A Whole Lotta Projects Goin’ On…

Here at Shoreline Water District we’ve been working on a number of new capital improvement projects, after our Board of Commissioners chose to reinvest revenues from the South Wood property sale back into capital projects.

Specific projects included new transmission mains on NE 175th Street, 15th Avenue NE, and 25th Avenue NE; new generators for the administration and pump station buildings; and a variety of water main replacement projects.

Together, these capital projects have helped improve the water quality, fire flow and efficiency of our overall water distribution system. Here are just a few of the ongoing projects in our District:

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New: Pump Station Upgrade

Washington State’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund offers a limited pool of financing at an extremely affordable 1% loan rate for water infrastructure improvements. Out of 105 applications received, 45 loans were approved, including 2 for Shoreline Water District. The first loan is being used to upgrade the Pump Station located at our 3.7 million gallon reservoir.

This upgrade is needed to replace equipment that has served beyond its life cycle, to provide service to the newly expanded 615 pressure zone in the Ridgecrest neighborhood, and to address system deficiencies within the existing Pump Station. The new Pump Station will be adequate for a wide variety of operating conditions ranging from normal capacity to emergencies. In late January/early February 2013, we will host an Open House to discuss the design of this facility; the final date of the meeting will be included with our December/January billing statements. (Board Minutes from August 15, 2012)

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Ongoing: District Headquarters Repairs

When Shoreline Water District began experiencing severe roof leaks, inspectors not only recommended a full roof replacement, they also recommended that we simultaneously address multiple mechanical, electrical and energy issues while the roof was off. Unfortunately, the cost of these repairs compared to the value of the building triggered a mandatory code upgrade from the City of Shoreline.

And that’s where the project’s scope began to creep. One such code requirement was the installation of a storm water vault to retain surface water onsite. However the most significant code requirement was to move our building 18 feet closer to 177th Street… forcing us to re-think the entire building footprint. Resolution 2012.07.54

We decided to leave two walls of the building intact to keep the project a “remodel.” However during demolition, we discovered the remaining walls were not structurally sound, and the foundation did not contain enough rebar to meet current codes. For all of these reasons, the project that began as an repair / remodel has grown into something more significant. On the upside, there are no other foreseen change orders on the horizon and construction is scheduled to be completed in late May 2013.

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Near Future: Water Main Replacement

The other project that will utilize the affordable 1% Drinking Water Revolving Fund loan is a water main replacement, which we plan to put out for bid in December 2012.

The scope of work entails the replacement of approximately 2,000 feet of nearly 60 year old, 8-inch diameter steel water main (piping) with new, 8-inch ductile iron water mains along 28th and 29th Avenue NE and NE 186th and 187th Streets. The project is expected to be awarded in late January and should be completed by early May 2013.

(Board Minutes: August 15, 2012)