SLVWD Special Board Meeting Summary
September 17, 2026
Prepared by Mark Dolson for FSLVW
NOTE: Provided purely as a public service — NOT the official SLVWD Meeting Minutes.
Highlights:
Pasatiempo Well Five Rehabilitation
Next Board meeting will be at 6:30 PM on September 17, 2026
Preliminaries
This Special Board Meeting began at 6:00 PM. It was called to address an urgent contract approval.
Director Smolley was absent.
There were no changes to the agenda.
There were no public comments.
New Business
Pasatiempo Well 5 Rehabilitation
Operations Manager Jesse Guiver introduced this agenda item. His memo explained that on August 6, 2026, the Board approved the Pasatiempo Wells 7 and 8 Rehabilitation Project with Maggiora as the contractor. At that time, Pasatiempo Well 5 remained operational and provided an important source of supply to the Scotts Valley service area.
Following the Board’s approval of the project, the motor at Pasatiempo Well 5 failed. Iron scaling on the well screens was initially suspected as the cause, and a subsequent inspection confirmed significant scaling. Based on the inspection findings, rehabilitation is necessary before the well can be returned to service. Restoring Pasatiempo Well 5 is necessary to reestablish multiple sources of supply and maintain an adequate, reliable, and compliant water supply for the Scotts Valley service area. Staff determined that incorporating Well 5 into the ongoing Pasatiempo Wells 7 and 8 Rehabilitation Project is the most practical and efficient approach.
Maggiora submitted a proposal of $71,870 to rehabilitate Pasatiempo Well 5. The associated proposal from Rain for Rent for temporary pipeline is $34,814.43. The Rain for Rent cost is significantly higher than the preliminary estimate presented to the Board on August 6th, 2026. Jesse said he hadn’t previously fully understood what would be required of Rain for Rent.
The August 6th, 2026 approval did not include the rehabilitation of Pasatiempo Well 5 or the additional Rain for Rent costs. The proposed Well 5 rehabilitation and related costs are therefore being presented to the Board as a change order to the previously approved project along with a revision to the associated budget. Jesse said work was set to begin next week (which was why this was a time-critical matter for the Board).
The Directors asked a handful of questions aimed at ensuring that they fully understood the Staff recommendation and that future Staff practices would be appropriately informed by this experience.
Director Russ asked how long this pump was in service and if the District’s pumps required regular maintenance. Jesse said the pump was installed in 2012. The expected lifetime can be affected by the water quality. Jason said there was no maintenance that can be done: you wait for a breakdown and replace it.
Director Fultz asked if there was other maintenance that should be done at this time. Jesse said a more frequent rehabilitation schedule would make sense (maybe every six years). Director Fultz suggested establishing a maintenance schedule around all the District’s infrastructure. He added that you don’t want to replace everything at the same time, though, because this leads to financial spikes.
Director Layng asked why Fish and Wildlife were involved. Jesse explained that the mitigation is for the temporary pipeline, as the drainage will be routed across land with a variety of sensitive species. This was already included in the previously approved project.
Director Largay noted that the District would now be draining an additional 100,000 gallons. President Russ asked if the Quarry folks were okay with this, and Jesse confirmed that they are. Director Largay asked if there was any alternative to Rain for Rent, and Jesse explained that there really wasn’t.
There was no public comment.
President Russ moved to approve the change order and the budget revision. Director Layng seconded. The motion passed 4-0.
The Special Board Meeting was adjourned at 6:15 PM.