Dalke and Sons to renovate EMWD’s Sun City water operations building

Joe Naiman

Writer

The Eastern Municipal Water District selected Dalke & Sons

Construction Inc. to construct the renovations of Eastern’s water operations building in Sun City.

A 4-0 EMWD board vote Wednesday, May 17, with Randy Record absent, approved a $1,603,435 contract with Dalke & Sons. The board also authorized a $69,850 engineering support services contract with Gillis+Panipachan Architects, authorized EMWD general manager

Joe Mouawad to issue necessary consultant and supplier contracts administratively and appropriated $2,130,800 for the work.

The Sun City water operations building is in the 29200 block of Valley Boulevard in Menifee. It was constructed in 1986, and its use has changed over 37 years. At one time it was a laboratory shared by different EMWD departments, and it is currently being used by the Water Operations department.

The building warrants not only renovations but also reconfiguration to meet the current needs of the Water Operations department.

Gillis+Panipachan Architects, whose office is in Costa Mesa, assessed the condition of the building and prepared preliminary and final design documents. The renovation and reconfiguration will reconfigure the restrooms to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act standards, secure the network and electrical room, create separate and private offices for department supervisors, provide improved workstations with dedicated network access for Water Operations department staff, reconfigure the floor layout to allow better accommodation of office equipment, add a reception- ist desk, provide new workstations and casework and rehabilitate the building finishes. residential dwelling units in a range of densities ranging from medium to very high density along with a school and park areas on approximately 390 acres. A portion of that development would receive water service from the Eastern Municipal Water District while the Lake Hemet Municipal Water District would provide service to the rest of the area. The EMWD water supply assessment only covers the portion of the project within the EMWD boundaries.

The construction contract was advertised for bid Feb. 28 and had a March 29 deadline for submittals. Dalke & Sons, which is headquartered in Riverside, submitted a bid of $1,603,435. Faris Construction Company of Oceanside bid $1,735,000. Although the engineer’s estimate was $1,325,435 the difference between the low bid and the engineer’s estimate was determined to be due to continued volatility in the market. The Dalke & Sons bid was reviewed and found to be responsive with the contract documents. The construction is scheduled to be completed within 425 calendar days after the notice to proceed is issued.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com.

Eastern’s most recent Urban Water Management Plan which was adopted in June 2021 anticipated an annual demand of zero acre-feet, which was based on the premise that the land would have an agricultural land use and water would continue to be supplied by private agricultural wells. If the Citrus Valley Specific Plan project is built the anticipated annual total water demand from those parcels would be 1,343.3 acre-feet; however, the cumulative demand from the project and from other new or planned developments is within the demand level anticipated in the Urban Water Management Plan. The Urban Water Management Plan forecasts anticipated supplies and demand in five-year increments through 2045, when the district is expected to provide service to approximately 1,131,300 people. The projected EMWD demand is 204,800 acrefeet in 2025 and 239,200 acre-feet in 2045.

The specific facilities needed to serve the Citrus Valley Specific Plan development will be addressed in the project’s design conditions phase.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com.

Joe Naiman Writer

The Eastern Municipal Water District approved a contract for preliminary design and field investigations of the conversion of Quail Valley Sub-Area 4 from septic systems to sewer service.

The EMWD board voted 4-0

Wednesday, May 17, with Randy Record absent, to authorize the contract with Michael Baker International for $2,113,440. EMWD general manager Joe Mouawad or his designee was given the authority to award other contracts for the preliminary design phase, and the board appropriated a total of $2,408,000 to fund the costs.

Quail Valley has failing septic systems located within the city of Menifee, northeast of Canyon Lake. EMWD staff developed nine planning sub-areas within Quail Valley for septic-to-sewer conversion projects with Sub-Area 4 and and Sub-Area 9 being designated as priority sub-areas due to a moratorium on new septic tanks being placed in those sub-areas. Last year Eastern completed a feasibility study for Sub-Area 4 and a preliminary design for the necessary backbone improvements within Goetz Road which will be required to serve Sub-Area 4. The Goetz Road sewer final design is being conducted separately from, but in coordination with, the ongoing effort for Sub-Area 4; that final design contract was approved by the EMWD board Feb. 1. EMWD staff issued a request for proposals for the Quail Val- ley Sub-Area 4 septic-to-sewer conversion preliminary design and field investigations services, Jan. 17. Four proposals were received by the Feb. 21 deadline. The California Government Code requires professional services agreements to be awarded based on demonstrated competence and the professional qualifications necessary for the satisfactory performance of the services required rather on the lowest price. A review panel deemed Michael Baker International to be the best consultant to perform the work based on the firm’s detailed understanding of the project, experience with the public outreach challenges and necessary field investigation work, team personnel qualifications and current availability to deliver the project. The company’s proposed $2,113,440 fee was reviewed and verified to be commensurate with the proposed scope of services.

Because Quail Valley is considered a disadvantaged community it is eligible for certain grants.

In 2020, Eastern was awarded a technical assistance grant from the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority and a planning grant from the State Water Resources Control Board to advance a sewerage solution for Sub-Area 4. Eastern will continue to pursue grant funding for the project, although in the absence of reimbursements money from the district’s Sewer Replacement and Betterment Reserve will be used to cover the costs.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com.