pt0308:parking today 02/17/08 3:49 pm page 49 ture’s condition … · 2008-02-20 · digital...

MARCH 2008 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com 49

the history of performance, mainte-nance and repair of the structure.

• Make a walk-through inspectionof the structure. Although the inspec-tion tasks may vary depending on thetype of structure, the following tasksapply to most parking structures.

• Inspect representative as-builtstructural components for general con-formance with the design drawings.

• Inspect the topside and undersideof the parking decks, the columns andthe walls to identify readily visible dis-tress, deterioration, deflection, move-ment and leakage. It is particularlyimportant to evaluate cracking andcracking patterns.

• Inspect expansion and sealantjoints for readily visible failures.

• Inspect the condition of anywaterproofing.

• Evaluate drainage systems.• Randomly sound selected areas

of the topside of the parking decks toidentify the approximate extent ofdelaminated concrete.

• Inspect stair structures for deteri-oration and leakage.

• Inspect miscellaneous compo-nents for readily visible deficiencies,deterioration and distress. Such compo-nents include barrier walls, railings,light pole anchorages, curbs, lintels,masonry walls, drains and drain piping,lighting, fire detection and protectionsystems, doors, windows, and gates.

• Prepare a letter report of findingsand recommendations, including thescope and cost of recommended short-term and long-term repair andprotection work; identification ofareas of concern, if any, regardingstructural performance and/or durabili-ty; and recommendations for furtherinvestigative work, if any.

Cost estimates should be based onthe scope for observed damages. If afull survey is not performed, the basisof repair quantities should be extrapo-lated based on areas that are observable.Engineering judgment is necessarywhen extrapolating, and the parametersand limitations of that judgment shouldbe identified in the report.

The second phase – further investi-gation – might be necessary if the ini-tial assessment reveals conditions ofconcern that require additional fieldwork, testing and structural review toaddress suspected deficiencies. Addi-tional investigative work, if any, willdepend on the type of structural systemand the types and extent of the condi-tions of concern.

Additional investigative workmight include, but is not necessarilylimited to, one or more of the followingtasks:

• Comprehensive survey and docu-mentation of conditions to better esti-mate quantities for remedial work.

• Field verification of the as-builtlocation of reinforcement using rein-forcement-locating equipment andground-penetrating radar (GPR).

• Exploratory openings to examinethe condition of reinforcing bars, post-tensioned tendons, pre-stressing strandsand other embedded structural ele-ments.

• Extraction and testing of concretecore samples to determine the generalquality and durability features of theconcrete.

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pt0308:parking today 02/17/08 3:49 PM Page 49

MARCH 2008 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com50

• Field testing for corrosion activity.• Field testing of the general condi-

tion of the concrete using ultrasonic pulsevelocity (UPV) equipment.

• Field testing of structural responseusing impulse response (IR) and/orimpact echo (IE) equipment.

• Calculations to review of the ade-quacy of suspect structural components.

• Exploratory openings to examinethe condition of sealants and expansionjoints.

• Extraction and visual examinationof waterproofing, bond testing of water-proofing.

• Water testing to identify failedsealant joints and expansion joints.

A new owner of a parking structurecan be faced with large, unexpectedrepair and maintenance costs if the pre-purchase effort is inadequate. Conditionsthat can lead to high unexpected costsinclude, but are not necessarily limited to,the following:

• Extent of delaminated concrete overcorroded reinforcement.

Assess a Parking Structure’s Conditionfrom Page 49

maintenance. The two-phased approachdescribed herein provides a method tofirst quickly and efficiently gather infor-mation helpful in making initial purchasedecisions and in deciding the needs forand benefits of additional evaluation.

Michael L. Brainerd is a Senior Principal andGreggrey G. Cohen a Senior Project Managerwith Simpson Gumpertz & Heger. Their e-mailaddresses are [email protected] [email protected].

• Distress and deflectionresulting from constructionand/or design deficiencies.

• Post-tensioned tendondeterioration, particularly ofolder systems not havingpresent-day corrosion-pro-tection and other durabilityfeatures.

• Inadequate previousrepair and strengtheningefforts.

