56°F
weather icon Mostly Cloudy

City welcomes utilities director

Boulder City has hired its new utilities director, and his goal is to help make the town more sustainable.

“I look forward to working with the city executive team to help make Boulder City more resilient, sustainable and safe while at the same time make sure we are optimizing the value of our public dollars efficiently and effectively as we can,” said Dennis Porter.

Porter started working for the city on Monday, Nov. 26. He has a bachelor of science degree from New Mexico State University and is a registered professional engineer in Nevada, Arizona and South Carolina.

Porter has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience and has handled multimillion-dollar operations for three large water utility organizations. He previously worked as assistant director of water services for Phoenix as well as chief operations officer/chief administration officer for Greenville Water in Greenville, South Carolina, and director of utility services for Henderson.

He said he took the job because he wanted to return to Southern Nevada.

“Previously, I spent 20 years in the Las Vegas/Boulder City area and this was a good opportunity for me to reunite with family, friends and former work colleagues,” he said. “Boulder City, in particular, is an exciting place to be because of residents’ dedication to green, sustainable energy and commitment to water conservation.”

Boulder City’s utility director position is new and Porter was hired four months after City Council removed utilities from public works and created a new department that encompasses planning, maintenance and water operation, wastewater, electrical and landfill.

“Utilities director is one of the most prominent positions on the city’s leadership team,” said City Manager Al Noyola. “Dennis comes with outstanding experience in much larger communities and we are thrilled to have him on our team. We look forward to his insight and expertise on utilities management.”

“Water is a vital interest in Southern Nevada,” Porter said. “I’ve spent the last three decades looking at best practices and I’m committed to bringing that experience to Boulder City.”

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
Put that dog on a leash BC tightens “at-large” law

The most important part of what happens in a city council meeting is not always the vote. Sometimes it is something that seems minor at the time. This week, as the council finally voted unanimously to tighten up Boulder City’s notoriously lax leash law, the important part came long before any discussion about the actual law.

Hoover Dam hosts Capitol Christmas Tree

There are a couple of things that unite most Nevadans: how people often mispronounce that state’s name and for those who have been around a while, their dislike of the Duke men’s basketball team.

BCHS coach ‘unavailable’ for football playoff game

Parents of student athletes playing on Boulder City High School’s football team received a note last Thursday morning from BCHS Principal Amy Wagner informing them that the team’s head coach would be “unavailable” for that night’s playoff game.

Remembering a friend and war hero

Robert Brennan and Richard Gilmore met in eighth grade and became instant friends, the kind of friendship that most kids can only dream of.

Hardy feted by League of Cities

Anyone who has been around the Boulder City political world for any stretch of time already knows that Mayor Joe Hardy is a pretty humble guy and not one to toot his own horn.

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.

Feeling the Fall Fun

Photos by Ron Eland/Boulder City Review

Relaunched annual Airport Day set for Nov. 8

Aircraft enthusiasts will want to head to the Boulder City Airport on Saturday, Nov. 2, to check out a variety of planes and helicopters.