Sanitary District to expand its storage yard

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District is going to spend $1.7 million on property that will allow it to expand its yard.

The board of directors voted unanimously Thursday to enter escrow for the nearly $1.7-million property at 2252 Fairview Road, next door to its yard at 174 W. Wilson St.

The district plans to open escrow by Sept. 1 and close by Sept. 30, with full operation by Jan. 1, said General Manager Scott Carroll.

The property will be used for storage of emergency equipment, such as portable generators and by-pass pumps, which are needed to move wastewater from lower to higher elevations during power outages.

The district currently stores its emergency equipment in several locations, including the Costa Mesa city yard on Placentia Avenue near Fairview Park, the Orange Coast College boat yard, and at several of its 20 sewage lift stations.

Consolidating the storage will enhance the district’s response time in emergencies, potentially avoiding fines for a sewer overflow, Carroll said.

Board Vice President Jim Ferryman voted against a previous purchase opportunity because the price at the time was too high.

“But a property like that adjacent to our other property doesn’t come along very often, and in my mind that justified the purchase,” he said.

Board President Mike Scheafer agreed.

“That property would never come available to us again,” he said. “It could have become a Subway sandwich shop.”

The district will make about $60,000 in improvements to the property, which is currently home to a trailer and towing hitch shop.

This work will include removing a portion of the block wall separating the parcels, relocating the fuel tank and installing a perimeter wall and gate. The existing shop building will hold items like hoses and cables, which can deteriorate when kept outside.

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