No person, firm, or subsidiary who has been awarded a Consulting Services contract may Submit a Bid for, nor be Awarded a Contact
Brian Knoll, Vice President, Albert A Webb Associates
California Civil Engineer License 65690
1095 Cleveland Way
Corona, CA 92881
On June 16, 2015, Beaumont, California, City Council Agenda Item 4.a. Albert A. Webb & Associates replaced Alan Kapanicas as Beaumont’s ‘Special Tax Consultant’ at the insistence of City Attorney John Pinkney and acting City Manager, now Transit Director, Elizabeth Gibbs-Urtiaga. The Agenda Item has since been removed from the City’s Website, but is listed on the Minutes.
At the March 28, 2016, Beaumont City Council Meeting Albert A Webb Employee Brian Knoll first appeared and presented a Slideshow on the status of Beaumont’s Sewer Plant and the City’s compliance deadlines established by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board: http://www.ci.beaumont.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/27307
Brian Knoll stated that he had been working on the City’s Sewer Plant for “about four weeks”, but there was no Contract or any evidence that Albert A Webb & Associates had been hired to work on the Sewer Plant. The City had recently hired both Interwest Consulting and Willdan Engineering to provide Engineering Services for the Sewer Plant.
Knoll confirmed that the City’s Plan to Comply with the State Water Quality Control Board’s Basin Plan was already submitted to the Board in January, 2015. Council Approved Wildermuth’s Plan on January 20, 2015. Santa Ana Executive Director Hope Smythe attended Webb’s presentation and voiced her concern that the City was changing their Basin Plan again. The City has a deadline of December 30, 2019, to construct a Desalter and Brine Disposal AND the Sewer Plant is at Capacity and has to be Expanded.
During the Presentation Knoll repeatedly stated that although the City had already committed to the Basin Plan, the City should to do a Feasibility Study that includes Financial Feasibility to determine the City’s best path.
On April 13, 2016, Beaumont City Council Meeting Agenda Item 4.a. issued RFP for Treatment Plant Expansion/Salt Mitigation Project: http://www.ci.beaumont.ca.us/D…
And that was the beginning of the end. On June 7, 2016, Albert A Webb & Associates was gifted the Contract to create a Feasibility Study for Beaumont’s Sewer Expansion, Desalter, and Brine Disposal: http://www.ci.beaumont.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/27665
On August 2, 2016 Brian Knoll from Albert A. Webb & Associates presented a Title 22 Engineering Report that was never requested or Contracted. The Report basically repeated Wildermuth Environmental’s 2007 Title 22 Engineering Report listing Infrastructure the City has to construct BEFORE the City can produce Title 22 Complaint Recycled Water: http://www.ci.beaumont.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/27897
Knoll stated that the City could use his Report after the Construction of the Infrastructure needed to produce Title 22 Recycled Water, which is the equivalent of paying for a smog check on a car before a catalytic converter is installed. How much Albert A. Webb & Associates was paid for the phony Title 22 Engineering Report is unknown because there was never a Contract to do the work.
On November 2, 2016, a Wastewater Feasibility Workshop was held: http://www.ci.beaumont.ca.us/D…
Albert A. Webb & Associates’ Feasibility Study recommend the City ‘go it alone’ because at Webb’s estimate of $89 Million; it would be cheaper than joining with Yucaipa, which has already constructed their Recycled Water Facility, built additional Sewer Capacity, and purchased space in the SARI Brine Line. Webb’s Feasibility Study did not include Financial Feasibility, Recycled Water, or the current condition of Beaumont’s Sewer Plant.
Multiple Engineers and Wastewater Specialists have confirmed that Beaumont’s Sewer Plant is deteriorated beyond repair. The clay sewer lines installed in the original part of town in 1929 are deteriorating and rupturing all over town. Ten years ago the City attempted to sell the Sewer Plant for $1.00 to the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District because the Plant is worth nothing.
For over 20 years Beaumont Elected and Appointed Officials have misused/embezzled the money collected from Bonds, Mitigation Fees, and Taxes. The $60 Million Sewer Machinery & Equipment recorded on the City’s Financial Statements is a forged number.
At the Workshop Chairman Robert Martin from the Morongo Tribe stated that for five (5) years the City has promised the Tribe Recycled Water and the Tribe wanted the Recycled Water by the end of 2016. No one told Mr. Martin the truth; Beaumont has no Recycled Water Facility – they just have a Sewer Plant.
On November 7, 2016 Albert A Webb & Associates was gifted a $792,838.00 Contract for the Preliminary Sewer Design in an Emergency Meeting called before the newly Elected Councilmen were installed: http://www.ci.beaumont.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/28602
Albert A Webb & Associates was scheduled to present the Preliminary Design by May 15, 2017. The Preliminary Design would be used as a template for Contractors to Bid on the Final Design.
On April 4, 2017 the Beaumont City Council Awarded a $3,120.600.00 Contract for the final Sewer Design to Albert A Webb & Associates six weeks BEFORE Webb released the Preliminary Design. The City claims to have done a Public Bid Contract, but it was not possible for any Company to Bid on the Final Design without the Preliminary Design, it wasn’t even possible for Webb to bid on the Final Design without the Preliminary Design, but they did: https://beaumont.civicweb.net/document/5713/Item%2024.pdf?handle=645B61FFD1E94CA995658BF188D592F5
On May 16, 2017, Albert A. Webb & Associates presented the Preliminary Design to Council. The price tag for the Sewer Expansion had increased from $89 Million to $108 Million without including Recycled Water, or the cost of laying the Brine Line through other cities: https://beaumont.civicweb.net/document/6601/Item%2022.pdf?handle=7A8CE7C62DFE403BBBDB4064D3B6EDEA
Beaumont City Council has passed two Sewer Fee Increases without Voter Approval as required by California Prop 218 to build the same Infrastructure, but the money was misused/embezzled. The Council is now planning to pass another illegal Sewer Increase: https://beaumont.civicweb.net/document/9808/Item%2028.pdf?handle=8E7180B2289B454991C3325BDCFDA061
On March 20, 2018, Albert A. Webb and Associates is presenting a CEQA EIR Mitigated Negative Declaration for a Sewer Expansion and digging a brine line that will cross open land, two Counties, and multiple Cities. Beaumont has built 20,000 houses and expanded their Sewer Plant from .6 MGD to 6. MGD by filing Negative Declarations or not filing any CEQA EIRs at all.
From 2015 to Present; Albert A. Webb & Associates has been paid over $3.4 Million without any Public Contract Bids. December, 2018 Invoice was for $545,542.39. City Staff does verify Invoices and Payroll Records are not being filed with the Labor Commissioner.
California Public Contract Code Article Four Section 10365.5 (a) states: “No person, firm, or subsidiary thereof who has been awarded a consulting services contract may submit a bid for, nor be awarded a contact for, the provision of services, procurement of goods or supplies, or any other related actions which is required, suggested, or otherwise deemed appropriate in the end product of the consulting services contract.”
It is a violation of Conflict of Interest and Contract Laws for Webb to do the Feasibility Study, the Preliminary Design, and Final Design, and the CEQA EIR. And the basis of the problem is that Webb Forged the Feasibility Study by not including a Financial Feasibility to create the need for Design Contracts to enrich themselves.
Webb & Associates has taken over Beaumont’s two biggest avenues/excuses for funneling money out of the City: The Bonds and the Sewer Plant.