No challenge to re-election of Clark and Schnetzer

At a special meeting Monday morning, June 3, the Fern Valley Water District Board of Directors selected James Gates as the fifth director. The other applicant was Fred Hamblin.
Gates will fill the vacancy created when George Rowell resigned in April.
Gates’s appointment is until December, the end of the second year of Rowell’s term. The third and fourth years will be filled by the August election, for which Gates has filed the paperwork with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters.
Since he has no challengers, Gates also will complete the full remainder of Rowell’s term, which will expire in December 2021.
Gates is a former chemist with Metropolitan Water District and has served on the board of the Castaic Lake Water Agency.
The Registrar also noted that only incumbents Trischa Clark, board president, and Richard Schnetzer, board vice president, filed for re-election to their seats, which expire this December.
With no challengers, all of the candidates will be elected and appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The ne w terms will expire in December 2023
Before adjourning, the board also discussed the proposed pipeline project and the bid from El-Co Contractors of San Bernardino. The bid was $1.5 million but the district had only $1 million in the fiscal year 2019-20 budget for the work.
General Manager Victor Jimenez reported that he has spoken with El-Co. The firm indicated that the bid was based on their worse case related to the local highway closures.
“We encouraged him to bid cautiously,” added Director Robert Krieger. He recommended eliminating the section on rocks and then awarding the contract.
“We will worry about change orders later,” Krieger continued. “If we do have a lot of rock we may end up paying the full amount.”
Jimenez will pursue a final contract in advance of the board’s June 21 meeting, when it hopes to award it. He expects work to begin in July.
El-Co is currently installing pipeline along Village Center Drive for the Idyllwild Water District.