- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Contract approved with consultant for Westshore Pool soil stability testing
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Unified School District Board on Thursday approved a contract with a consulting firm that will conduct soil tests around the Westshore Pool to ascertain the facility's ground stability.
The board voted 3-0 to approve the contract with SHN Consulting Engineers and Geologists of Willits during the special Thursday evening meeting.
Dave Norris – the school district’s director of maintenance, operations and transportation – presented the contract to the board.
He explained that the district had used SHN previously for testing bolts and other parts of the solar array in the district's elementary school parking lot. “They're a very reputable company.”
Earlier this year, Lakeport Unified decided to hold off on plans to reopen the pool for the competitive swimming season after Superintendent Erin Smith-Hagberg discovered a 10-year-old letter in the district's files from the Division of the State Architect that raised issues about the pool's accessibility and structural safety, as Lake County News has reported.
In the decade since the letter was sent, the issues have not been addressed, the Division of the State Architect confirmed to Lake County News.
Last month, Division of the State Architect staffers met with representatives of the county, city, the district and the Channel Cats swim team to discuss the pool, with options including getting the pool certified by the state, which is the route the district now appears to be pursuing.
Engineer Cliff Ruzicka of Lakeport, owner of Ruzicka Associates and the designer of the Westshore Pool, offered his services to help upgrade the pool for free.
Norris said at the Thursday meeting that Ruzicka went into his archives and pulled out the original plans and gave them to the district to help in the effort.
In a letter dated March 19 that introduced the project proposal, SHN Principal-Regional Manager Thomas Herman wrote to the school district, in care of Ruzicka, noting that, “the results of the investigation will be used to provide an analysis of the slope stability along the slope northeast of the pool.”
The results of the investigation and analysis will be sent to the California Geological Survey for review and verification, Herman noted.
The scope of work includes performing a literature and map review, and a brief geological reconnaissance of the site and vicinity to assess existing conditions; drilling two borings extending to about 25 feet in depth on the northeast side of the pool, and a boring to 15 feet at the toe of the ascending slope on the southwest side of the pool; testing of the soil samples collected from the borings; and geological/geotechnical engineering analyses in order to provide conclusions and recommendations regarding code-based seismic ground motion criteria and stability of the pool site and northeast descending slope.
Herman estimated the total fee for the scope of work would be $14,200.
“However, we would like to provide a 25 percent courtesy discount which will reduce the total fee to $10,650,” Herman wrote. “SHN recognizes the importance of this project to the Lake County community and this discount is intended as a gesture of support.”
He said the reduced total fee will cover hard costs – such as the drilling contractor – and the raw labor costs.
Norris said that if the SHN study finds the pool needs additional stability, the district may have to hire a design team, but he said the district can cross that bridge later.
He also noted that Ruzicka has worked with SHN before, he believes Ruzicka's relationship with the firm helped influence that discount.
Once SHN's work is done, Norris said the district can go back to Ruzicka to see if he can help them out at that point.
“It sure seems like the district owes him a 'thank you' for his help,” Board member Dennis Darling said of Ruzicka, and Norris agreed.
Darling moved to approve the contract with SHN, with Board member Lori Holmes seconding, with Board President Phil Kirby joining them in a 3-0 vote. Board member Tom Powers was absent, and Board member Wally Cox resigned March 17.
Kirby agreed that it was appropriate for the district to send Ruzicka a note of thanks, joking they could take one of the 25-foot coring samples and bronze it as a gift.
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