Smith joins PCWD board

Becky Smith is the newest member of the Pine Cove Water District’s (PCWD) Board of Directors. Smith was chosen at a special board meeting Jan. 17.

Two other individuals applied for the seat: Amie Foye and the third person, who is not a resident of PCWD, according to President Robert Hewitt. At the meeting, current directors reviewed each applicant’s submission and the unanimous choice was Smith.

She has plenty of water district experience, since she is the former office manager. After 17 years, she retired at the end of November 2023.

She was born in Ely, Nevada and grew up in Sparks, Nevada. At age 18, she left for Escondido and a life in California, where she met her husband, Galen. They have a son, Sam.

Galen’s parents were one of the first to buy a 5-acre parcel in Garner Valley. He loved coming to the Hill and spending time here, Smith related. As they grew tired of city living, they moved to Garner Valley in 1988.

Smith fills the vacancy created when former Director Diana Luther resigned Dec. 1, 2023. Her resignation letter arrived at the office several days prior to her effective resignation date and Smith’s retirement.

“So, I knew she was leaving and something clicked right away,” she said. “This would be how I could stay involved with the district. I loved the staff and the teamwork.”

As a director, she views the installation of the remaining “smart” meters to be the top priority. Thus far, PCWD has about 600 meters installed, about half the district’s total meters. The weather has an important influence on when the meters can be installed. Further the vendor, who sold the meters to PCWD, has declared bankruptcy, but General Manager Jeremy Potter has been investigating what the district’s options may be for this disruption.

Smith did note that PCWD has used several hundred thousand dollars in cash in the past year to purchase the property from Riverside County and partial payments to Smart Earth Technology. Another payment will be due March 1.

Nevertheless, she is not eager to increase the water rates yet.

PCWD’s water production in 2023 was 33.2 million gallons, about 15% less than the average for the three years from 2020 through 2022. Smith attributed this to the extreme precipitation that fell on the Hill last year.

“We had a good winter and people weren’t using as much water,” she said. “And many residents left the Hill for a while because of the weather. We had more than 7 feet of snow here. Week after week of snow or rain.”

With respect to the recent meetings between the Idyllwild Fire Department and the Idyllwild and Fern Valley water districts, Smith does not see PCWD joining this effort.

“There is no benefit to any of the customers in Pine Cove,” she stated. “I don’t see any interest in a Community Service District. What would it do and how would that benefit Pine Cove?

“Pine Cove is run so well we don’t need to participate,” she opined.

Smith will serve the remainder of Luther’s term which ends Dec. 4, 2024. She intends to seek election to a full-term in November. Both she and Director Vicki Jakubac, the second former employee on the board, have terms expiring this December.

“I’m excited to still be involved with the district. It’s the best job in my lifetime,” Smith said proudly. “To still be able to be involved is pretty blessed.”

The PCWD Board of Directors is unique on the Hill. With Smith joining the board, she is the third female member, the first time one of the local district board’s composition is a female majority.

“I like it and glad we’re not chauvinistic,” Smith noted.