There’s good news and bad news for residents of Los Trancos Woods and Vista Verde, squeezed in the hills south of Portola Valley.
The bad news is that, starting in August, heavy machinery will invade their narrow winding roads to bring sewers to the lower part of the old summer home community, where lots are small and septic tanks failing.
The good news is that 62 homes should connect to sewers before the end of the year — if the weather gods smile.
The board of the West Bay Sanitary District on May 17 awarded the contract to the low bidder, JMB Construction Company of South San Francisco.
There are two bids, depending on which route the district runs the line at the lower end of the project. The cost would be $2.02 million if Portola Valley gives permission to run a gravity line from Los Trancos Road, across some town open space, to the foot of Carmel Way.
If the town does not give that permission, the cost would jump to $2.03 million to bring the line out Los Trancos Road; in that case sewage would be pumped up Carmel Way to the main line.
So far the district has not heard from the county engineers or the town, said district General Manager Tim Clayton.
Arrival of sewers will culminate almost a decade of efforts by residents to bring modern sewers to the community. Last year the state approved a bond issue that will allow participants to pay for the sewers through assessments on their properties.
So far 62 property owners have paid into the assessment district and will be connected, Mr. Clayton said. A total of 136 parcels in the lower part of Los Trancos Woods, below Lake Road, can connect if they want to.
Mr. Clayton expects construction to begin in about two months. “I hope we can get it done in 90 to 120 days, if the weather is good to us,” he said.
