Ventura County Public Works Agency looks forward to increased collaboration at State of the Agency

VENTURA, Calif. - Jan. 16, 2015 - PRLog -- From Jan. 20-22, the Ventura County Public Works Agency (VCPWA) will hold its annual State of the Agency Meeting to focus on current projects, new initiatives at the County or Agency level, innovative department projects and recognizing employees. This year’s theme, “The Color of Collaboration,” underscores the Agency’s commitment to work efficiently as a team on ongoing projects, whether it’s working across the Agency’s five departments, government agencies, reputable contractors and others, to protect and enhance the safety, health, and quality of life in Ventura County.

“Effective communication, collaboration and information sharing across the agency and between departments are essential to be successful in our mission to provide quality services,” explains Jeff Pratt. “For 2015, we will strive to work most efficiently with our collaborative partners and find the most cost-effective solutions for County projects.”

This year, VCPWA looks forward to continuing work on two major collaborative projects:

·         The Engineering Services Department (ESD) is working on the new Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) Hospital Replacement Wing – a $214.0 million construction project – which is one of the largest projects ever undertaken by the County. The project will replace aging non-seismic compliant facilities with state-of-the-art structures that are critical to sustaining quality health care services for county residents and the region. For this project, ESD will be collaborating with a number of County and government agencies and service providers, such as: City of Ventura, State of California, Ventura County Health Care Agency, Air Pollution Control District, Southern California Edison, SoCal Gas, Federal Aviation Administration and more.

·         The Water and Sanitation Department is in the planning stages of a $48.0 million desalter project that will treat salty groundwater and produce up to 5,000 acre-feet per year of high quality water for use by agricultural and residential customers in the Moorpark area. Now in the second phase of pilot wells testing, the department’s collaborative partners include: ESD and a consultant who completed contract documents and advertised the project; the Real Estate Services Division who assisted in acquiring a temporary easement from the property owner and leasing tenant; and the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency and Watershed Protection District which granted pilot well permits. The Water and Sanitation department is now moving forward with the execution of the contract and will begin drilling the wells soon.

“We’ve seen innovation and sharing new technologies increase the productivity of our teams, as well as collaboration on workable solutions with various segments of the business and agricultural communities and much more,” said Pratt. “With five departments and almost 400 employees, team collaboration is no small feat—but it’s crucial to keep us on track.”