Backflow preventer replaced at Bonsall ES

Bonsall Elementary School had no classes the week of Thanksgiving, which allowed for the replacement of a backflow preventer at the school.

A 4-0 BUSD board vote Nov. 9 with Dick Olson absent approved a $12,900 contract with Brucon Construction to remove the older eight-inch backflow preventer adjacent to the Rainbow Water District meter and install a new backflow preventer.

"There was a major piece to that which was broken and we needed to immediately repair that, which we did," said BUSD superintendent David Jones.

On Oct. 6, the BUSD maintenance department received a letter from the Rainbow Municipal Water District informing the school district that the backflow device had failed its initial test and was beyond repair.

Rainbow informed the school district that the backflow device needed to be replaced on or before Nov. 6 to avoid service interruption. BUSD facilities director David Medcalf asked Rainbow if the work could be performed over Thanksgiving break to minimize the impact to the site, and the request was granted.

The acceptance of the Nov. 20 start date allowed for a bid package to be issued with the best bid being approved by the board Nov. 9. Three quotes were provided. The $12,900 bid submitted by Brucon Construction, which is headquartered in Bonsall, was actually the second-lowest, but the $12,760 bid would have required the school district to provide a forklift and operator for four hours and the Brucon Construction bid included the full scope of work.

The approval of the bid allowed Medcalf to coordinate the replacement with Brucon Construction. "Dave just really took care of that," Jones said.