Kevin Scott, new FVWD Board President
In January, less than three years since joining the Fern Valley Water District Board of Directors in June 2022, Kevin Scott was elected Board President.
Scott, 36, grew up in Orange County and is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton. He and his wife, Nadia, lived in Orange County until 2020.
Both are avid climbers – boulders, not rocks, he stressed. He has climbed both Suicide and Tahquitz, but he mostly seeks 15-to-20-foot boulders. So Black Mountain is a favorite recreation site for the Scotts.
In 2021, after driving the country in a camper van, the Scotts chose Idyllwild as their home.
“We decided to settle down long-term and chose Idyllwild,” Scott said. “We wanted the feeling of nature and climbing.” But it was not just the opportunity to scale rock and boulders, Idyllwild is also close to their Orange County roots, which is now convenient for their two children’s grandparents in Orange County.
Scott and his wife enjoy climbing very much. Before moving to Idyllwild, they frequently used climbing gyms. But here, there is no gym. Consequently, they have built a 10-foot climbing gym in their house.
In 2022, former director and Board President Richard Schnetzer resigned to move closer to family in northern California. This was only about a year after the Scotts moved to Fern Valley. The notice for applications attracted his attention.
“I figured it was a nice way to involved in the community and a good fit for me [because of his accounting experience],” he said. “There are a lot of ways to get involved, but few things are more important than the time commitment for me with a young family.”
The FVWD Board was still meeting online in June 2022. As the only applicant, Scott was the unanimous choice of that Board. In 2023, he was elected to a full four-year term, which will expire in December 2027.
Now after, two and a half years, he is serving his first year as Board President and expressed his gratitude and pleasure to have the opportunity.
“For our Board, the title of ‘President’ doesn’t offer more voting power,” he stated. “I’m not expected to have more experience or expertise. Board members have equal say in [governing] matters.”
When asked about his priorities for the year, he did not highlight specific issues. Instead, he focused on the culture of the Board. “Essentially, I want to maintain the good we have going,” he promised. “It’s a healthy and productive group. We’re getting the business and oversight done.”
“I’m happy with our management and water quality. They’ve done well,” he added. “The main priority is to keep oversight going to maintain those good results.”
Scott does not anticipate any major increase in FVWD’s water consumption. He noted, “The amount of available unbuilt land is limited. . . and as Vic [Jimenez, the FVWD General Manager] has said at meetings, we have never needed our full capacity. Even in droughts, we’ve had excess water.
“Even with the low precipitation in 2024 and 2025, the streams are still flowing good and the wells are maintaining high levels,” Scott stressed.
He also felt there would be no immediate or urgent need to address water rates. While general inflation and the cost of equipment will continue to grow, the District will attend to the issue as part of its regular rate studies conducted every five years.
“We’re not operating at any significant loss, we’re not trying to make a profit, so it doesn’t indicate any drastic rate increase any time soon,” he stated.
FVWD currently has a vacant Board position and will advertise for applicants soon. “The role of the Director is to ensure the District has the right management, who is operating according to the policies and procedures the Board has put in place.”
Finally, Scott said he has no interest and has seen no interest in the community for any steps to consolidate the three local water districts. “There is no guarantee of economies of scale to justify this,” he concluded.
