Facility manager outlines equipment deliveries, operator incentives and hiring steps

Brad Prada, the Buckman Direct Diversion facility manager, presented the board with an August facilities update Sept. 4 outlining forthcoming equipment deliveries, planned capital purchases and personnel‑policy steps intended to retain certified operators. Prada told the board the new front‑end loader is scheduled to arrive Oct. 31 and that staff are processing purchase orders for a programmable logic controller cyclical replacement, a new fleet vehicle, a raw‑water pump rebuild, and a new variable‑frequency drive for the 2A pumps. “It's scheduled to arrive on October 31,” Prada said of the loader. On staffing, Prada described two retention initiatives the board will pilot: a financial incentive program tied to operator certification levels and an expansion of pay bands to make positions more competitive with neighboring utilities. Prada said funding for the incentive pilot will come from salary savings in the current budget because the positions are currently vacant. “We're right now, we're pulling it from salary savings,” Prada said. Board members asked about training and regional collaboration. Chair Justin Green and others encouraged partnerships with Santa Fe County and Santa Fe Community College’s ProTech program; Prada welcomed referrals for training partners. A board member also suggested recruiting and training tribal members given hiring requirements for the Milwaukee Basin Regional Water System; Prada and others supported regional collaboration to expand the local pipeline of qualified operators. Prada said work on the design‑build rebuild project continues with AECOM, Whitewater Engineering and legal counsel and that the design‑build team recently began the next phase of the project. Discussion only: the report described planned purchases and personnel strategies and did not include any board votes. Direction: staff will proceed with procurement and with the pilot incentive funded from salary savings and continue coordination with city HR and regional partners. Formal action: none required at this meeting.