In a lengthy Virgin Valley Water District Board Meeting on April 19, the VVWD Board members chose to pursue several items, including the search for better insurance. Each director spoke about what concerns they had in a comparison done at an earlier meeting between their current POOL PACT Insurance and potential Travelers Insurance. The consensus among the comments made were that Travelers would allow for clearer definitions of terms, better coverage in most areas and the benefit to the VVWD that Travelers is insured by the Nevada Division of Insurance, something that POOL PACT is not.

“POOL PACT is a moving target,” said director Bubba Smith. “We can’t seem to get a clear answer from them.”

Board Vice President Barbara Ellestad brought several interesting points about POOL PACT to light, including the fact that Wayne Carlson, the Executive Director of POOL PACT, also wholly owns the Public Agency Risk Management Services, Inc. (PARMS), which provides management services to POOL PACT for nearly $1 million per year, which seems to be a conflict of interest. “I find that astounding. He owns PARMS, and then he turns around and advocates for or against policy claim payments. I have a real problem with that.”

Ellestad also noted that the VVWD isn’t the only public entity unhappy with the lack of transparency and coverage, citing that two other clients, the City of Mesquite and Douglas County, have also stated their displeasure with them and are seeking other insurance.

Other board members chimed similar concerns about POOL PACT. They eventually passed the motion of continuing to search for different insurance coverage by a vote of 5-0.

IN other business, Mesquite General Contracting (MGC) was awarded an $83,252 bit to take on the Cabin Canyon Road Maintenance Project. MGC was the lowest of three bids, all of which were local. “The District has a Right-of-Way (ROW) with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) dating back to the 1940’s that covers a portion of White Rock Road and Cabin Canyon,” said the agenda item memorandum. “This road provides access to the District’s water rights and appurtenances. The ROW requires that the District perform periodic maintenance to the road. The road was severely damaged in both the 2005 and 2010 flood events and is in need of repair.” Thanks to a grant of $50,000, the district will only need to pay the remaining balance out of pocket once they are reimbursed from Partners In Conservation.

The VVWD board also voted unanimously to continue with the purchase of land in Lincoln County that would allow them to place a water tank and run a line into Sun City, solving most of their water pressure problems. The board also wholly agreed and accepted a presentation from Bowen Collins & Associates on an arsenic treatment plan for Well #1A. Ellestad motioned for staff and BC&A to move forward on on-site treatment for the best option, which will be determined once costs for the project are obtained. The item will be brought back once that information has been collected.

The final item of the evening was setting a special meeting on May 9 at 9 a.m. to discuss the District’s Design Standards and Specifications and SB271 relating to the District’s will-serve letters and annual renewals of those letters. The item passed by a vote of 4-1, with Ellestad being the lone nay. That meeting will be open to the public and will be held in their conference room at 500 Riverside Rd.