The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 6, No. 40 - September 22, 2016 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................6 Classifieds............................4 Crossword/Sudoku.............4 Film Review..........................2 Legals....................................7 Police Reports.....................2 Real Estate...........................8 Sports....................................2 TerriAnn in Torrance..........5 Weekend Forecast Torrance Drops Third Straight Game in Loss to Peninsula Torrance High School lost to Peninsula, 35-17, giving the Tartars their third straight loss to start the season. Torrance will look to get under the win column when the travel to El Segundo Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Torrance’s Ryan Kirkwood (Torrance No. 40) tackles Peninsula’s Jeffrey Jimena (Peninsula No. 6) during the fourth quarter of play. Photo by Dirk Dewachter. • Bid Support Services Approved for North Torrance Well Field Project By Cristian Vasquez In a unanimous vote, the Torrance City Council approved awarding a consulting services agreement to AECOM Technical Services, Inc. for the completion of support services for the design and build process for the North Well Field Project. The two-year agreement took effect Sept. 20 and will expire Sept. 19, 2018 and is not to cost more than $69,897. “The City of Torrance currently obtains portable water from three sources: the city’s Well No. 9 in McMaster Park, the Water Replenishment District’s (WRD) Goldsworthy Desalter, and the Metropolitan Water District (MWD),” states the staff report signed by Public Works Director Robert J. Beste. “Problems with the Sacramento Delta and the Colorado River are causing imported water to become much more expensive and causing MWD to reduce water allocations.” With the ongoing drought conditions, city staff developed a Water Business Plan that would act as a policy guide during several years. The basis of the plan is for the city to diversify the water supply; with the city owning 5,640 acre feet of annual groundwater pumping rights in the West Basin, the plan includes a capital expenditure program that would develop additional pumping capacities. “The city acquired a property west of Yukon Elementary School and easements from Torrance Unified School District for development of groundwater Well No. 10, a new storage tank, and treatment facilities,” states the staff report. “Development of the North Torrance Well Field Project (NTWFP) would allow for the removal of the 900,000 gallon tank pumping station in McMaster Park.” School Board Celebrates, Honors 2016-2017 Employees of the Year By Cristian Vasquez In a room filled to capacity, the Torrance School Board honored the district’s 10 Employees of the Year 2016-2107 honorees. Each recognized employee was introduced to those in attendance with a detailed list of the many ways in which they have helped make the Torrance Unified School District a better place. Recognized as the best of the year during Monday night’s school board meeting were the following employees: Calle Mayor Middle School Library Media Technician Doreen Asari, Hamilton Adult Center Adult Education ESL Teacher Gayle Hall, South High School Staff Assistant I Carlyn Andy Jones, Griffith Adult Center Instructional Assistant Razia Khan, Jefferson Middle School Teacher Zobeida Merlos, Towers Elementary School Teacher Shelley Miller, Yukon Elementary School Custodian Miguel Moreno, Staff Assistant-Special Education Hiroko Sumi and North High School Teacher Gregory Wheeler. “They told me a couple of days before it was announced to the whole district, but I thought that I was just a candidate,” Jefferson Middle School Science Teacher Zobeida Merlos said. “Soon I realized that I was the winner, so I was really surprised during the next couple of days when I got the flood of emails and calls from everyone.” The city drilled a pilot well for Well No. 10 at the North Torrance well site and has the water quality and has obtained the production capacity information needed to design the well and treatment facilities. With a project of this scope, NTWFP will need pre-design, environmental documentation [CEQA], permitting with the Department of Drinking Water, as well as obtaining all necessary property and easements [right to use property], a review by the Community Development and Fire Department. All this before the city could begin developing pipes and utilities, as well as securing funds before designing and beginning the building process. In order to streamline the NTWFP process, it was divided into three phases. Phase one is where “design, bid and build the utilities within the city’s easement at Yukon Elementary School” would take place. Once the first step is completed, phase two will see the “design, bid and build utilities within Yukon Avenue” and is expected to be completed by October of 2016. Phase three “will be a Design-Build process to construct the well, reservoir, booster pumping and related systems,” continues the staff Friday See City Council, page 6 Partly Cloudy 75˚/63˚ Saturday Sunny 82˚/66˚ Sunday Sunny 84˚/68˚ See School Board, page 6
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