Glitz Mortar

As local governments and housing authorities continue to put Recovery Act dollars to work, you realize more and more that the glitziest work usually isn't always the most important work or the highest priority to be done.

Consider, for example, the $2 million in Recovery Act funds the King County Housing Authority is spending at Southridge House, an 80-unit public housing complex for the elderly and people with disabilities in the City of Federal Way just south of Seattle. The work planned is fundamental, not flashy.

Southridge is made of brick. Brick is porous. And "porous" can be the kiss of structural death for 40-year-old buildings in a moist climate like the Puget Sound's. So, instead of "bells and whistles," the Authority is prudently using these Recovery Act funds to get to – and fix – the heart of the building's problem – protecting the rebar against further corrosion, sealing the bricks, then wrapping them with rigid insulation and, finally, covering them with Hardie Board, creating a "rain screen" to prevent any further penetration or corrosion. Energy-efficient windows and more insulation also will be installed to make an even tighter envelope. And the Authority will also insure that six units are renovated to meet uniform Federal accessibility standards for persons with disabilities.

No glitz, no glamour? Absolutely! But so what. "It's a terrific project" anyway, says Authority executive director Stephen Norman. "This initiative will reduce operating costs and make Soutrhidge House a more comfortable and affordable place to live."

Even better, by the time the project's completed this December, the Authority will have used at least eight firms and given more than 40 skilled workers an opportunity to practice their craft. "The name of the game here," adds Norman, "is putting people to work. This truly becomes a win-win situation for everyone."

View the story on You Tube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBOWGTiz22g).

###