Tomales Village Community Services District
Mission Statement
The mission of the Tomales Village Community Services District, a non-profit public benefit corporation, is to enhance the quality of life with a commitment to the health of the community by providing dependable wastewater collection, treatment and reuse in an environmentally friendly manner, maintain safe and reliable recreational park facilities, and provide a welcoming forum for active community participation and input.
What is TVCSD
The Service District was formed in 1998 after being acquired from North Marin Water District. The primary purpose of the District is to operate and manage the waste water treatment plant(WWTP) and the community park. The operation and maintenance of the WWTP is funded through service fees, while the capital improvements are funded through grants and low interest loans through the State Water Resources Control Board. Loans are repaid through an ad valorem tax voted on by the community. The operation and maintenance of the Tomales Community Park is funded through Marin County measure A, a .25 sales tax for Marin County Parks and Openspace, Agricultural land protection, and community parks such as ours. Aditional revenue comes from donations, fund raisers, grants.
The Wastewater Treatment Plant was acquired in an 'as-is condition' with several problem areas due to lack of maintenance. The District embarked on an aggressive improvement project in order to bring the system up to professional standards and to improve the overall treatment process and the safety of the community and the environment. The District was able to garner a Small Communities Grant from the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and a low interest loan through the State Revolving Fund. Phase one of the project involved the replacement of some worn and aged pipelines as well as switching from chlorine gas to the much safer liquid chlorine, the rehabilitation of the town's lift station, repairs to the collection system and a fully automated alarm and control system. The second phase, now complete, will take the treatment process to new levels of clarity, safety and performance. This phase involved removing 30 plus years of built-up sludge in the treatment pond, developing a three stage ponding system and replacing the aerators and pumps. The three stage system improves the performance of the aerated lagoons for the treatment of wastewater and provides an optional temporary configuration in case of emergencies.
The newly formed District also inherited the Community Park. The Park was built in 1982 and had served the community well for a number of years. However, after a state mandated inspection of the play equipment, it was determined that all of the equipment was unsafe and had to be replaced. The District investigated and acquired county, state and federal grants, private grants from individuals and foundations, material donations and in-kind donations of labor. The Park Renovation Project involved extensive grading and terracing in order to meet the strict accessibility regulations and large containment areas for play equipment and play structures for safety reasons, all conditions for receiving the grant monies. The first community bathroom was also included in the project for the benefit of the many visitors to our area.
NEW TVCSD STAFF PROFILES:
Jose Ortiz, TVCSD general manager
He joined us as a part time contractor in December of 2015. He is a professional civil engineer providing services in the waste and water resources field for more than 30 years. With over 22 years of experience at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, he is uniquely qualified to provide professional services in management, planning, operation and maintenance. He has the keen ability to work closely with clients to quickly meet their needs with efficient and workable solutions. He consulted with TVCSD during the plant improvement phase so is familiar with our system. Jose L. Ortiz Consulting is a minority-owned, Small and Disabled Veteran Business.
Jose is married, lives in Vacaville and has a grown daughter and son. He enjoys the outdoors, sports, cooking
and the company of good friends. He looks forward to getting to know members of the Tomales community.
Melinda Bell, TVCSD financial services manager,
lives in Dillon Beach and joined us as a part time contractor last summer. She’s a CPA who contracts with
West Marin non-profits over the past eleven years. Prior to that she managed accounting and financial reporting for 20 years with a library service district and then with two cities in Southern CA. One of the cities, Oceanside, has over 35,000 sewer customers. The Palos Verdes Library District is an independent special district governed like TVCSD. Melinda and her husband have two children and four grandchildren who live in the greater Bay Area. She enjoys time with family, gardening with deer, good restaurants, working puzzles and reading. They travel occasionally, but its hard to find the time.
Cynthia Hammond, TVCSD administrative support services,
lives in Inverness and joined TVCSD part time in September, 2015. A graduate of University of Arizona with a BFA degree in Graphic Design, she relocated to SF, until she discovered West Marin and has lived here for the past 34 years, raising her son who graduated from THS. Cynthia also works part time for West Marin Senior Services and is responsible for TVCSD meeting minutes, records, board packets and various other district office support. Her hobbies include organic gardening, canning, foraging wild mushrooms, swimming, cooking, and anything that has to do with the beach.