GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY WATER DISTRICT #2
Newsletter for November/December 2024
We can’t live without water
POST THE EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
THEY ARE AT THE END OF THIS NEWSLETTER
COMMISSIONERS
We have two new commissioners, Dakota Burger and Bill Kempton. It is sad to see Tom Epperson and Joe Burich off the board, but they have served for a very long time and deserve the respite.
I (your General Manager) am grateful for the support and guidance they have provided over the years. Their knowledge and wisdom have been of very great value to this community.
GENERAL MANAGER
As you all know by now, I (Reg Hearn, your current General Manager) am retiring effective 12/31/24. My successor is on board. John Millan comes to the district with broad experience in the water utility business. I will let him introduce himself.
Hello, Central Park Water District customers. My name is John Millan and I am grateful to serve as the District’s next General Manager (GM).
My family and I are moving to Grays Harbor County from the Tri-Cities in eastern Washington. I grew up in SeaTac and attended high school in Des Moines. I received my undergraduate degree from The Evergreen State College, a masters degree from Seattle University, and I’m retired after 20-years in the US Army/Washington Army National Guard. We do not have family here, nor do we have any connections to Grays Harbor County or any surrounding communities. My wife Missy and I have a 16-year old son (Max) and a 13-year daughter (Mila) and we come to this community with a desire of making the District the final stop of my career and making this our forever home.
For the past eight-years I worked for the City of Pasco as their Deputy Director of Public Works. My responsibilities in this role included leading 90 dedicated Public Works professionals, and overseeing all streets, irrigation, stormwater, water, sewer, and fleet maintenance activities in a community of 80k residents. Prior to working in Pasco, I served a similar role for the City of Sunnyside for one year.
The foundation of my career was created while serving as a water/sewer technician for Soos Creek Water & Sewer District, a special purpose district in unincorporated King County, serving a population of approx. 100k customers in Renton, Kent, Maple Valley, and Black Diamond. Starting at the District 2001, I was assigned to mow lawns, paint pumps and fire hydrants, and read meters.
Gradually through the years, I moved up to more technical (but equally as important) maintenance positions, and by 2014 when I left the District, I was a well-rounded maintenance technician with a broad range of water distribution and sewer collections system experience.
It was during my time with Soos Creek that I learned the meaning of ‘public servant’, and what it meant to act in the best interest of the public/customers I serve. I learned little acts of going above and beyond have a lasting impact, and I learned that beyond all the technical skills we hold, the value in what we do is rooted in customer service - this is the core value I bring with me to Central Park Water District.
I am fortunate and blessed to have the trust of the Commissioners to lead this organization, and the guidance of Reg (the soon-to-be departing GM). In my short time here, I have seen first-hand how dedicated and committed field and office staff are to providing you reliable drinking water that exceeds water quality standards. I am grateful and honored to join their team in serving you and our Central Park community.
Thank you.
John Millan
Reg’s Parting Message.
It has been an honor and privilege to serve the people of Central Park. I first came on board as General Manager in January 2011. The 14 years have gone by in a big hurry. Much work has been done. It has been a team effort and could not have been accomplished without a great board of commissioners and a truly wonderful staff.
Central Park is a unique and wonderful community. I have loved my years here.
In 2011 the water district was in dire straights. It was very close to financial failure. That is not to disparage previous management and staff. For many decades it was industry standard for publicly-owned utilities to collect and spend only the money necessary for basic operation and maintenance with no plans on how to address aging major assets or address unexpected major expenses. This is why we hear so much about “America’s Failing Infrastructure”. It was, and, to a large extent, still is, a major problem in the management of infrastructure. Many utilities have had to resort to borrowing the money necessary to continue operations.
This district, under the leadership of the commissioners and myself, have not done that. The USDA loan, referenced below, is the only debt to which the district is obligated.
The district had committed to a loan from the US Department of Agriculture for just shy of one million dollars in 2009. The district had enough revenue for basic operation and maintenance, or make the USDA payments, but not both. In 2011 (when the first payment became due), 2012 and 2013 the district used the scant reserves (@ $150,000) to make the USDA payments. By 2014 rates had been increased so that the district could operate and maintain the system and make the payments. But there were no reserves for emergencies or the replacement of worn out assets.
Plans were developed to accumulate reserves to handle unforeseen events, and to provide funds to replace major assets as needed. Today the water district has revenues and reserves and rate and budget plans sufficient to provide safe and reliable drinking water into the future. It is in solid financial condition.
Early on an emphasis on a positive customer service attitude was a major initiative. Not so much that the customer is always right (not always true), but that the customer is always a person. Policies were updated and initiated to ensure everyone is treated alike and customer needs and concerns be individually addressed within the policies. I am confident that John Millan will continue with that attitude.
I will remain on the payroll for awhile in order to be available to assist John as he gets up to speed.
I will miss serving you.
WEB SITE
There is important information on the web site. Check it often. There is always new content, as time allows. https://www.centralparkwater.net.
There is general information about the water district, plus quite a bit of detail. The monthly Manager's Reports are posted, along with the meeting agendas and minutes, financial statements are posted, and this newsletter (along with historical newsletters) can be found on the site as well. You can also monitor your account and pay your water bills.
POWER OUTAGES
When power outages occur, it impacts the District’s ability to pump water from the wells up to the reservoirs. It is important to minimize water use during power outages.
ABOUT LEAKS
The property owner is responsible for the condition of the plumbing on their side of the meter. The district offers one hour of free leak detection subject to operational considerations. This is a courtesy and does not relieve the property owner of the liability for all water passing through the meter.
