UPCOMING EVENTS

Observations from the 2011 Christchurch NZ & 2011 Great East Japan (Tohoku) Earthquakes & Implications for the Pacific Northwest
City of Redmond, WA
September 8, 2011

City of Everett & Snohomish County PUDATC-20/ATC-45 Post-Disaster Response Training
City of Everett
September 14, 2011

SEA Northwest Conference, Presentation: Earthquake Reconnaissance, Benefits to Our Region
City of Spokane, WA
September 22-23, 2011

 

HAPPENINGS

P-305 Bachelor's Enlisted Quarters & Parking Garage receives LEED Gold Certificate, Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, WA
August, 2011

Society of American Military Engineers July Luncheon – 2011 SEAW Great East Japan (Tohuku) Earthquake Reconnaissance Report
July, 2011

Costa Rican Post-Disaster Safety Evaluations of Buildings Training
June, 2011

2011 Great East Japan (Tohoku) Earthquake and Tsunami Symposium at the University of Washington
June, 2011

Great East Japan (Tohoku) Earthquake and Tsunami Reconnaissance Trip
May, 2011

Lessons Learned from the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake
April, 2011

Seeking Japan Invitation for the SEAW Great East Japan (Tohoku) Earthquake Reconnaissance Mission
April, 2011

Structural Engineering Lectures for Architects Registration Exam (ARE)
March, 2011

Organizing the SEAW Great East Japan (Tohoku) Earthquake Reconnaissance Team
March, 2011

Christchurch, NZ Earthquake Reconnaissance Mission
February, 2011

Costa Rican Post-Disaster Safety Evaluations of Buildings Training
November, 2010

Happy as Clams
By Eric Fetters, Herald Writer

MUKILTEO - Steve Anderson was nearly finished with work at Ivar's Mukilteo Landing restaurant on Oct. 28, 2003, when the wind-whipped waves outside convinced him to stick around.

A half-hour later, a fierce wind was driving the high tide against the waterfront eatery. At first, Anderson and other employees tried to hold down the outside deck planks as the waves lifted them up. But staff and patrons soon evacuated the restaurant. Then, the wind and water combined to destroy it.

After recounting that ordeal, Anderson described Tuesday how he feels about the rebuilt restaurant, the result of 15 months of work and more than $2 million. "I'm floored. It's been an amazing transformation," said Anderson, now the restaurant's executive chef. "I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised."

Inside, new windows and the outdoor deck provide the same views of Puget Sound and Mount Baker, but nearly everything else is changed. The bar has more seating and slightly more room than before, said bartender Eddie Perreira, who also witnessed the 2003 storm from the restaurant.

The new bar counter is granite. The old teak and mahogany bar was lost to the storm. A remnant of the teak bar now surrounds a hatch door that provides access below the building. In the main dining area, a new stone fireplace provides atmosphere and warmth. It also helps to separate the restaurant from a private banquet room that can seat up to 60 people. The kitchen, which was shifted south, also is slightly larger than before.

"I used to come here quite a bit and eat here in the summer," Hopkins said. "When they asked me to do the painting, it was a lot of fun." Within the painting, Hopkins hid Ivar's motto, "Keep Clam," numerous times. He hasn't told anyone, he said, where they all are in the painting.

While the interior is what most people will see, even more work went into the basic foundation of the building. That is what helped turn the rebuilding project into a 15-month undertaking.

The storm pulled timber pilings and 350 cubic yards of sand from under the restaurant. Now, galvanized steel beams and cement have taken their place. While they were working on the building's foundation, the first workers who arrived in the morning often found otters standing on the new sea wall and peering into the restaurant, said Bob Donegan, president of Ivar's Inc.

Workers removed 120 creosote timber piles, installed 465 feet of steel I-beams and used 141,000 pounds of cement. They also installed five large lateral frames in the building to help it withstand future storms and earthquakes, said Dave Swanson of engineering firm Reid Middleton.

ARTICLES

Fire-damaged school reopens in Bellingham
Aug 2011

Seismic retrofitting gives Evergreen's clock tower an unfamiliar appearance
Aug 2011

Reid Middleton Engineer Speaks at EvCC Grand Opening (Everett Community College celebrates arrival in Monroe)
Jan 2011

Green Shores: LEED-Style Rating System
April 2009

County First in State to Successfully Use Wetland Banking
Sept 2008

Group Efforts Make for Better Shorelines
Sept 2008

Planners Say Healthy Urban Shorelines Are Possible
Sept 2008

Airport Taxiway Rehab a Success
June 2008

TDR: Balancing the Goals of Conservation and Growth
Mar 2008

Hudson Point Marina Facelift Begins
Nov 2006

Happy as Clams
Oct 2003