Mark Dolson
Election Results, Felton Heights Storage Tank, and Routine Business
The San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD) Board has met twice since my last report: on October 20th and on November 3rd. In addition, most of the votes in the November 8th election have been tabulated, and it appears (as of November 17th) that all three incumbents (Mark Smolley, Jeff Hill, and Bob Fultz) will retain their seats. The current margins of victory are quite narrow, though, with challenger Alina Layng garnering about 23.8% of the votes as compared to 24.2% for Bob Fultz, 24.2% for Jeff Hill, and 27.5% for Mark Smolley. Voters had the opportunity to vote for three of the four candidates, but, on average, they voted for only two.
The hot topic at the October meeting concerned the District’s progress toward providing a new water storage tank for the small community of Felton Heights. The 21 affected homeowners are understandably frustrated because they entered into an agreement with the District in 2013 according to which the District would replace an existing 10,000-gallon water tank with a 60,000-gallon water tank for a ten-year monthly charge of about $30 per parcel. However, none of this money has yet been collected because the project has been stalled by ongoing challenges, most recently concerning the precise location of the tank.
In response to concerns from neighbors about the original proposed location off Valhalla Way, the owner of a large parcel west of Felton Heights offered to consider moving the tank to his parcel at the end of Lost Acre Drive. This new site was (and remains) a perfect fit. In the ensuing years, the District determined that the tank capacity should actually be 120,000 gallons (at no extra cost to the residents) partly in order to meet upgraded fire-flow requirements that became more urgent in the aftermath of the CZU Fire. The Lost Acre Drive location allows for a tank of this size and for staging of fire department vehicles at the site to protect Felton Heights and adjacent downtown Felton from wildfire. Its strategic location also would allow for the installation at some future time of a treated water main along the Shingle Mill Road easement to serve the 21 homes off Felton-Empire Road currently served by water from Bennett Springs. Eliminating the weekly service to chlorinate this water source would reduce staff time and lower operational costs. The District has therefore moved forward with the necessary survey work and geotechnical analysis of the tank site.
However, there has been a recent groundswell of opposition from Felton Heights homeowners, which has led the owner of the Lost Acre Drive location to state that he no longer wishes to discuss the matter. A number of the homeowners spoke at the October 20th Board meeting, but the resulting discussion did little to resolve matters. In the end, the Board voted 3-1 to continue performing the necessary environmental studies that are still legally required before the District can commit to installing the tank at the Lost Acre Drive site.
The other topics at the October 20th and November 3rd Board meetings were comparatively routine: revising the District’s plan to purchase needed replacement vehicles, awarding a contract to regrade and install permanent erosion control measures around the District’s recently reconstructed Foreman Pipeline, and approving multi-user variances to customers who are not renting out a second dwelling unit.
The next regular Board of Directors meeting will be at 6:30 PM on November 17th (but there will be no open session, only an extended closed session).
