Board Business for Fall 2013

Clackamas River Water (CRW) staff and commissioners continue to forge cooperative relationships with neighboring governing agencies.  After a series of meetings between CRW General Manager Lee Moore Sr., Sunrise Water Authority (SWA) General Manager Wade Hathhorn and Happy Valley City Manager Jason Tuck, a nearly final agreement is ready for review by all governing bodies.  The agreement gives CRW the responsibility for providing water in CRW and SWA boundaries and within Happy Valley City limits.  Happy Valley’s population has grown 207% since the year 2000 which gives CRW, SWA and Happy Valley a great opportunity for continued mutual cooperation.

CRW General Manager Lee Moore Sr. and City of Milwaukie Public Works director Gary Parkin met to discuss the opportunity for CRW and Milwaukie to cooperate to provide water to current and future City of Milwaukie residents.   CRW and Milwaukie together have the ability to provide water for all of the current and future Milwaukie residents.

At CRW’s regular board meeting on October 10, 2013 the Board held their first reading of the ORS 190 agreement with Sunrise Water Authority.  The agreement will provide a separate government entity that will allow CRW and SWA to share resources and create efficiencies, in areas like billing software systems, information technology and human resources services.

CRW Board Secretary Ken Humberston reports that this fall the CRW board have been working together to revise board policy and prioritize capital projects for the coming 10 years totally roughly $25 million.  Included in the plans are projects that will allow CRW to continue to provide healthy high quality water with good pressure to each current and future CRW customer.  Added Commissioner Humberston, “Although the four newly seated commissioners have endeavored to treat each other, the staff and the public with respect, it is unfortunate that former commissioners continue to bring costly lawsuits involving CRW.”

In November, the CRW Board of Commissioners will review the finalized agreement with Happy Valley and conduct a second reading and consider approval of the agreement between CRW and SWA to form a ORS 190 organization.