EVMWD approves design contract for Highway 74 sewer extension

Joe Naiman Writer

The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District board approved a design contract for the Highway 74/Ethanac Sewer Extension Project.

The board’s 4-0 vote Thursday, Jan. 12, with an abstention from Jack Ferguson, who was appointed to fill a vacant seat earlier in the day and didn’t desire to vote on an item about which he had no familiarity, approved a $1,635,345 professional services agreement with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants for the design of the sewer extension. The board action also approved total expenditures of $2,054,251 which will fund $410,729 of staff time expenses and $8,177 for overhead in addition to the contract amount.

The Highway 74/Ethanac Sewer Extension Project will construct 12,500 feet of 15-inch diameter sewer main from Wasson Canyon Road to the district’s service area boundary at Ethanac Road. The estimated cost range is $10 million to $13 million.

During various Riverside County Board of Supervisors meetings in 2022, the Highway 74 Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District Public Financing Authority was established. The Highway 74 Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District will extend along state Route 74 from Conrad Avenue to Seventh Street and encompasses approximately 941 acres and 475 current parcels. An enhanced infrastructure financing district is a state-approved bond issuance mechanism for local governments. On Oct. 25, the county supervisors approved the infrastructure financing plan for the district. The $90,072,627 of EIFD infrastructure costs consist of $40,084,289 for roadway safety and transit improvements,

$17,815,239 for sewer improvements, $13,361,430 for fire station facilities, $8,907,620 for flood control facilities, $5,450,239 for community center improvements and $4,453,810 for area beautification and signage.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 included $350 billion of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds allocations for eligible state, territorial, tribal and local governments. The funding addresses the public health emergency and economic impacts of the coronavirus epidemic and can be utilized for four eligible categories: mitigation of negative economic impacts, premium pay for eligible workers performing essential work, provision of government services lost revenue would have eliminated and necessary infrastructure investments including water, sewer and broadband. In October 2021, the county board of supervisors approved the allocation of $65,000,000 of ARPA funds for infrastructure projects in Riverside County.

In February 2022, the county board of supervisors increased the infrastructure allocation to $82 million which provides for $15 million per supervisorial district and $7 million for the Broadband Affordability Program.

On Dec. 6, the county supervisors approved an infrastructure funding agreement between the county and the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District which will provide up to $10,034,839 of ARPA funding for the Highway 74/ Ethanac Sewer Extension Project, the Grand Avenue Lakeland Village Community Center Sewer Extension Project and the Lakeland Village 8-inch Water Line Extension – Ranspot and Peeler Project. The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District will administer, construct and maintain the projects.

ARPA funding will provide $8,000,000 of the Highway 74/ Ethanac Sewer Extension Project $10,000,000 cost estimate. The funding agreement also includes a provision that if construction bids for the Highway 74/Ethanac Sewer Extension Project exceed the estimates additional ARPA funding of up to 80% of the increased cost, although not to exceed $834,839, would be allocated.

Because APRA funding is being used the project must be completed by Dec. 31, 2026. Kennedy/Jenks, which is based in San Francisco and has offices in San Diego and Murrieta, already has Eastern Municipal Water District sewer design contracts for Eastern’s Northern Wine Country Sewer Rancho California Road Phase II and Southern Wine Country Sewer De Portola Road/Anza see SEWER, page D-7