The Idyllwild Water District held a special meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 8 to discuss the district’s lawsuit against Director Steve Kunkle.

At the end of the meeting, General Manager Jack Hoagland wrote, “The Board of Directors provided direction to our legal counsel on the listed item.”

The suit was filed in July 2016 and alleged Kunkle as an employee, before becoming a director, knew about and allowed equipment to leak hydraulic fluid into the ground at the wastewater treatment facility.

The next step in the case is a case management hearing scheduled for March 30.

The Idyllwild Fire Protection District is soliciting interested residents for a vacancy on the Board of Commissioners.

Those interested in an appointment should submit a one-page letter of interest and a résumé identifying employment history and highlighting relevant governmental, volunteer or other board experience.

Applications and letters of interest must be submitted to the district or the desk of Fire Chief Patrick Reitz by Friday, Feb. 17. Interested individuals must be both a resident and registered voter within IFPD.

A special meeting to interview and select the new commissioner is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the Idyllwild Fire Station.

The appointment will fill the remaining term through December 2018 of former Commissioner Nancy Layton who resigned.

No new actions were taken at the Feb. 8 meeting of the County Service Area 38 (Pine Cove) Advisory Committee.

The committee did review the status of several proposed acquisitions and projects — purchase of a wood chipper and masticator, the Type 6 engine, and constructing the shade cover and deck for Station 23.

Michael Franklin, principal development specialist for the Community Services Division in the county’s Economic Development Agency, said he is working with the county purchasing department to acquire the chipper.

He believes a request for bids will be issued before March. Riverside County Fire Division Chief Bill Weiser had some estimates for the cost of the chipper, and Franklin said these and other specifications were incorporated into the request for bids.

The purchase of the masticator, although it is estimated to cost less, will follow the chipper’s acquisition. Committee member Marge Muir confirmed that a process for using this equipment will be developed and implemented.

The new Type 6 engine being purchased for Pine Cove is moving forward, according to Cal Fire Mountain Battalion Chief Chris Carrera. Committee President Jerry Holldber said he was told the engine might be available by the end of February, but may need to be equipped.

A committee, created to make recommendations on the future use of Squad 23 when the Type 6 engine is ready for use, has not met yet. Several members were planning to visit the station after the advisory committee meeting.

The shade cover for the fuel area behind the station on the Pine Cove Water District property is moving forward. Franklin expects that PCWD will manage this project and costs will be shared. However, he cautioned that before construction begins, an agreement between PCWD and CSA 38 may need the approval of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

“This is just one way to move forward, but it is likely to be more cost-efficient,” he stated.

The project to cover for the station’s deck from direct sun will be managed by the EDA project management office, according to Franklin. “It’s a separate project and close to construction start.”

At the beginning of the meeting, the committee reviewed its financial report through the end of November 2016. At that time, CSA 38 had $730,000, but none of these projects or purchases had been completed.

In response to Muir’s question, Franklin said the committee could be working on the fiscal year 2017-18 budget in March or April. At that point, a more current cash total would likely be available.

At its first meeting of 2017, the Pine Cove Water District Board of Directors reviewed finances and held a closed session regarding a lease for use of the Rocky Point Communication site.

At the meeting, the board looked at both the December and January financials and saw its cash balance growing.

The $203,00 balance [for December] is a little above normal,” General Manager Jerry Holldber told the board. And January’s cash grew 25 percent, totalling $258,000.

“The January amount is excellent,” he continued. This includes a one-time $20,000 payment from American Tower [for a Rocky Point lease adjustment].

For the first six months of fiscal year 2016-17, which ends June 30, PCWD’s income was 45 percent of the projected total or nearly $390,000. Expenses totaled $404,000. Reserves are sufficient to offset the deficit until the end of the fiscal year. Holldber added that the spring tax revenue would be higher and, “We’re in excellent shape.”

He also explained that January water bills were not based on actual reading of the meters. Because of the snow, staff was not able to read many meters. Only the minimum payment of $62 is being charged. Next month, a reading of use since November will be on the bill. But Holldber stressed that the tier levels will be doubled to account for two billing periods.

“We did not estimate,” Holldber told the board. “We’ll include an explanation in the next billing statement.”

December’s water usage fell 11 percent from December 2015’s usage. However, January 2017 usage was up 9 percent from January 2016.

Total 2016 usage was 31.9-million gallons, which was 188,000 gallons (0.6 percent) greater than 2015’s total of 31.7-million gallons. Most of that increase occurred between July and September.

Although the district’s static-well level still fell a foot, Holldber said the “recent moisture has not reached the well levels. Give it time and we’ll see them rise. It takes a while.”

He also announced that a recent inspection of storage tanks is completed and nothing unexpected was discovered.

“If weather permits, we’ll return to our previous procedure of draining one tank each year and doing any repairs ourselves,” he noted.

After a closed session regarding the Rocky Point property, Robert Hewitt, PCWD board president, announced that Holldber had been appointed negotiator for terms of a current lease.