City cleans up rubble from the earthquake

ELIZABETH LEIS, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- When Blair Nixon bought Tugboat Annie's in June 1999, he wasn't anticipating two earthquakes in two years.

Because the restaurant and bar is located on loosely packed landfill next to the water, the 1999 Satsop and Wednesday quakes shook the building to its core.

But 36 hours after the 6.8 magnitude quake rocked the business, Annie's opened for lunch Thursday.

"The whole bar was on the ground," Nixon said. "I mean, things that were bolted came down. ... We would probably still be closed without the volunteers."

A crew of 20 volunteers worked to clean up the debris, which included shattered antique display bottles.

Tons of debris

Glass is only one of the forms of garbage businesses and homeowners are cleaning up in the quake's aftermath.

That's why John Olson, the city of Olympia's solid waste interim supervisor, wants people to label bags filled with glass as a protective measure.

City workers created temporary garbage pickup spots for many downtown businesses after the earthquake.

"The garbage situation shouldn't be that out of hand," Olson said. "We're doing pretty well. ... We're doing better than the mail."

Olson said fluorescent light bulbs are considered hazardous and should be dropped off at the Hawks Prairie Waste and Recovery Center.

While homeowners must clean up their own debris, the city will haul away large items for a small fee.

A one-person, 10-minute pickup of damaged household items, such as a television, costs $18, plus tax.

One day's notice is needed to arrange pickup of large household items.

Structural debris, such as concrete and asphalt, is being taken to Jones Quarry on Black Lake Boulevard for recycling.

Diana Wall, Jones Quarry president, said four truckloads of debris had come in by early Friday.

Two of the trucks were from the city of Olympia.

Jones Quarry, which is giving discounts to city and local governments, turns the debris into base material for roads.

"We crush it up and send it back into distribution," Wall said. "It's 100 percent recycled."

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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