Less than four months after he was hired into the post of assistant general manager by the West Valley Water District, Logan Olds abruptly departed from that position late last month.
Olds left, according to an individual familiar with district operations, because of dismay at having to deal with an ongoing personnel issue involving one of the employees he oversaw, and not being able to bring to bear the solution he felt would best serve the situation. Olds was constrained in the action he wanted to take, the Sentinel was told, and was chaffing under what he characterized as micromanaging by West Valley General Manager Clarence Mansell, Jr.
Olds’ departure from West Valley was as unexpected as his arrival in May. Olds had been the general manager of the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority since 2006. His departure from that post after 13 years had been sudden and unannounced. There had been no indication from the authority of any dissatisfaction with Olds’ performance. During his tenure with Victor Valley, the authority had expanded its main plant in Victorville and built smaller satellite facilities in Hesperia and Apple Valley. He had also overseen a major unanticipated repair job that was necessitated early this decade after a major rainstorm in 2010 caused flooding and the inundation of a major pipeline in the Mojave River near the main plant.
Ironically, as would later prove to be the case at West Valley, Olds did have some difficulty with personnel during his run as general manager at Victor Valley.
Olds was provided with a $210,000 salary upon coming to West Valley, along with a benefit package of $61,000, which brought his total annual compensation to more than $270,000. Despite an earlier indication that Olds had been fired, later reports were that he had left of his own volition.
West Valley General Manager Clarence Mansell, Jr. expressed his appreciation and gratitude to Olds for his service to the agency upon Olds’ announcement of his departure from his position. “Logan Olds is a dedicated professional in the water resources field,” stated Mansell. “The service and results he provided to the ratepayers of our district is invaluable. Our administration, the board of directors, and staff are greatly thankful for his accomplishments during his tenure.”
Board President Dr. Michael Taylor stated, “Logan assisted our district in moving projects forward to better serve our communities. We were able to make improvements including bringing wells back into the system. I wish him continued success.”
On August 27, Olds notified the district of his intention to retire from his current position, effective August 30, 2019. “Everyone at West Valley Water District wishes Logan Olds all the best in his future endeavors,” Mansell said.
The West Valley Water District is a special district governed by a five-member board of directors providing retail water to approximately 83,000 customers. The district purveys domestic water to portions of Rialto, Colton, Fontana, Bloomington, and a section of the unincorporated area of San Bernardino County and some households within the City of Jurupa Valley in Riverside County.
The West Valley Water District grew out of the West San Bernardino County Water District, which was formed on February 28, 1952 from the merging of three local mutual water companies, inheriting water rights dating back to 1897.