Sewer Talk Returns to Council Chambers as Bonds Sales Proceed
With sewer lawsuit settled, city council approves waste transport agreement and receives update on bond financing.
The La Cañada Flintridge City Council on Tuesday approved an agreement to transport sewage from a portion of Sewer Area No. 3 and was told that the team charged with selling $37 million in bonds to pay for the sewer project is moving forward.
A lawsuit that caused city officials to postpone issuing the bonds was settled two weeks ago. The city’s bond finance team is working on selling the bonds while crafting a plan to supplant bond monies with state funds if the city can get a loan from the state revolving fund. The SRF, managed by the California Water Resources Control Board, provides very-low interest loans to public entities for construction of wastewater treatment plants, sewers or water reclamation facilities.
As of last Thursday, Sept. 2, the city had collected $5.5 million in sewer assessment prepayments, City Manager Mark Alexander said. The prepayment period, extended to Sept. 3 when the city was served with a lawsuit challenging the formation of assessment district for Sewer Area No. 3, and Alexander said the prepayment total could be closer to $6 million when all the payments are recorded.
Once bonds are sold, the city will give sewer contractor Ken Thompson Inc. notice to proceed with the project that will provide sewers to 1,600 homes in the sewer area. Public Works Director Steve Castellanos said that would probably occur Oct. 15. Property owners can contact La Cañada Flintridge City Hall for information on buying the sewer bonds, a member of the bond team said.
The agreement with the Crescenta Valley Water District will allow sewage from Sewer Area No. 3A to flow through the water district’s sewer lines.
Highlights of the agreement include:
? In three payments over 18-months, the city will pay the CVWD roughly $1 million as an initial capacity charge for 693 dwelling units, plus an out-of-district fee of $500 per dwelling unit.
? The city is to replace 486 feet of 8-inch sewer line owned by the CVWD with a new 12-inch line under Ocean View Boulevard, from Waltonia Drive to Crescenta Avenue, at an estimated cost of $199,000. The city is also required to install a $25,000 permanent monitoring system to measure flows into CVWD lines.
? If flows at four sewer connection points exceed 64 percent capacity, CVWD will upsize the connections and the city will reimburse the cost.
? The agreement will last 50 years and may be renewed at the mutual consent of the city and the CVWD.
? The city is responsible for fees required by the city of Los Angeles for treatment of waste from the city’s system.
? The city is to pay a portion of the CVWD expenses related to future operation and maintenance of any shared facilities, excluding CVWD sewer treatment charges.
Reporting to the council, Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station Capt. Tim Peters said La Cañada stands to receive nearly $1.4 million under Measure A, a half-cent sales tax increase to raise money for law enforcement and fire agencies on the Nov. 2 ballot. He said the Sheriff’s Department plans to use a portion of the tax funds, allocated based on population, for equipment that would improve the department’s technology that allows deputies to communicate freely with other law enforcement agencies.
No vehicle burglaries were reported in August, a drop Capt. Tim Peters attributed to residents locking their vehicles and keeping valuables in vehicles out of sight.
“That’s pretty impressive,” Peters said.
One attempted vehicle burglary was reported last month, but the car owner scared off the would-be crook, Peters said.
Residential burglaries totaled 14 in August and a good number of those could be tied to an alleged burglary ring that the Glendale Police Department broke up late last month. Four suspects were arrested and could have connections to several residential burglaries in La Cañada, Peters said.
Peters urged residents with ongoing home renovation projects to check with their contractor to make sure the home is secure, as major kitchen appliances were recently stolen from a La Cañada home.
Vandalism incidents saw a rise during August, with most of the crimes directed at vehicles. Several windows of high-end cars were shot with a BB gun and cars were keyed in the La Cañada High School parking lot.
There was no rise in traffic accidents last month, Peters said.
In other sewer-related developments, preliminary discussions on proposed Sewer Areas Nos. 4 and 5 will begin at the Oct. 18 City Council meeting, Alexander said. The city has not yet issued a contract for preliminary designs of sewers in that area, Castellanos said.