involves two coats of paint, one now and one in ten years (and it assuredly does not), he is either the most foolish city manager around giving heaps of our tax money to do inferior work many years before they need to be done-- or the most slyest, if he is indeed benefitting financially from these deals and perhaps sharing the profits with a complicit city council and city clerk.

[XLFD]

The pictures at the bottom of the article were taken yesterday and today at times when the temperature was in the 30s and 40s respectively.  This snippet to the left was in Friday's COLDNews.  The paint used within is a resin slightly different than the exterior variety, but has similar application instructions, and if it fails, it's not that good for those involved, but the water goes out to Amber Township and Scottville from this tank. 

The tank is drained and taken out of service while the painting is being done and the curing takes place, so if a problem does immediately arise, you won't notice it until it gets back online.  If you are in the service of this tank, you should be noticing a drop in your water pressure at this time. 

I think a good indication that there may be problems to the water quality in the future would be whether the outer hull's paint job degrades within the next few years.  Or a significant decrease in the population of Scottville.  A quarter of a million dollars misspent to get a crappy, unprofessional job from a Dover, Ohio subcontractor. 

[XLFD]

Season Blast and Paint (SBP) from Dover, Ohio is what their truck says, they are a subcontractor of Utility Services Maintenance (USM) a company based in Georgia.  This paint job is costing $326 million, and contrary to the contract, is not being done according to specifications.  I have contacted the Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Administration (MIOSHA)  to see whether this is potentially unsafe for them and us.  That's something I know our so-called civic leaders won't do.

[XLFD]

I didn't link to the MIOSHA site, but here's a typical complaint form.  I sent an online complaint. 

Our officials didn't think twice before painting a water tank not in need of painting anytime soon for over six times what they spent in 2002.  Utility Service Maintenance has a deal with our elected officials that is not in the public interest.  And these painters they have used are incompetent; at least these and the Danaher tower subcontractors. 

The Gaylord tower seems to have been at least painted professionally and in the proper temperature.  These guys could care, as long as they get a nice long season of painting towers with nary a care about whether it's done proper.

[XLFD]

I thought something was wrong with my computer, but I don't exactly know what's going on there.  The pictures come back as 'file not found' even for the pictures I uploaded from my own camera, and ones that were screen shots of public records.  I will try to check in with the Ning guys to see whether they can recover those.

[XLFD]

The water tank is in Amber Township, I believe, but the property it is on is owned by the City of Ludington as part of its water supply infrastructure line out to Scottville.  The City of Ludington water system has historically provided PM, Amber Township and Scottville with water and some sewer capability, but PM and Scottville have some of their own capabilities too.

Ludington has special rates for these areas to encourage their continued dependence on them, however.

[XLFD]

Which is precisely why I listed the "City of Ludington" as the organization these people are working for.  The employees of Ludington who live out that way (along with everyone else) will eventually have to consume the water. 

Hopefully, John Shay will answer my concerns and any concerns brought up by MIOSHA, when they check it out; I did receive some confirmation back from them today.  A visit from MIOSHA is usually more effectual than a rebuke from the paint supplier, unless they go proactive. 

[Willy]

X, either they're coating the tanks with gold or the dollar figure in your reply is missing a decimal point. I hope you get some answers regarding the water towers. This is a never ending saga because as long as those tanks need maintenance and those responsible are like the current people now in charge there are always going to be questions as to the contract and it's cost as well as if the coating is properly installed. This current City Management is just not going to tell the public how the water tanks are maintained.