We saw quite a bit of citizen activity at the July 20 IWD meeting. Investigative reporting since then revealed more info on an issue raised at that meeting: the Water Operator Grade II Certification exams GM Tom Lynch attempted. As said previously in this column, what’s important is not whether Lynch ever manages to get…
I often say we work as hard as we can to produce a quality newspaper only to have a printer off the Hill drop the quality as soon as it rolls the machine. We may end up with blotches of ink, poor color and generally bad-quality printing. And now, with the retirement a few weeks…
The public can’t get a straight answer from a water district general manager about something as simple as his required T2 certification. The public can’t get a straight answer from their water board about something as simple as a general manager’s required T2 certification. The responses range from “pending” to “satisfactory progress” to “barking up…
A certain part of downtown Idyllwild I like to call the Bermuda Diangle. That’s where information that should be in the public eye mysteriously isn’t. Between the Idyllwild Water and Fire districts buildings, an ocean of secrecy exists so vast it could swallow both ships and planes. Recently, Jack, JP and I held our own…
When you run a complex business with very little staffing, a week where you lose three employees to various leaves — vacation, sick and maternity — will definitely set you back a pace or two. But on top of it, Jack and I previously agreed to dogsit two of our granddogs for 10 days. I…
On the night of July 20, Jack and our granddaughter Evey’s 9th birthday, we did not get to spend the evening out to dinner with family as we have since she was about 3. Instead, Jack and I attended the Idyllwild Water District board meeting because JP was on vacation. A typical meeting sees about…
Last week, we made the tough decision to close the Visitors Center. Tough because we know so many tourists need restroom facilities and information. But the costs associated with providing those services became prohibitive and cut into our weekday staff’s work productivity. We sought grant money to help defray the weekend person’s wages and cost…
The Rotary Club works so hard putting together a great Independence Day Parade and now a Family Freedom Festival afterward. Chuck Weisbart (and Bob Parish in the past) and volunteers (Mountain Community Patrol, too) deserve huge kudos and hugs for how they pull together our community every year in this fun celebration. They took much…
Last August, Idyllwild Water District customers ousted two directors, one long-standing, in an election in favor of two new candidates for the IWD Board of Directors. Obviously, you spoke that you desired change. And maybe you felt a great success in that action, and trust that all is in good hands now. You would be…
Idyllwild Water District’s Mission Statement: To provide reliable water and sewer service in a safe, cost-effective and environmentally sound manner in accordance with the community needs. Besides Idyllwild School facilities, the Idyllwild Community Playground is one of the most used recreational sites in town. It meets some of the community’s needs. The community needs the…
