The Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) Board of Directors discussed the upcoming departure of District Engineer/Manager Justin Ramsey and approaches to hiring a replacement at its June 12 meeting.
Ramsey explained to the board that he had spoken with PAWSD board chair Gene Tautges and PAWSD board member Alex Boehmer last month and explained that, once the Snowball Water Treatment Plant expansion project is done, he would resign from his position at the district.
He added that this will likely happen six to eight months in the future.
Ramsey stated that he wanted to give the district “plenty of time” to find a replacement and that his departure time can be flexible depending on the district’s needs.
At the meeting with Tautges and Boehmer, Ramsey stated that they discussed several potential recruitment options, including recruiting from within or a statewide or nationwide search.
In an interview, Ramsey explained that he will likely stay in the community and seek out another job instead of entering full retirement, but that he has not yet determined what he is going to do.
He added that he feels it is time for PAWSD to have new leadership and to have “fresh eyes” to look at the problems the district faces.
At the meeting, Tautges suggested that the board form a subcommittee to look at the district’s recruitment options and suggest an approach.
PAWSD board members Bill Hudson and Glenn Walsh indicated support for the subcommittee approach, with Walsh adding that internal recruitment might hinge on if PAWSD has other staff interested in the position.
Walsh added that the district might also need two staff members to cover the district manager and district engineer positions Ramsey currently fills.
Walsh suggested that the board could potentially discuss the issue further at a future meeting.
PAWSD board member Bruce Jones commented that he would support forming a subcommittee to look at options for recruitment and report back to the main board, thus helping facilitate further board discussion.
Tautges asked who would want to serve on the subcommittee.
Following a discussion, the board unanimously voted to appoint Tautges and Boehmer to a subcommittee to investigate options for recruiting a new district manager.
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