County poised to hire sewer overseer

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• San Luis Obispo County supervisors approve Los Osos sewer oversight contract

  San Luis Obispo County supervisors approve Los Osos sewer oversight contract

  The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a $7.6 million contract to oversee construction of the Los Osos sewer.

  The vote came a week after California water officials reduced the interest rate on a loan for the project of nearly $70 million from 2.6 to 2 percent.

  The reduction is expected to save some $6 million in interest payments over the 30-year life of the project, said John Waddell, project manager.

• Los Osos sewer work to begin by July

  Los Osos sewer work to begin by July

  With the start of construction of the Los Osos sewer drawing near, the county Board of Supervisors is expected today to hear a project update and consider approving two contracts for engineering and archaeological services totaling nearly $2 million.

  Construction is scheduled to start by the end of July, said Supervisor Bruce Gibson, whose district includes Los Osos. Gibson said he is confident construction will begin on time.

  A group of Los Osos residents has petitioned the California Coastal Commission to revoke the county’s permit for the project on the assertion that it is based on false information. Dan Carl, Central Coast supervisor for the commission, said the request could cause delays in the project because it will take staff time away from verifying that the county has met its permit conditions.

• PolyHouse in running to help De Vaul

  PolyHouse in running to help De Vaul

  Cal Poly’s bid for the code compliance work on San Luis Obispo rancher Dan De Vaul’s Sunny Acres property could satisfy both sides in a contentious lawsuit, according to a local attorney helping to coordinate the potential partnership.

  On Friday, the university’s PolyHouse team will find out if it has received approval of its bid to complete required upgrades to De Vaul’s ranch from a San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge.

  Judge Charles S. Crandall appointed receiver David Pasternak to enforce compliance on the 72-acre property on Los Osos Valley Road, where De Vaul runs a homeless and sober living facility.

• Solar panels sprouting on the Carrizo

  Solar panels sprouting on the Carrizo

  Construction activity is ramping up on two large commercial solar projects on the Carrizo Plain.

  More than 400 workers are employed building the two projects which, when complete, will produce 800 megawatts of power. Work on both projects began late last year, and construction is expected to take three years to complete.

  Furthest along is the 250-megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch by SunPower Corp., near the Kern County line. More than 360 workers are on site, said Ingrid Ekstrom, a SunPower spokeswoman. Work has progressed to the point that photovoltaic panels are being installed on tens of thousands of metal posts. As of the end of January, 30,390 panels had been installed, which is enough to generate nearly 13 megawatts of power, Ekstrom said.

• Los osos sewer project may get a little cheaper

  Los osos sewer project may get a little cheaper

  State water officials will meet in Sacramento on Monday to consider lowering the interest rate on a loan for the Los Osos sewer project, a move that could shave millions of dollars off the price of the project, reducing the cost to residents.

  The State Water Resources Control Board will consider a staff recommendation to lower the rate on a $69.7 million loan from 2.6 percent to 2 percent. The county and Los Osos Community Services District are sending letters to the water board urging that the interest rate be reduced to zero in an effort to make the massive infrastructure project as affordable as possible.

  “The district board is wholly supportive of a reduction in the current interest rate of 2.6 percent to 0 percent, and we believe we speak for the overwhelming majority of the 12,500 residents affected by the project,” community services district board President Marshall Ochylski stated in a letter to the board.