• Inadequate or nonexistent lateral-load resisting systems.

• Inadequate or nonexistent vehiclebarriers.

• Need for and ability of exposeddecks adjacent to buildings to accommo-date fire trucks.

It is important to properly managethe potential purchaser’s expectations bycarefully explaining the costs and bene-fits of various levels of evaluation effort,and by identifying any limitations inprognostications regarding the scope andcost of future repair, replacement and PT



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entral completed thesale of its Canadianoperations to VINCIPark. The sale includes

Ideal Parking, the Company’sCanadian subsidiary, and relatedoperations. Central Parking’sCanadian operations representedabout 2.5% of total company rev-enues. The financial terms of thetransaction were not disclosed.

The portfolio includes 150 locationsin major cities across Canada, includingLester B Pearson Airport in Toronto.VINCI Park becomes the second largestoperator in Canada after Impark.

“The sale of our Canadian opera-tions is another important step in theimplementation of our previously

C announced strategic plan,” said EmanuelJ. Eads, President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer.

“This transaction combined with thesale last August of our operations inEurope and the planned sale of our oper-ations in South America will largelycomplete our exit from internationalmarkets. International operationsdid not fit into our long-term strate-gic plan because they were not a sig-nificant part of our business andprovided few, if any, operating syn-ergies. Our exit from internationalmarkets will allow us to focus on thedomestic U.S. market, which is ourlargest market by far and the onewith the greatest potential forgrowth.

French based VINCI Parkrecently completed a 50% purchase

of US based Laz Parking. This Canadiantransaction increases the number ofspaces it controls in Canada to over120,000. VINCI Park operates 1,090,000spaces in Europe and North America.

Central Sells CanadianOperations to VINCI Park

As long as there are cars, there will have to be places to put them. It’s as sim-ple as that. If we want to change our modes of transportation, so be it. But don’tblame the stable because you were kicked by the horse.

In my humble opinion, garages have evolved in many ways. They are nowsmaller, more efficient, and often multi-use facilities, bringing shops, housing andoffices to what were once barren brown fields.

It seems that Philip has simply followed the rule that it’s easier to write 17inches of criticism than 17 inches of reality. Oh, by the way, Philip, where is yourcar parked at this moment?

A footnote: Shannon told me that she is, in fact, a seasoned speaker, havingtaught many courses and given many presentations. She never had any complaintsbefore.

Law of unintended consequences strikes againAn “artist” in Denver covered a group of parking meters with hoods that say

“Ride a Bicycle.” Local drivers eschewed their bikes and drove en masse to thearea.

Why? The covered meters indicated “free parking” to them. Just think what might have happened had they put a $10 surcharge on each

meter for the day. Bicycles would have been dusted off all over the Mile High City.Artist, stick to your brush ...

Some of these blog entries were in January. You could have read them then, and com-mented if you liked, by logging on to www.parkingtoday.com and clicking on “blog.” JVHupdates the blog almost every day.

PT Blog

from Page 47

PT



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PT

pt0308:parking today 02/17/08 3:49 PM 3


other people, and there are lawyers out there who really want tohelp them. These were obvious problems; they can be fixed quick-ly and easily. A judge would look at the issue and tell the garageowner to get out his checkbook.

I also recommended that he hire an operations consultant tocome in and look the place overbefore the owner started putting inequipment. He was charging a flatrate per day. The lot on one sidecharges a flat rate; on the other, it’shourly. He needed a rate survey and arecommendation on the “way” the

garage should operate. The difference in income could be substan-tial. This garage was on the “edge” of downtown, but downtownwas moving its way. The way the garage might be run in the futurecould determine the type of system he buys.

developer in a major West Coast city askedme to look at a parking garage he had pur-chased. He was going to fix it up, add someoffices, and wanted to be certain he was run-

ning it properly.

I arrived a bit early, parked on thegarage roof, and decided to walkdown the ramps to the first level. Thegarage is probably 75 years old andneeds considerable work.

