Engineers decided to stick with the wood-based design based on several factors, including cost and time considerations, said John Miller, chairman of the Glendale Water & Power Commission.
“You might be changing it out more often, but the rates and cost of replacement are cheaper,” he said.
A concrete replacement of the reservoir would likely cost $3 million to $4 million, Kavounas said.
And the redwood timber structure hasn’t undergone a major replacement since it was first built in the 1920s, he added.
The urgency of the repairs earned the project “emergency” status, which allowed water officials to skip the competitive bidding process, submit plans directly to qualified contractors and select the lowest bidder — shaving months off the standard public noticing through the City Clerk’s Office.
