Capitol Campus inspectors find little structural damage

BRAD SHANNON, AND LAUREN WALSH, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- Engineers poking through debris-strewn Capitol Campus buildings Thursday found fallen plaster, walls spidery with cracks, plenty of broken glass and a tossed salad of paperwork.

But they found little structural damage from the massive earthquake that smashed South Sound on Wednesday.

While several buildings -- including the state Capitol -- still haven't gotten a completely clean bill of health, Thursday's inspections opened the way for select employees to return to work today at 17 government buildings around the Capitol.

More than 10,000 state workers from nearly 20 buildings were idled after the earthquake struck late Wednesday morning, forcing evacuations.

Quake-damaged campus buildings remain closed to the public today, and access is limited to workers who are selected by their supervisors, Department of General Administration Director Marsha Tadano Long said late Thursday.

"If an employee is uncertain whether they are to return to their work site, they are to contact their supervisor," Long said in a statement.

Workers also can check Access Washington (http://access.wa.gov/), the state Web site, to see what call-back messages their agency has posted.

Lawmakers in limbo

State lawmakers, meanwhile, kept their half-completed legislative session in recess, awaiting word on whether they can resume committee meetings early next week in the Cherberg and O'Brien office buildings.

The state Capitol sustained damage during the quake, and no one is sure when the building will open for use.

Senate Majority Leader Sid Snyder, D-Long Beach, said some staff members might start cleaning up today, but leaders in the House and Senate were unsure when to start legislative action.

"I would really like to see us back as early next week as possible," House Republican Co-Speaker Clyde Ballard said.

Legislators said they could use the committee hearing rooms to hold floor sessions for the full Senate and House.

Legislators and Gov. Gary Locke played down the effect the region's damage could have on the state budget.

Earthquake damage could change transportation and capital project priorities, but not the operations budget that pays for state programs, Locke said.

Locke also said that idled state employees should consider themselves on call and assume they'll be expected back at work by Monday -- unless they hear otherwise from supervisors.

State employees who lost work because of the quake will be paid for their time off, said Hal Spencer, a spokesman for Locke's budget office.

State is lucky

As the extent of the quake damage became clearer around the region, Locke told reporters the state was fortunate not to have had more serious damage.

Locke said past quakes in California invigorated Washington's work to strengthen building codes and prepare for disasters.

Locke praised state workers and the public for showing a can-do spirit to fix damaged roads and help each other.

Locke said his own son narrowly escaped being struck in the Governor's Mansion by a large television set that dropped onto the floor and tipped over.

"The kids are a little bit shaken up," Locke said, referring to Dylan and Emily, who were playing.

"Emily keeps asking, 'What causes earthquake? Will there be another earthquake? And is it safe?' " Locke said.

Locke had a little advice for parents.

"I think a lot of the kids, while they came through it, are still going to be a little bit worried," Locke said. "I would hope parents spend some extra time with the kids to let them know we're there to help them and protect them and counsel them."

Locke and his family members are staying in their Seattle home while state crews investigate how much damage was done to the Governor's Mansion.

Brick walls on two sides of the mansion are badly cracked, but it is unclear when the family might be able to return, said Vikki Poitra, a Department of General Administration property manager who inspected the structure Thursday.

Shifting offices

Because there are still questions about the Legislative Building's safety, Locke said top staffers in his office are meeting at the State Emergency Operations Center in Pierce County.

Locke's receptionists have relocated to the Labor and Industries Building in Tumwater, and the rest of his staff also are preparing to move there if needed.

Other agencies face similar moves if the Legislative Building or other offices can't be fully opened.

Managers in the state Auditor's Office planned to meet today to consider options, spokeswoman Mindy Chambers said.

Teams of inspectors including private structural engineers fanned out across the Capitol Campus Thursday morning to see which offices could be opened.

One priority was to reopen the General Administration building because it houses essential computers that run the state payroll and the non-enforcement operations for the State Patrol.

But the all-clear signal has yet to be given for that structure.

Shaken but sound

The Temple of Justice, which is located adjacent to the Legislative Building, was declared sound.

The building is home to the state Supreme Court and the state Law library.

Judging from eyewitness accounts, the Temple of Justice was one of the least damaged buildings on campus.

Although there was plenty of crumbled plaster on the floors and spilled books in the libraries, engineers said the damage was mostly cosmetic.

Several hallways and staircases had spidery cracks running up the walls, but structural engineers said the cracks were only skin-deep.

Other hallways had cracked red marble in the floor -- expensive to replace, but not damaging the strength of the building.

Supreme Court Justice Faith Ireland's office, located on the third floor, had the most broken glass.

A glass sculpture was broken on the floor in the entryway to her office, about 10 feet from a mound of glass shards that was once her mother's crystal tea set.

Ireland kept it in a small wooden cabinet with glass doors. The set tumbled out during the earthquake.

Ireland's aide was nearly injured. The aide's desk sat directly next to two full 8-foot-tall bookcases that crashed on top of her desk and chair.

The aide did the right thing at the right time, said Tyler Williamson, facilities coordinator for the Supreme Court.

"She got under her desk just in time," Williamson said.

The Supreme Court chambers fared a little better. Pieces of the 23-foot-high plaster ceiling rested on the court's pews and tables where they had fallen, along with a few light fixtures.

The ornate ceiling looks like carved wood but is really just painted plaster, said Williamson.

The chunks left white spaces on the ceiling. One white spot that particularly stood out was in the shape of a cross, located above the judges' bench.

Another hard-hit area was the Law library. A dozen floor-to-ceiling bookcases tipped over like dominoes, spilling books in foot-high heaps between the shelves. At least half of the library's collection was either on the floor or on a broken bookcase.

Despite the damage, Williamson said the Temple of Justice is in pretty good shape.

Williamson said he wouldn't be surprised if a limited number of staffers are allowed to return to work by Monday.

Brad Shannon and Lauren Walsh cover state government and politics for The Olympian. They can be reached at 753-1688.

Dome shifts

Part of the stone in the Legislative Building's dome moved three-quarters of an inch during Wednesday's earthquake, a preliminary engineering report released late Thursday showed.

"The dome itself didn't shift. Part of the dome deflected three-quarters of an inch. It's like if you take a cylinder and squeeze it a little bit," said Andy Stepelton, a property manager for the Department of General Administration who worked with a private-sector structural engineer to inspect the building.

"They think at this point there might have been a one-eighth-inch rotation," Stepelton said.

"The impact of that is no more than if you took a cup on a table and turned it, because it is a rigid structure."

There is also evidence of the dome having rocked in past earthquakes.

Although no specific structural damage has been found yet in the 73-year-old sandstone and marble building, inspectors will continue their work through Saturday morning.

It's already clear after Thursday's inspection that work will have to be done to fix an area on the east side of the dome where there is a risk of falling stone, Stepelton said. Stone veneer peeled away from a buttress, which resembles a pillar, on the lower east side of the dome. Rigging that will allow a closer inspection could go up today, he said.

Some state employees back at work

State Department of General Administration Director Marsha Tadano Long said select employees are being called back to work today to restore certain operations to the following buildings:

- Archives, Cherberg, General Administrative, Highway Licensing, Insurance, Legislative, Natural Resources, Newhouse and O'Brien buildings.

- Governor's Mansion

- Temple of Justice

- Office Building 2

- Department of Transportation headquarters

- Employment Security headquarters and annex

- Pritchard State library

- Superintendent of Public Instruction building

The Olympian Copyright 2000

back to main Earthquake Stories index