When the owner arrived, I askedhim how many spaces it had. He told me the plans showed 600.My count was 380. He immediately told me he wanted to addequipment. The current cash control was the fist of a youngwoman that held a wad of $5 bills. No gates, no spitters, no coun-ters, nothing.

My advice to those buying agarage is to have someone with aparking background look at theplace. If my owner here based theincome of the garage on 600spaces and there were a third lessthan that, he would have problemsout of the blocks. That’s not to saythat if a parking expert (like me)looks at the facility you won’t buyit, but you may end up in a betterbargaining position and get amuch better price.

The number of parkingspaces was one thing, but I detect-ed a larger problem: About half ormore of the fluorescent tubes inthe place were out. It was verydark. This old dowager was a law-suit waiting to happen. I suggestedthat the owner get someone inthere ASAP and get all the lightsworking. The garage also waspainted white but hadn’t beenpressure-washed in decades. Aquick washing would greatlyincrease the light level.

Well, he said, he was going todo a lot of renovation and didn’tsee why it couldn’t wait a fewmonths. I put my paw down andgrowled. “You could be in court ina few months.”

We live in a litigious society.People want to make money off

PT The Auditor

A

The Newbie andthe Old Dowager

This old dowager was alawsuit waiting to happen



If it will always be a flat-rate garage, a simple pay-on-entrysystem might be just the ticket. However, if future requirementsshould turn it into an hourly garage, then a pay-on-foot arrange-ment might be just the thing.

The owner’s goal was to have the garage attended by one per-son. His office was nearby, and if need be, one of his staff couldcome over and be on-site in the event of illness or vacation. Itlooked like a good idea to me, but then again, that goal would fac-tor into the type of equipment he purchased.

I also recommended that he look into a legitimate operator torun the place – the operator in there now was under indictment bythe local authority for tax evasion.

There were a bunch of other issues. I asked the owner if heknew what the monthly rate was. I noted a sign that said it offeredmonthly parking. Neither he nor the attendant knew. I asked whatthe reported revenues were. He didn’t know. I told him that basedon the car count and the current rate, there should be, at thatmoment, about $1,000 worth of cars in the garage. Assuming therewas some turnover, I estimated that the garage should produceabout $25,000 a month, assuming there was no increase in thenumber of cars parked.

There were about 210 cars in the garage, and with 380 spaces,he had about 170 open. My guess was that he could fill those 170if he repaired the broken windows, replaced the light bulbs, pres-sure-washed the entire place, put up signs, and cleaned up the inte-rior. That would bring his monthly take up to around $40K.

Oh yes, there was one more thing. This could be a real problem.

As we walked across the floor, his heels were clicking on theconcrete. My sharp canine ears noted that the clicks sounded dif-

ferent in some place than they did in others. I also noted somecrumbling of the concrete that looked like the beginnings of a pothole. I sniffed out spalling. He needed an engineer in there fast.Now that’s where the big bucks come in. The previous owner mayhave gotten out just in time.

Remember, this fellow’s total exposure to the parking indus-try before buying this garage was parking in one. He had somegood ideas, but he was moving very fast, and my guess was that hewas going to invest a ton of money getting this actually one-timebeautiful, art deco garage into shape.

There are a lot of new folks such as this one coming into ourbusiness. They have great ideas but need help with the basics. Newblood is always welcome, but too often their philosophy is “Park-ing – how hard can it be?” Often, it’s very expensive to find out.

My parting words to this fellow were: “Know how to make asmall fortune? Take a large fortune and buy a parking garage,unless you know what you are doing.”

Woof!!

Check out PT’s on linehelp wanted section –

www.parkingtoday.comand click on Classifieds

PT



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UCLA Professor Donald Shoup has been asked by the IPI tocomment on the “reality” TV Series “Parking Wars” on A&E. Hewas kind enough to share his comments PT.

thought the program was very sympatheticto the problems faced by parking enforce-ment officers. The program also showed thatPhiladelphia's obsolete parking meters cause

most of the problems for both drivers and parkingenforcement officers. From the user’s point ofview, most American parking meters remain iden-tical to the original 1935 model: you put coins inthe meter to buy a specific amount of time, andyou risk getting a ticket if you don’t return beforeyour time expires.

