The Wrightwood Community Services District held its regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday, September 6, at 5:30 pm in the Wrightwood Community Building. The meeting brought new faces within the public service realm, including newly hired CSD Administrative Assistant Angela Rovida and a new Sergeant, Mark Rios, from the SBC Sheriff’s Department in Phelan.
General Manager, Tamie Keen, introduced Rovida in her first GM Report after officially being appointed as Manager at the Special Board Meeting on August 16. Keen stated, “My priority was to hire a secretary, and I am excited to announce that I found the perfect person to join our team.” The Administrative Assistant will work under the new General Manager and provide added support for the WCSD. Rovida has previous experience working in parks and recreation and is completing her master’s degree in Public Administration at Cal Poly Pomona. The board graciously welcomed her and expressed how happy they were to have her be a part of the team.
Captain Jeremy Martinez of the SBC Sheriffs Department-Rural Crime Task Force gave an update on the illegal marijuana enforcement project. It’s been almost one year since the beginning of Operation Hammer Strike, and the Sherrif is scaling back on the teams dedicated to the project from 5 enforcement teams to 2. The two teams will cover the entire county, but Martinez ensured that they are still serious about eradicating illegal marijuana growers in the Tri-Community. They appreciate help from community members but made it clear to contact the SBC Sheriff’s Department first instead of investigating it yourself. “If you suspect there’s an illegal grow…let us scout it,” said Martinez. The best way to report a crime is to call the Phelan Station at (760) 995-8781 or use the anonymous WeTip website and hotline at wetip.com.
Martinez then introduced his colleague Sgt. Mark Rios to the board, and he gave an update on the number of calls they received last month at the station, stating that an average of 79 calls were made, and out of those calls, only 12 reports were taken. Board President Leo Hordyk was surprised by the number of calls stating, “That’s way down from our monthly average.” In the past, incoming calls usually result in an average of over 100 per month.
More news of progress for the WCSD was the updated June and July Financials showcasing the abundance of funds in the reserve fund. The board was proud of its growth in the past five years, emphasizing that when the WCSD was first formed, there was only $14,000 in the bank, and according to the June/July financials, they had over $442,000 in total estimated revenue.
The next WCSD meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 4, at 5:30 pm at the Wrightwood Community Building.