Periodically check your meter. With all water uses off there should be no movement on the face of the meter. If a leak is suspected, call the office. The district offers one hour of leak detection free of charge.
The district is not a licensed contractor so we cannot repair leaks on the customer side of the meter.
PAYMENTS
Water bills are payable by:
Check (in-office, mail, night drop)
Cash (in-office, mail, night drop.)
Credit Card over the phone
Online bill pay with your bank.
Online payment through Xpress Bill Pay accessed through the district’s web site.
Xpress Bill Pay offers a variety of services. It is worth checking out even if you are not paying by card or online.
If paying cash be SURE and note how much cash you are including on the bill stub. We have strict cash handling processes which includes confirming that the cash received is the cash the customer intended to include. If you don’t note on the stub (or don’t include the stub) what you are intending to pay, we don’t know if the amount we have in hand is appropriate or not. Payments made into the night drop go into a secure locked box.
If you are struggling to pay your water bill, for whatever reason, the district offers a payment plan for past due accounts. It is best to contact the district early. Don’t be too proud to ask for help. Everybody experiences occasional tough times.
You will receive water bills every other month.
EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION
Be sure and sign up with the County for emergency notifications.
“Google” Grays Harbor County
Once on the web site click on “Departments”
Click on “Emergency Management”
On the links on the left, in green, click on “Emergency Alerts”
Fill in the blanks
THIS IS IMPORTANT. If you don’t have web access, ask a friend to help getting registered. If your contact information is not available to the County you may miss important emergency information not only from the County, but from the water district as well, as the district uses the County’s system for notifications too extensive for knocking on doors.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
There are conditions attached to the provision of water service. If you don’t have a copy, please request one. We can mail it or email it to you. You can pick up a copy at the office and they are posted on the web site.
SPECIAL NEEDS
It is absolutely vital that you inform the District if you have special needs. If you suffer from an immune deficiency or other problem where a lack of water could be life-threatening, we need to know.
CROSS CONNECTION CONTROL
A vital aspect of providing safe drinking water is preventing contaminated water from entering the system. The situation usually arises when a reduced pressure event occurs in the water main and water from connections backflows into the system.
The hazard this presents varies with the nature of the service connection. A simple check valve provides sufficient protection for most connections.
However, if the service connection has higher hazards, more protection is necessary. Higher hazards include in-ground irrigation systems, hot tubs filled from the system, ponds filled from the system, other water sources (wells) interconnected on the property, residential booster pumps, pressurized soft drink dispensers, and the list goes on.
Those situations require higher levels of protection. The district conducts questionnaires and surveys to determine hazards and the necessary level of protection.
If you get a questionnaire, please respond completely and promptly. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the office.
The complete Cross-Connection Control Plan is available on the website.
WATER RATES
The November/December newsletter is the one in which we discuss and announce rates for the following year.
The big word this year (and for the past two years) is “inflation”. In years past, a 2-1/2 to 3% inflation rate always had to be built into water rates with other demands building on that base. That rate of inflation, on the materials and services used by water utilities, has been sufficient over several decades.
The “headline” inflation rate does not reflect the expenses faced by the water district. For the past two years the district has faced double digit percentage increases in basic operation and maintenance costs, as well similar increases in capital project costs.
Despite experiencing a 15% increase in operating costs between 2022 and 2023, last year we held the rate increase to 10%, though we did institute a significant increase in the usage rate. This year, though we have experienced another year of double-digit inflation in the district’s expenses, we are holding to an 8% base rate increase. There is no increase in the usage rate or charges for other fees and services.
There is a risk, consequences, and a cost to this approach, which we are taking because we know that you are experiencing the same pressures. In order to keep the increase somewhat within reason, capital expenditures are being deferred. One of the risks is that, if inflation does not moderate, the cost of addressing absolutely necessary capital expenses will be substantially greater than they are today. We have the belief, based on economic forecasts from reliable sources, that the rate of inflation on the materials and services on which the district depends, will moderate starting in mid 2025.
It is on that belief, and the knowledge that everyone in the community is facing the pressure, that we are holding the rate increase to single digits.
Tours
The District is offering a very limited number of system tours. We can only accommodate two people at a time and tours are limited to one per week. A full tour takes about two hours. If you are interested call the office for scheduling. Tour availability is subject to operational and weather considerations. You must be physically able to get into and out of a pickup truck.
Emergencies
There are water district staff available to address water emergency situations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you have an emergency, or even think you might have an emergency, do not be bashful about using the emergency contact numbers.
POST THE NUMBERS LISTED BELOW
Water district staff technicians are not in a position to answer billing or other account related questions. Office phones are answered between Noon and 4:00PM Monday through Friday. If you have an urgent need CALL THE EMERGENCY NUMBERS. If in doubt, call. Really, we don’t mind.
When leaving a voice mail, all that is necessary is your name and telephone number. You can pose your question when we return your call. Please speak slowly when leaving your number so we have time to write it down.
Thank You
Thank you for wading through all this information. If you have questions, or there are issues that we have not addressed in this newsletter, please feel free to call the office (360-532-1828) during posted hours, or email the General Manager (reg@centralparkwater.net). You are also always welcome at commissioners' meetings held at 7:00PM on the second Wednesday of each month in the District office. You can learn a lot at commissioners' meetings. The District office is located on East Cross Road just off of Hill Road.
Feel free to call or email if you have questions or concerns. We love to talk with you.
EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS
360-580-2172
360-589-6007
360-591-1649
DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL.
Grays Harbor County Water District #2 is an equal opportunity provider and employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, or religion.