The original purpose of parking meters was to enforcethe time limits for curb parking, and thus ensure turnover sothat as many cars as possible could park in the limited num-ber of curb spaces. The parking meter’s main purpose is stillthe same: it limits the allowed time at the curb, and the pro-hibition against feeding the meter is intended to ensure

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Shoup Holds ForthOn “Parking Wars”



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turnover. The price of curb parking is usually too low toensure vacancies or frequent turnover without time limits.

The technology of paying for most commercial goodsand services evolved rapidly in the last century, with cease-less innovation in cash registers, bar code readers, creditcards, debit cards, and smart cards. These innovations havemade commerce more convenient for shoppers and moreefficient for merchants. In contrast, the technology of pay-ing parking stagnated, until quite recently.

Traditional parking meters require drivers to carryexact change and decide in advance how long they want topark. Subsequent concern about the need to return beforethe meter expires can create “meter anxiety.” Many driversend up either paying for more time than they use, or notpaying enough and risking a ticket. New technology, how-ever, allows drivers to pay for curb parking without carry-ing exact change and without deciding in advance how longthey want to park. Buying time at the curb can now be asconvenient as any other of life’s daily transactions—nomore complicated than buying a loaf of bread or a quart ofmilk.

With the new technology now available, drivers can paywith credit cards, debit cards, and cell phones for exactlythe time they use. Some cities, such as Redwood City inCalifornia, have adopted this new technology and removedthe time limits for curb parking. If other cities adopt thistechnology, the lives of both parkers and parking enforce-ment officers will improve greatly. Parking Wars showedhow bad their lives are now.



innuendo aside, I havedone things in emptyparking lots life that Iwill never forget.

As children, I andmy friends and siblingscommandeered thenearby lot of a church,

really in use only on Sundays (obvi-ously), for games of hopscotch, jacks,daring and dangerous bicycle stunts,and general loitering. That’s where Ilearned to roller skate and where Ilearned I was not good at wheelies.And that’s where the neighborhoodboys learned, during a risky, but ulti-mately fortuitous skateboard jumpingcontest, that Evil Knievel must haveknown something they didn’t.

The parking lot was surrounded on two sides by bushes(one a very prolific pomegranate), one side by the churchitself and the fourth side by a small cemetery. We had the set-ting for our own Olympics, haunted hide and seek, and “look,no hands” bike parades every day. The freedom I felt at playthere was something I have never experienced as an adult. Noresponsibility, no limitations – other than sunset – and an abil-ity to be wholly absorbed by my imagination. It was great.

I graduated from high school in 1990 – I’m not oldenough yet to feel I have to be secretive about that – and Iknow for a fact the high schoolers in my hometown still con-gregate in the same parking lot outside the local Pizza Hutafter football games. It was emptier then in a strip mall next toa grocery store that actually closed but is now open 24 hours aday. We’d fill the Pizza Hut and then spill outside for flirtingand fashion show.

That’s where I once became trapped in a friend’s oldMustang when my seatbelt broke while I was strapped in it. Imanaged to slide out (all 100 pounds of me), but there were afew moments there when the fire department was nearlycalled. It seems a rite of passage for any teenager to spendsome time hanging around a place that’s dark, totally parent-free and inherently harmless. Of course, there was trouble tomake, but I was usually home by that time.

My very religious private college offered little excite-ment on weekends, so we found our own, albeit wholesome,outlets. We scouted far and wide for a parking lot that wasempty and unobserved, but lighted, after dark, and held rau-cous midnight kickball games. The crisp night air, the thrill ofcompetition, the novelty of trespassing, and a few gravel-tornknees were our reward.

My other and favorite college parking lot memory was alate-night polka that still seems like some strange dream.

We were two silly freshmen on a first (and last) date. Nei-

Melissa will be speaking on her favorite subject, amateur parking, atthe Parking Industry Exhibition at the end of March in Chicago.

here is something very alluring about an emp-ty parking lot. A lot that is full or even half fullis just another unremarkable landscape, like afreeway or a doctor’s office waiting room.

