Jeremy Potter now PCWD general manager

The Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) Board of Directors unanimously approved its fiscal year 2022-2023 budget at its June 8 meeting and also unanimously approved two resolutions regarding the upcoming November election for directors. In closed session at the end of the meeting, Interim General Manager Jeremy Potter was unanimously promoted to general manager.

The board will hold a closed session meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, June 27, to discuss Potter’s salary.

Three directors’ terms are up Dec. 4, 2022: President Robert Hewitt, and directors Lou Padula and Rose Venard. All three are re-running for the board in the November general election. Hewitt has been on the board since 2013; Padula has been on the board since 2005; and Venard has been on the board since 2019.

One of the resolutions was for all candidates to pay the cost of the candidate’s statement of qualifications and the other was to request that the Registrar of Voters conduct a general election.

In Potter’s report, he showed that PCWD produced 3,142,938 gallons in May 2022 compared to 2,964,330 in May 2021 but still below the May 2020 production of 3,479,060. He reported good news that static well #10 is up 1.6 feet from the prior month at 118.5 feet. Water loss was reported at 9%.

The helopod dip tank for Dutch Flats to be used in helicopter firefighting was still expected to arrive in June or July. A gravel bed is ready for the helopod’s base.

The helopod dip tank is a 7,000-gallon water tank from which helicopters dip water to dump on wildfires and which Riverside County is funding.

The environmental report has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a grant and loan to make major repairs and improvements to district facilities.

PCWD’s budgeted income for 2022-2023 is $1,231,000 with the majority, $730,0000 coming from services, $236,000 from leases (PCWD has a radio tower at Rocky Point and leases it to various cellphone providers, etc.), $172,000 from property taxes and the rest from meter sales, special assessments, interest and miscellaneous.

PCWD’s budgeted expenses are the same as income with $710,000 allocated for salaries and benefits, $333,000 for service and supplies, $94,000 for improvements and another $94,000 for equipment and loan payments.