Marina Coast water storage upgrade begins
$15 million project to increase storage by 3 million gallons, replaces former Army water tank, infrastructure.
MARINA >> A new $15 million Marina Coast Water District water storage project designed to increase water storage by more than 3 million gallons and replace a septuagenarian Army water tank and other aging infrastructure is moving forward as the district brings on a new general manager.
Last month, the water district board approved a construction contract with Anderson Pacific and a construction management deal with Psomas for the project, which includes two new 1.6-million gallon potable water storage tanks and a new booster pump station.
The new water storage system replaces the 70-year-old Sand storage tank and booster pump station built by the U.S. Army, likely without permits, which requires regular and costly maintenance and repair.
“It’s long overdue in my opinion,” Marina Coast Board President Jan Shriner said. “It impacts everyone in our district from Marina to the Ord Community. It’s part of our district’s maturing process.”
The water storage project site is located on a California State University parking lot north of InterGarrison Road next to the city of Marina’s Corporation Yard.
Designed to serve as a forebay for the district, it will provide drinking water for both Central Marina and the Ord Community, including CSU Monterey Bay, and parts of Seaside, and improve fire protection capacity.
“In essence, every drop of water that comes out of the tap within (Marina Coast) will travel through these tanks,” said Derek Cray, district operations and maintenance manager. “District staff has done a great job of holding together the existing infrastructure built by the Army. However, there is only so much we can do to keep repairing the same site.”
It is being paid for through existing bonds, and by developer and customer capacity fees and other funds, with Marina covering about $4.7 million and the Ord Community contributing about $10.3 million of the cost.
Project construction is set to start by the end of April, according to Cray, with completion and operation in two years or less.
Meanwhile, new Marina Coast general manager Remleh Scherzinger took over as the district’s top administrator on Monday, replacing former GM Keith Van Der Maaten who left in December for a job in Southern California.
Shriner said Scherzinger has
“strong credentials and carries a reputation of reasonableness, competency, and diplomacy we hope will benefit our community,” and she hopes he will “seamlessly continue the coordination of projects and partnerships.”
Cray, who served as interim GM since Van Der Maaten left, said Scherzinger will be “an essential asset to the district as it delivers on the core mission and values of providing high-quality water, and soon recycled water, to our customers at some of the lowest rates” in the area.
Scherzinger most recently worked as general manager for the Truckee Donner Public Utility District, but was removed by the district board “without cause” in November after about four months in the job, according to the Sierra Sun newspaper. He previously worked as Nevada Irrigation District general manager for more than seven years, and has two decades of experience in water, wastewater, and electric utilities. He has a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Cal Poly Pomona, and a master’s in business administration from Sonoma State University.