Public Works Board approves $350,000 emergency loan to Bear Mountain Water District

The Public Works Board on July 10 approved a staff recommendation to award a $350,000 emergency loan to Bear Mountain Water District to replace two potable booster pumps and a fire-flow pump damaged when floodwater flooded the vault housing pumps, motors and control electronics.

Allison Mitchell, project manager, said the May 8 incident caused “sudden and catastrophic failure of critical system components,” leaving potable water service at risk for more than 90 residential connections and fire-flow protection at risk for more than 140 homes. Mitchell said the district declared an emergency, installed a temporary pump system and pursued an engineering assessment and cost estimate to support permanent repairs.

Staff recommended the loan be a 100% loan at an interest rate of 2.31 percent. Members moved and seconded the staff recommendation; the board approved the action by voice vote.

Sheila Richardson, executive director, and Max Whiting, reporting for the traditional committee, noted Bear Mountain explored conventional financing and was found ineligible for commercial financing, underscoring the emergency program’s role in supporting small utilities facing unforeseen infrastructure failures. Mitchell said the proposed permanent work would relocate electrical and control components outside the vault to reduce future flood vulnerability.

The board did not record individual roll-call tallies in the transcript; the motion passed by voice vote. Tim Rizzo, a representative from Bear Mountain Water District, attended the meeting and was available for questions during the presentation.

Next steps: staff will complete funding paperwork and proceed with the loan agreement and project implementation under the board-approved terms.