For nearly 50 years, Rick Rogers was an integral part of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD). Shortly after graduating high school, he joined the District for a summer job and never looked back.
During his tenure, Rogers held nearly every position within the District, from meter reader to customer service representative to director of operations, head of water treatment and general manager. He eventually worked his way up to the position of district manager, where he held that post for five years.
After retiring in November 2023, Rogers took some time for himself, but realized his heart and passion remained with SLVWD. Now, the 69-year-old is prepared to return to the District to serve in the one seat he never occupied: board member.
Launching his campaign is a new effort for the Boulder Creek resident.
“I’ve never had to campaign for any seat before,” said Rogers, who also served on the Boulder Creek Fire Protection District Board of Directors for 24 years and ran unopposed each term.
Thanks to his years of experience with SLVWD, Rogers said he has the background and knowledge to assist the District in this lull between catastrophes.
“During my time with the District, we had five or six federally declared disasters—everything from earthquakes to floods, windstorms, Covid and the CZU Fire. We managed to get through each event, but it took a toll on our staff and financial reserves,” he said. “Each one of those disasters set the District back five years, and the projects we had planned [were usurped] by our responses to those incidents.”
Following Covid, Rogers lost all his senior staff and was directed to terminate legal counsel.
“I was pretty much by myself,” he recalled.
A main factor in Rogers’ decision to retire was the constant drama he endured from the board of directors.
“The lack of appreciation for my staff was an issue. We were met with aggressive behavior, continued confrontations and general nastiness at board meetings,” he said. “I spoke with the board chairperson at the time and asked for some support for staff, but nothing changed. Even when they tried to hire a new district manager to replace me, they continued being difficult. They hired an interim general manager and wound up terminating him, and I do believe that he filed a claim, resulting in a payoff to that person. Boards only really change during elections, and with three seats up for grabs, now is the time for me to get involved again.”
As he plans to enter the proverbial ring for the first time, Rogers wants the voters of the District to know he’s got their best interests in mind.
“There’s something rewarding about accomplishing projects and bringing fire flow and better water quality to neighborhoods,” he said. (Fire flow is the minimum rate of water supply [measured in gallons per minute, GPM] required from hydrants to effectively control and extinguish a fire at a specific location. It ensures sufficient volume and pressure to fight fires.)
One of the projects that Rogers is passionate about is regarding the intertie between Lompico and the rest of the water system.
“The pipe that was initially installed was an above-ground high density polyethylene line; we learned after the CZU Fire that those materials melt in high heat, so the District needs to bury that pipe underground,” he said.
Rogers’ frustration lies in the continued discussions regarding the issue and the ensuing lack of action. “We need to move on that project,” he added.
Completing projects was the hallmark of Roger’s time as district manager.
“I oversaw the consolidation of both Lompico and Felton water districts with SLVWD, and I took some heat for those decisions,” he said. “I spent a lot of time sitting in people’s living rooms, listening to their concerns and taking their opinions into consideration. I always acted in the best interests of the District, and I’d like to keep doing that.”
Time is of the essence as far as Rogers is concerned.
“The District has a strong and competent general manager at the helm right now, and he needs a board that is going to support him, his staff and their decisions. He needs to be given guidance by the board, but also has to have the latitude to do his job,” he said.
Having been in that seat, Rogers knows what he speaks, and if he’s elected to the board, he plans to bring those efforts to fruition.
“The board needs to stop overanalyzing projects and get things moving,” he said. “Every time the District decides to address an issue, the delays mean that the cost of the project can double or triple before it’s begun.”
Rogers has a playlist of projects he’d like to accomplish.
“First, fire hardening is a priority. There were surface water lines that were destroyed by CZU, and the District needs to address those failures,” he said. “Managing surface water treatment is another one, and conjunctive use of Loch Lomond and the Santa Margarita Ground Water Basin (SMGWB) is something the District needs to manage.”
Rogers wants to see the District rely more heavily on groundwater usage since utilizing water from SMGWB incurs additional costs to ratepayers.
“You’ve got to pay a pumping fee, electrical costs and Operations and Management charges compared to groundwater,” he said.
He also wants to see the District focus on the aforementioned fire flow issue while moving forward with other capital improvements.
“I’m grateful that our District received a $1 million grant thanks to Jimmy Panetta, but the number of projects demanding attention means the District will have to borrow more money to accomplish them,” he said.
With just under nine months to go before election day, Rogers is hopeful that his reputation and years of service will land him a seat on the board.
“My goal is to continue to serve my community, and I look forward to that opportunity,” he said.
Want more information on Rogers’ candidacy? Send him an email at Ri**@**************er.com.
