When the new Forest Lakes Metro District office staff arrived in November, they faced outdated phones and slow internet. Board bylaws were unorganized and projects slow-moving. Even the office blinds were falling apart, said District Manager Keith Rountree.
Weeks before district elections May 5, the board and staff shared how much has changed – thanks in part to staff leadership.
The Forest Lakes Metro District, 8 miles north of Bayfield, is one of the largest subdivisions in La Plata County. It draws residents because of its affordable housing prices and mountain views. But staff changeover and outdated systems took a toll on district operations, and it is now in the early stages of recovery.
“If we get our stuff together internally, then the efficiency of the services that we provide to our residents directly is impacted,” Rountree said.
Forest Lakes, covering about 1,865 acres, includes 1,600 land parcels, 760 structures and 2,000 residents. The metro district has limited duties, which include water, wastewater, trash, road and recreational services.
Rountree and two office employees joined the district after the former district manager and office manager resigned in September. Rountree is the third district manager in two years.
Since November, staff upgraded the phones, the internet and billing software (which was last updated at least seven years ago). The district even revamped its website to include more information and an online bill-payment system.
The metro district is updating internal policies, such as for performance evaluations, which have not been done for years.
Staff is also developing a 20-year capital improvement plan, which does not currently exist, Rountree said.
“We’re starting to realize some changes in the 13 years I’ve been there that have not occurred,” said Dave Sheetz, a board member. “With the new manager and agreement with the board, we’re moving forward and getting a lot of things approved.”
The district is also in the process of reviewing and updating the Board of Directors manual, policies, rules, regulations and bylaws – which have been a source of confusion during board meetings.
Since it was established in 1973, the district has adopted new rules, leading to questions from board members about which rules they should be following.
“The vision for me is having these plans in place and implemented with ample funding to support them,” he said.
Rountree said he did not know why the district policies and systems was outdated when the new staff members arrived.
It could have just been the priorities that previous district managers had, said Rountree and several board members.
“The buck stops at the district manager,” Rountree said, emphasizing that he wasn’t faulting past managers.
The board has also faced challenges giving directives to staff.
In addition to staff changeover, the board experienced gridlock and pushback from community members on projects, such as relocating the office to Forest Lakes and funding an expensive wildfire egress project.
“Boy, that’s a minefield,” said Shauna Unger, an incumbent candidate, about whether or not board deliberations slowed projects. However, a year of discussing the office relocation has limited the forward motion of other projects, she said.
“The board themselves, we sat around and discussed things, but nothing got done,” said Sheetz, who is also running for re-election.
He said it was true that the board needed to be organized in how members pass down instructions, just as managers need to give district boards clear, good information.
“I think we, as the current board, need to be better about our communication as well,” said Robin Kissell, another incumbent.
Overall, board members were excited about the improvements in the district, especially projects like improving playgrounds and possibly paving the community’s entrance.
“It’s a great place to be,” Kissell said. “I’d like to see more of the positive stuff – because we do have fantastic people that are in the office, on our roads and on the board.”
Three of five board positions will be up for election May 5. Twelve candidates are running. Forest Lakes residents will have the opportunity to meet the candidates at 3 p.m. April 19 at the Forest Lakes Metro District Community Center.
smullane@durangoherald.com
