The Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 9, 2010 unanimously approved retaining PACE Civil, Inc. of Redding to provide engineering services for the Elk Trail Water Project. PACE was selected over three other applicants by a committee of County staff and the general manager of a local water district. PACE also wrote the Preliminary Engineering Report for the project which is estimated to cost $10 million.

The two Elk Trail subdivisions south of Jones Valley were recently annexed into County Service Area #6—Jones Valley Water, which will be upgraded to provide them with water service, and the Department of Public Works is in the process of securing grants and loans to fund the project. According to the staff report, grants worth a total of $3.8 million have been confirmed, with another $1.5 million requested. The project is also eligible for a zero-interest loan for up to $4.7 million.

Under the County’s contract with PACE, the work will be divided into three phases. In Phase I engineers will prepare a project cost analysis that will be the basis for forming an assessment district through which property owners will repay the zero-interest loan from the State Revolving Fund. Once the cost for each parcel has been established, a vote of the property owners will be held to establish the assessment district.

Total compensation for Phase I shall not exceed $37,000, and the County’s agreement with PACE will terminate after Phase I if the Elk Trail property owners fail to approve the assessment district. The prospects for approval seem good; two previous straw polls of landowners have shown that a large majority are willing to pay to have piped water to their homes.

Phase II of PACE’s contract involves preparing final plans and specifications for the water lines, tanks, and other improvements. Total compensation for Phase II shall not exceed $497,000.

With the final design in hand, the Department of Public Works will have the plans reviewed by regulatory and grant agencies, acquire rights of way, and solicit bids for construction.

Phase III entails supervising the construction of the project. PACE will perform daily inspections, process contractor payment claims, submit payment requests to grant agencies, and prepare operation manuals. Total compensation for Phase III shall not exceed $514,400.

The Department of Public Works estimates that water service to the Elk Trail neighborhoods will be initiated in 2012.