Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Rainbow to rent trailer to replace flooded building

The Rainbow Municipal Water District figured that the cost to rent a portable trailer would be less expensive than the cost to rehabilitate the district's flood-damaged building, so that trailer will be housing Rainbow offices and amenities until a new building is completed.

The cost to rent the trailer was low enough that water district General Manager Tom Kennedy had the authority to do so without board approval, but the issue of renting versus rehabilitating was brought to the Sept. 24 board meeting for discussion and the board voted 5-0 in favor of having Kennedy complete arrangements to rent the trailer.

"Renting trailers was definitely the most cost-effective option," Kennedy said.

"The cost of rehabilitating it would be excessive," Kennedy said. "We didn't want to spend a lot of money."

A backflow device behind the building is used for the irrigation of the slope behind the building. "It's never quite drained right," Kennedy said.

What the district calls Building Two is downhill from the slope, so water runs along the eastern side of the building and sometimes penetrates into Building Two. "When it rains a lot we always sandbag it," Kennedy said.

The backflow device failed Sept. 1.

Labor Day, which was Sept. 2 this year, is a holiday for Rainbow employees so Sept. 1 was the Sunday in the middle of a three-day weekend.

"This time it happened on a holiday weekend. Nobody was around," Kennedy said.

The below-grade pathway filled up and the water began to enter the building. "The water built up about 4 inches along the wall," Kennedy said.

During the afternoon of Sept. 2, a Rainbow staff member went to the site as part of his normal duty rotation and discovered the situation. By that time, several inches of water had flowed from the east side of the building and had exited on the western end.

The building had housed Rainbow's operations staff and included office space and locker rooms. All the office space floor was submersed in water for an extended period of time. The water also flowed out of the western door of operations manager Robert Gutierrez's office and the main entry door on the south side of the building.

A separate building which has a garage also has a concrete floor and was unaffected by the flooding.

Emergency repairs do not require Rainbow board approval, and district staff contacted emergency cleanup firms before selecting a ServePro office to deal with the water drainage. The standing water was removed and fans and refrigerated water removal devices were placed in the building. ServePro's tests on the drywall surfaces, which were witnessed by both Kennedy and Gutierrez, indicated that the drywall was soaked to approximately 18 inches above the floor level.

The water removal systems were in operation for 48 hours before it became evident that water was trapped under the flooring and the building would not dry out unless the flooring was removed. Due to the building's age and the type of flooring, ServePro was required to test the flooring materials for asbestos. The tests found asbestos in the floor tiles, and the submersion of multiple layers of tile had caused several areas to buckle and crack.

All Rainbow personnel were moved out of the building due to the asbestos exposure. ServePro provided an estimate of $85,000 for the asbestos removal and $75,000 to restore the drywall areas while advising that the estimated cost could increase based on what was discovered once work began. The potential cost exceeded $200,000, so Rainbow staff told ServePro not to proceed and deferred a decision to the board.

Temporary bathroom and locker room facilities were brought in, and the district rented a large construction office trailer to house staff. Some Rainbow offices now have two staff members as an operations staff member joined another department's employee, and Rainbow's board room has also been used for temporary desk space.

The building was constructed in the early 1970s. "It's an older building," Kennedy said.

The entire Rainbow Municipal Water District headquarters property totals 34 acres, and the district believes that no more than 14 acres are needed for district operations. The district buildings are undersized, and the district desires to sell part of the property to fund construction of new building facilities. "We're trying to figure out a way to replace our buildings here," Kennedy said.

The Rainbow property consists of four separate legal parcels, and Rainbow's December 2018 board meeting authorized a survey to identify the boundaries of each parcel. The Record of Survey will allow potential buyers to identify available land for development uses, allow planners to analyze zoning, and resolve other issues which require exact boundary locations.

The sale of the land would allow Rainbow to construct the replacement building without raising rates. "We have a lot of people who are interested," Kennedy said.

The potential interest is contingent upon resolution of a general plan amendment which would allow commercial or residential use.

Rainbow's five-year plan calls for the first capital expenses for the new district headquarters during Fiscal Year 2022-23, and project planning was part of the 2018-19 budget. The new facilities would replace the older building. "We're planning to have it torn down and replaced," Kennedy said.

That limits the amount Rainbow desires to spend on the existing building. "It's like a do not resuscitate tag," Kennedy said.

Not only would a large investment in the existing building be lost once the structure is removed, but the drainage problem still exists. "The building might flood again," Kennedy said.

Rainbow will rent a triple-wide trailer measuring 60 feet by 32 feet. The trailer will be able to house offices for approximately 15 staff members and will also provide a locker room, a lunch room and restrooms. The rent is approximately $2,200 per month or $26,400 per year, so if the new headquarters are constructed in three years the total rental cost would be less than $80,000 and the district could rent the trailer for seven years before spending the estimated cost to rehabilitate the existing building. Since the trailer will be rented any maintenance issues including roof leaks and air conditioning failures would be repaired free of charge to Rainbow.

Building Two will be blocked off to all access except for key personnel who need entry to access the electrical panels which serve other areas. Personal protective equipment will be used by any personnel entering the building.

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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