Water District Opens Doors to New Headquarters

East Valley Water District serves residents of Highland and portions of both the County and City of San Bernardino with drinking water. The organization hosts facility tours, participates in regular events, and now has a new headquarters facility. Designed to encourage interactions between the public and staff, the new East Valley Water District Headquarters opened its doors on Saturday, March 15th, with an open house event and ribbon cutting celebration. “In 2012 we set a goal to be moved into the new headquarters by April 30, 2014, and I am proud to share that we opened our doors 71 days ahead of schedule, and under budget,” commented Chairman James Morales, Jr. "The headquarters facility will serve as a central location for this community to learn first‐hand about responsible resource management.” Over 200 people attended the formal ribbon cutting ceremony including representatives from the project Design‐Build Team Balfour Beatty, other government representatives, and local residents. Throughout the day, hundreds more flowed through the building to enjoy the facility tours, equipment displays, water efficiency demonstration garden, and activity booths. The Headquarters Campus combined District Administration and Operations to a single site. Previously located at three different facilities, the District faced unique challenges including coordinating meetings with customers, working with a property management company on issues that could be handled in‐house and hosting community activities. The District partnered with construction managers Balfour Beatty Construction and architectural firm Ruhnau Ruhnau Clarke, with engineering services provided by Parsons Brinkerhoff to compete the project within the $15.5 million budget. The 30,000 square foot facility, which was completed in 242 days, features a multi‐purpose board room, one convenient customer service counter for water and sewer payments and engineering services, and outdoor spaces designed to accommodate water conservation courses.