You’re only there because you have to be, not becausethere’s anything worthwhile tosee or do. Occupied parking lotsare just an unavoidable part ofthe journey – never the destina-tion. But an empty parking lot isa different matter. Empty park-ing lots are like a blank canvas– anything you want them to be.

I have had some exciting, exhila-rating, interesting and sweet moments in empty parking lots. I’mnot talking hanky-panky, either, although I hear that happens. All

BY MELISSA BEAN STERZICK

The Amateur Parker …

The Lure of the Lot

T

Continued on Page 60

I have had some exciting,exhilarating, interestingand sweet moments inempty parking lots

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ther one of us had a car so we walked, where, I can’t recall. Con-versation lagged as we reached the edge of a campus parking lot,and my date (showing off the experience of one semester of ball-room dance) put his arm around my waist, grabbed my hand andwe began to spin as fast as we could.

When we reached the other side of the lot, we stopped abrupt-ly, breathless and gleeful. A few minutes later we arrived at ourdorm and said goodnight. Who knows why we didn’t go out again?Maybe it was the polka dancing. There’s no living up to (or down)a polka like that.

I started reminiscing about my life in parking lot moments afew weekends ago when I took my 4-year-old out to ride her newbike. We drove to the nearest empty parking lot and turned herloose. As I watched her circle, I thought about how such an innocu-ous place could be the setting for such a precious memory.

From the trash, broken glass and mini liquor bottles strewnhere and there, I guess people have made use of this lot for other,less reputable, less innocent purposes. But that’s for the owner toworry about. I was just there for the little girl on a tiny red beachcruiser with blue flames and training wheels who smiled like she’dlearned a wonderful secret. It was great.

When Melissa Bean Sterzick isn’t “parking,” she is wife, mother andPT’s Amateur Parker. She can be reached [email protected].

The Lure of the Lotfrom Page 58

PT


Melissa's daughter gets her first taste of the lure of the parking lot.



While Paul Manning and his 16-year-old son, Paul Jr., were “staking out” a three-story

parking garage, they saw a light and what seemed to be an “apparition.” Two bodies had

been found at the garage where the “haunting” – which was really a garage repair – took

place. The Mannings were hired to help find out what happened. Paul Junior had an idea:

“You know, Dad, I’ve been thinking about all this. Maybe there’s a body buried in one of the floors and they are

afraid the repair guys will find it. Someone who disappeared in August 1962 when the concrete was wet.” During

the investigation, they learned that “if certain people knew that the garage was being torn down or opened up, it

could change what we know about much of the history in the ‘60s.” A search of the garage’s history led back to

connections in New Jersey and the mob. Paul Senior met with his contacts at the LAPD and the FBI. The agent

didn’t mince words: “We would like you and your firm to stop working the garage murders case. Tell your client

whatever you want, but back off. This is much bigger than you or even the LAPD.” Paul asked why. The response

was chilling. “Because if you continue, you could get killed.”

CHAPTER 8

DEATH BY PARKING

THE PHANTOMBy JVH

The Contents Were Worth His Life…

left my friend LAPD Capt. Bill Vose and theFBI agent in the bar and walked back to mycar. The agent would give me no further infor-mation about the case except the potential for

my demise. This wasn’t going to work. I don’t giveup based just on some bureaucrat telling me to,even if he was the Special Agent in Charge of theFBI’s LA office.

I called my office and asked Paulo how he was doing onthe research into garage construction and repair. He said hehad some interesting news. He had spoken to a consultantwho knew “everything” about garages and was willing tocome by the office that afternoon. He had told Paul he wassurprised the 30-year-old garage was in such bad shape that itneeded so much work.

Dick Richards was sitting in my office with Paulo whenI got back.

“That was quick,” I said. Paulo made the introductions.“Well, I went over to the garage and took a look around,”

Richards said. “Here’s the deal. The kind of problem they arelooking for usually happens in ‘rust belt’ or ‘snow belt’ areas,or near the beach. This garage is in Southern California.There is no snow, ice or salt, and relatively few swings in tem-perature. In addition, wet, salty air, like you would find inMiami or Houston, isn’t a factor – this deck is five miles fromthe nearest water.

