Status Report: Cove
Project is On Time and Within Budget
Phase 1 of the Cove sewer and street improvement project
is on schedule to be completed by the end of this year and is within the
approved budget.
Eighty-five percent of the first phase of the
comprehensive effort to replace aging septic systems with public sewers,
install new water lines, storm drains and provide street reconstruction,
including driveway approaches and curb and gutter, is complete.
638 of approximately 750 laterals and seven of eight
miles of sewer mainline pipe have been constructed to date.
Owners have begun connecting their properties to the
sewer. Properties from D Street to “J”, between Cathedral Canyon Drive and
the east Cathedral Wash have been approved by the city engineer and Desert
Water Agency for connection to the new the public sewer. As of last
Wednesday, 21 properties had been connected to the new laterals and mains.
Another 150 are eligible to hook up and were sent letters in mid-September
letting them know they are now approved for connection to the sewer.
Connection letters are mailed to property owners after
Desert Water Agency and the city accept and approve the sewer work.
The letters also provide notice that property owners, who
also occupy their home in the Cove, may qualify for financial assistance for
the connection from the Redevelopment Agency’s affordable housing funds.
Street paving is on schedule. Terrace Road, the Cove’s
main east-west route, was paved last week, a major step in making it easier
for residents to navigate throughout the neighborhood. The reason Terrace
has taken several months to complete is because construction there is more
comprehensive than in the other streets. It included sewer installation,
storm drain work with a 54” diameter pipe and catch basins, new water lines,
a ribbon gutter in the center of the street, new curbs, gutters and driveway
approaches.
Currently, the only streets remaining to be paved in the
first phase are Cathedral Canyon Drive and streets south of Kings Road to
the North Cathedral Wash. These are now having sewer, water line and storm
drain work done and will be paved when that work is finished.
Detours for the project are adjusted daily to accommodate
changes in locations where crews are working and material and concrete cure
time.
This project involves many separate types of work –
digging trenches, installing sewer main lines and laterals to serve each
property, putting in water lines (with minimum 10’ separation from sewers),
constructing storm drains and catch basins, grading, pouring concrete,
laying asphalt and installing curbs, gutters and driveway approaches. When
residents see a trench being dug in front of their house, they might expect
the water line or sewer main to be installed immediately after, perhaps by
the same crew, followed by pouring of curbs and gutters and then the street
work.
However, in reality, after the initial crew digs the
trench, it moves up or down the street performing the same task, while the
workers laying pipelines are doing that elsewhere in the project. It is more
productive and cost effective for crews performing a certain task, such as
installing sewers, to work sequentially for long periods on that task
without interruption and without changing tasks.
Construction work hours during the summer started at 6 am
and ended between 3 and 4 pm. Construction hours as of October 1st per City
Ordinance will start at 7 am. The hours of construction for rest of this
phase will be roughly 7 am to 4 pm.
Most of the remaining 15% of construction left to be done
is happening now in the commercial district north of East Palm Canyon.
Several weeks prior to construction on a street, notices
are mailed to each property owner and resident by the city engineer
outlining the construction process, potential impacts to trash service, mail
delivery, construction hours and street parking limitation, along with
project contact information.
In addition, the contractor provides door hangers
identifying construction activity dates with project contact information.
The City’s project team responds to all resident concerns
through the Cove Helpline phone number and through email. Field meetings are
set up with individual property owners to address individual concerns as
needed.
For the second phase of the Cove project, final plans are
being completed. The plans will be bid later this year and it is anticipated
that construction for the second phase will start early in 2008. The 2nd
phase will include sewer installation, water lines, storm drains, curbs,
gutters and driveways for the properties in the Cove in the area above
Grandview Avenue and on Charlesworth.
Since Terrace Road and Cathedral Canyon are being done as
part of the first phase of construction, the detours for the second phase
will affect mostly local neighborhood streets, with less impact on the
overall neighborhood.
To bid the project, the documents for the second phase
will be posted on the City’s website, making it convenient for potential
bidders to pull up data and plans for the project. Sets of plans are also
placed in plans rooms throughout the Southland. Since the web site was
implemented for this purpose several months ago, interest in bidding on city
public works projects has increased substantially. The more bids submitted,
the more likely it is that they will be competitive and come in within
budget.
Following bid solicitation, submittal of bids, evaluation
and award by City Council to the lowest responsible bidders, construction on
Phase 2 could begin as early as March 2008. Work in the primarily upper Cove
second phase should take about 18 months and is scheduled for completion in
2009.
While this work is a major disruption in the lives of
Cove property owners, it should be kept in mind that infrastructure is
normally installed in a neighborhood before people move in. The extent of
the tearing up and rebuilding in an already developed area makes it all the
more inconvenient.
However, with public sewers, water line upgrades, new
streets and storm drain improvements and judging from the improved
appearance of the streets that are finished, it should be worth the
aggravation. The project also meets State requirements to eliminate septic
tank usage in the Cove by January 1, 2012, in an effort to protect the
underground aquifer that serves the entire region.
Architectural Review
Committee Update
At its September 12 meeting, City Council appointed Randy
Purnel to fill a vacancy on the Architectural Review Committee (ARC). Purnel
is a licensed Landscape Architect with10 years experience in electrical and
general construction. At its September25th meeting the ARC re-elected Kendra
Culbertson as Chair and John Holt as Vice Chair.
Cans for Cash
The third annual Cans for Cash Recycling Challenge,
sponsored by the Cathedral City Environmental Conservation Division, the
United States Conference of Mayors, Burrtec Waste & Recycling Services and
S.C.R.A.P Gallery, is October 1st – 28th. The Challenge is a month long
contest that rewards schools for recycling bottles and cans. For more
information contact the Cathedral City Environmental Conservation Manager at
760-770-0369.
Fire Department Annual
Open House October 13th
The Cathedral City Firefighters Association will be
cooking up their famous pancakes at the 19th Annual Open House and Pancake
Breakfast on Sat. Oct. 13, 8am-11am, at the Cathedral City Fire
Administration Building, 32-100 Desert Vista Rd., 3 blocks west of Date Palm
Drive.
The department will have an array of activities, and
demonstrations at the Open House including “Stop, Drop, & Roll”, face
painting, balloons, blood pressure checks and SPARKY! The Community Blood
Bank will be joining the festivities for a four hour blood drive.
##
