Utility director Stubitz takes new job with state

When Utilities Director Joe Stubitz briefed the city council on the status of Boulder City’s Dark Sky initiative, which involves replacing hundreds of street light fixtures with modern versions that aim light onto the ground and not into the sky, it was notable for reasons beyond spending and how soon the program would be finished.

Although no one knew it at the time, it was also the last time Stubitz would publicly brief the council about the city’s utilities. Last Friday was his last day on the job as he has taken on a new job with the state that is more tightly tied to his background as a power engineer.

”I don’t think I anticipated the depth and breadth of the work I would face as the utilities director of Boulder City,” Stubitz said when answering a question about the biggest challenge of the job he held for about four years. “I’m a power engineer, and I needed to quickly get up to speed with other utilities like water, sewer, and the landfill. The staff and city council are remarkable and as professional as they come. There were also several regional, national and even global challenges related to energy and water.”

The new job will serve as a homecoming of sorts. Stubitz worked at the Bureau of Reclamation as a power engineer for 16 years, where he helped start a compliance program for the Lower Colorado Basin and was responsible for reviewing and updating standard operating procedures for Hoover Dam.

Although the new job will be working for the state, it is once again all about the river.

“The new job is leading the Power Delivery Group for the Colorado River Commission of Nevada,” he explained. “I will be leading a team of engineers and operators responsible for 30 substations delivering power for water delivery, water reclamation, and industrial activities. Several of the substations feed Southern Nevada Water Authority facilities that provide potable and raw water to Boulder City.”

He is a born and bred product of Boulder City and was the valedictorian of Boulder City High School’s class of 2003. The new job will not mean a new address. “Fortunately, I will be staying in BC,” he said.

Looking back on his tenure with the city, Stubitz identified a couple of accomplishments of which he is especially proud.

“I am most proud of the Electric Division and their commitment to safety, reliability, and outreach,” he said. “Together, we started a tradition at Martha P. King to celebrate public power. Students learn about electricity and get to experience what a lineworker experiences in a bucket truck. The children asked very intelligent questions and hopefully we inspired some future electrical workers and saved some lives teaching about the dangers of electricity.

“The Electric Division also received a national reliability award from the American Public Power Association two out of the last three years.”

Looking forward, Stubitz identified an unexpected challenge for the city and its utility in terms of providing service and infrastructure.

“I would say the biggest challenge lies in workforce development,” he said. “Most of the Electric Division is eligible for retirement within five years and an apprenticeship program would go a long way. Traditionally, we have gathered human resources outside the city and then it takes time for the system to be learned. An apprenticeship program would be a win-win for the city and community for interested workers that already have ties to the community.

“A close second is resources. With ongoing drought and aridification, the period of cheap Hoover power supplying all our needs has passed. We need to get creative with other long-term resources, distributed energy resources, and potentially virtual power plants. If we can successfully manage our demands with market conditions, we can help manage the costs of our resources.”

All told, Stubitz calls himself grateful for the four years working for his hometown.

“I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve the city and lay my roots down here,” he said. “The staff were very patient with me and their commitment to public service is commendable. Growing up, it took many years of maturity before I saw the value of living in a place like Boulder City. It truly is a special place, and the people make it special. I am excited to serve the community in a new way and proud to call Boulder City my home.”

And those Dark Sky lights? The only ones currently installed are ones that are replacing lights that had been reported as non-functional.

“So the progress for replacing the lights is based on the lights that are out currently,” he told the council earlier this fall. “So the ones that have the trouble tickets, we’re going to go and replace all the lights that are not functioning with these new lights. Then we’re going to go in and replace full segments of lights that have the older style.”