PCWD Donates New Tree to Idyllwild Park

The Directors of Pine Cove Water met on Wednesday, June 26, as there had
been no quorum on their usual date. With board members Vicki Jacubac and
Lou Padulla absent, three directors were present to make a quorum,
President Robert Hewitt, Becky Smith, and Rose Venard. The board heard
good news about water loss figures, began discussions about replacing
their billing software system, and approved their new budget.

General Manager Jeremy Potter expressed confidence in the low water loss
figure in his report: 3.5%, which, after accounting for three leaks
repaired, left 1% unaccounted for. He said he and his operators had gone
over the figures repeatedly and could find no more loss. Potter credited
the new smart meters in part for this low figure, saying they are
discovering leaks much more quickly, and even small steady flows show
up. Leaks on the customer side are caught immediately, and not two
months later when a big bill shows up.

Meter replacement continues: the crew is on book 5 of 7 and is managing
about 10 a day. The goal is to finish in September. Potter said
installation would pause for inventory, to prepare for the July audit.

Potter discussed the field crew’s interest in switching, on a trial
basis, to four ten-hour days, specifically to help with the meter
installation process. President Hewitt noted that the GM does not need
the board’s permission to do this, but they would advise. Potter noted
the advantage in longer days to finish jobs like meter replacements and
believed it would alleviate overtime. Smith pointed him to the employee
manual, and HR, advising him to determine exactly how overtime is
calculated, daily or weekly.

The district’s monitoring well, #10, rose 7.1 feet to 63.1 feet below
the surface. Last Year it plateaued at 69 feet in October.

One well in Dutch Flats that seized up due to iron and manganese build
up was pulled and will be scrubbed and refurbished. Another needs the
same treatment. Potter noted that only those two wells have this issue.

Potter also noted that he had donated a Redwood tree from the Dutch
Flats area, to replace one that had died in Idyllwild Park. The trees
had begun to grow too close together and the district incurred no cost
in transplanting it. Smith noted this will be the fourth such tree
donated. Potter noted that a tree moving company, Hess Land and Tree
Co., had been brought in by David Butterfield and Shane Stewart to do
the actual move. Kenny Gioeli of Idyllwild Gardens took care of
replanting it in the park.

Office manager Jennifer Hayes briefed the board on the district’s need
to find a new source for billing software services, as the old vendor,
UBMax, has been purchased by gWorks. Hayes presented the board with an
estimate, prepared by the new firm, of the cost of continuring with
them. The new company offers a much more complex set of services, many
of these, Hayes told the board, PCWD does not need. The estimate was for
two services, “front desk” for customer access, and utility billing,
with cloud-based storage and support. These two services would cost
$6,060, about $4,000 per year more than the present service. Hayes noted
that the estimate includes an enticement: waiving the usual “onboarding”
fees if the district acts quickly but did not give an expiration date.
The first year would also include a pro-rated credit for past payments
to UBMax. The new service only supports quarterly or monthly billing, so
the district would have to abandon bi-monthly bills.

Smith suggested that Hayes look for a new billing company that is
compatible with the new meters. Hayes said that the district’s meter
company (Phenix, successor to SET) had provided a list of compatible
companies, and that she has set up five demo sessions in the coming
week. She also noted that the higher cost of staying with gWorks has
been figured into the new budget. Smith recommended finding out what the
cost would be if they kept gWorks short term and then found a new
company later, before the contract’s term.

The budget for fiscal years 2024-25 was considered and approved. It was
a balanced budget at $1,299,000, 3% above last year. The next meeting
will be July 10.