“Plus, I walked the floors, and there are no visible signsof any problem,” Richards said. “Usually you see some crack-ing or some concrete crumbling. This place is pristine. Theowners must have taken good care of it. I even noticed that

Continued on Page 62

I



the membrane looked brand new.”“Membrane?” I asked.“Yeah, they usually don’t just pour

the concrete but add a thin chemical coat-ing to protect the deck. This must bereplaced every five to 10 years. Mostgarages don’t do this, and that’s whereyou get into trouble. This garage looks tome like that normal maintenance and

Death by Parking – The Phantom from Page 61

membrane replacement had been doneright on schedule. It seems like they arespending a lot of money checking some-thing that doesn’t need to be checked.”

“The new owner told us he wasrather ambivalent over the garage,” I said.“They might keep it, or they might tear itdown and put up a mid-rise. There is a lotof new construction going on in the area.

It does seem strange they wouldspend a lot of money on testing.”

“Unless,” said Paulo, “they werelooking for something. I think there’sa question we need to ask the newowner.”

We thanked Richards for hisinput, and I left Paulo to his researchand drove over to the Westsideoffices of S and J Investments, wherePaulo and I had been before.

Ray Schumer saw me immedi-ately. “Well, Manning, cracked thecase yet?”

“We’re getting close, but I needa bit more information from you.How did you come to do the tests onthe garage?”

“Let’s see. After the deal closed,we got a call from Deswal Consult-ing recommending that we test thegarage for structural problems. Wethought it was overkill, but they gaveus such a good price we could hardlysay no.”

“Oh, one more question, Ray.Was there any publicity about yourpurchase of the garage?”

“Well, sure. Our PR folks got ablurb in the trade papers. It was goodpublicity. We were hoping we mightget a ‘nibble’ on a major firm tolease a new building. If not, we couldkeep the facility as a garage until wefound a tenant.”

I called Paulo and had him callDeswal’s main office in Cleveland. Itold him what questions to ask. Bythe time I got back to my office, thattoothy grin was on his face. He hadthe poop.

“I spoke to the regional manag-er for Deswal. He told me the entirefirm was stricken by the murders ofthe two engineers here in Califor-nia,” Paulo said. “I asked him if hehad been in contact with the ownersand he said no, that their customerwasn’t the owner but a company thattold them it wanted to purchase thegarage and needed some testing

before the purchase. That company was‘Palermo Ltd.’ “

Paulo made the next call, and I droveover to the Southern California office ofDeswal in Burbank. The new manager,Martina Smithson, recently promoted onthe murder of her predecessor, was wait-ing for me. Paulo and I had spoken to heron our first visit.

I went right for it. “OK, let’s cut thecrap.” I just love that detective talk.

“I know that Deswal wasn’t hired bythe owners but by another outfit with aforeign-sounding name. I know that youmisled the current owner and gave him abargain-basement price because, Iassume, your client wanted you to take aquiet look at the garage.

“I also know that you knew going inthat the garage really didn’t need a sur-vey, probably told your client that, andthey said go anyway. I also am pretty surethat just before the work started, you oryour recently demised boss were paid avisit by a couple of big guys with bulgesunder their arms and that a lot of moneychanged hands.

“You were told to look for somethingburied in the garage and call them whenyou found it. How am I doing so far?”

Smithson had turned very white.“Actually, one of them was short.”

“Oh, but when your boss and his co-worker found the ‘item,’ they dug it upand decided to up the ante and were killedfor their trouble.”

“OK, you’re right. Frank and Charlietried to get more out of Palermo, and theywere killed. But they didn’t get the box.”

“Box, what box?”“The box they found in the garage.

The two goons think I’m a secretary anddidn’t pay me any mind. But Frank toldme the story when he heard that Charliehad been killed. He had hidden the boxand was killed before he could tell mewhere it was.”

“What was in it?”“All Frank told me was that when

they opened the box, the papers insidewere worth a hell of a lot more to somepeople than the measly 50 grand they hadpaid him and Charlie. I guess he wasright. It was worth his life.”

To be continued ...

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