PCWD discusses leases, smart meters and other districts

At the Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) meeting last Wednesday, March 13,

a proposal for rent reduction from American Tower, one of the companies
leasing land or interior space from the district, was rejected. A new
lease with another renter, Comtronix, was announced.

  Director Lou Padula asked about items on the financial statement. One
check, for over $85,000 to Santander Bank, was the annual payment for
PCWD’s new smart valve/meter system. Santander is the successor creditor
for the 10-year loan taken out from Government Capital. This large
payment weighed down the monthly report to show a $40,000 deficit.
Liquid reserves remain over $726,000.

  The operations report showed production slightly lower than last year
at 2,439,405 gallons. Static well #10 fell from 1.23 feet to 75.18 feet.
General Manager (GM) Jeremy Potter said he expects this to rise as what
snow pack the mountains has begins to melt but notes that the expected
“atmospheric river” has not yet visited this season. A discussion of
snow-pack monitoring brought up the information that, in the past, the
three local water districts shared the cost of a local snow survey done
by Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit (RMRU). Although board members are
aware of Jon King’s meticulous and popular survey (sanjacjon.com) the
board was not aware of a current official source for this information.

Potter noted that installing smart meters continues as his “number one
priority” as feasible. The installed meters continue to pick up
continuous flows indicating small leaks and they are catching those now.

  Potter wished to underline that the district’s acquisition of Pine
Cove Park does not include plans to develop the land: concerns are fire
abatement, cleanup and signage for safety, giving notice that the area
is not available for snow play. Eventually, fencing will be discussed,
and the possibility of a trail with some informative signage. A security
camera is there now. An old pipe, apparently still carrying water, was
discovered and will have to be further investigated.

Renaming the parcel may raise some legal issues, and may require a
resurvey, so Potter will continue research with the relevant agencies.
It is no longer a park, and Potter has suggested it be called a
“watershed protection area,” perhaps including the name of its creek,
Logan Creek.

  Annual vehicle maintenance and inspections were completed. One of the
district’s small pickup trucks, a 2013 Toyota, is still out of service,
and Potter would like to get it back in operation. Numbers discussed
last summer were rehashed: a used rebuilt engine would cost $6,000 to
$7,000, and the district could replace it in-house; a new truck would
cost $40,000 to 50,000; and the Gosch Auto Group quoted $35,000 to
rebuild the old truck.

Directors took this last figure to mean that dealers would rather sell
new trucks than rebuild old ones. The truck, with a 4-cylinder engine,
was over-worked, fitted with a lumber rack and tool boxes. Rebuilt, it
would be used for meter replacement and light material runs. Padula
opined that it had been “beat like a rented mule.”

Director Becky Smith pointed out that these prices are now six months
old and likely to have gone up since. Potter later clarified by email
that he expects the “repairs will take place within the fiscal year
24-25 budget.”

  Potter also noted that the biannual inspection and exercise of Cla-Val
brand pressure-reducing valves have been completed. This brought up an
aspect of water distribution that the public rarely hears about. There
are parallel networks of supply pipe; a 1-inch system that provides
water under normal low-use scenarios, and a 6- or 8-inch system that
provides the necessary flow when hydrants are being used during
high-demand situations like fires. The Cla-Val valves switch
automatically between these systems, and “exercising” them tests this
function.

  In other hydrant related news, Potter informed the board about a
recent “cross training” exercise in which his crew participated
alongside crews from Idyllwild (IWD) and Fern Valley (FVWD) water
districts. A manufacturer’s representative led a class on rebuilding and
maintaining hydrants. Readers can learn more on page A1.

Potter expressed a favorable impression of IWD’s new interim GM Curt
Sauer, and said he was “excited to see relations on the Hill getting
back to where it was when I started in the field.” He was also impressed
with IWD Water Operator Brian Wilson, who is back in the field after the
management shakeup, calling Wilson “motivated.”

  Potter briefed the board on another source of income for the district,
a contract with American Tower, which provides the only antennas on the
Hill for Verizon cellular service. The lease currently brings PCWD
$27,399.96 a year, with a 3.5% annual “escalator,” and expires at the
end of June. American Tower is trying to negotiate a 10% reduction in
the rent and a 2% escalator but is offering a $12,000 signing bonus. The
board was unimpressed with this offer, seeing the “bonus” as a
distraction. “Unreasonable and ridiculous,” said President Robert
Hewitt. The board voted to reject the offer. 

  Hewitt also said he and Smith have renegotiated the lease with
Comtronix, which houses radio relay systems in a district facility. The
new one-year lease includes a 3% increase, beginning in July. This has
been signed. Hewitt said they will watch closely over the agreement;
last year Comtronix fell $12,000 in arrears on its monthly $1,700
payments. That amount has all been paid.

  The meeting went into closed session to discuss personnel matters, an
evaluation of Potter. Office Manager Jenifer Hayes notified the Crier
that the board reported it had “discussed Jeremy Potter’s position and
decided to ask him to stay on. Jeremy agreed.” The next regular meeting
is 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 10.