67°F
weather icon Clear

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
Leash law gets another look

One of the most discussed topics in Boulder City this past year has surrounded when, where and if dogs can be off-leash.

New faces at BCPD

Monday morning, three new Boulder City police officers were sworn in during a ceremony that featured city staff, family and fellow officers. Above, Chief Tim Shea swears in, from left, Rayman Bateman, Zach Martin and Hi’ilani Waiwaiole. Shea noted that it’s very rare for them to swear in more than one new officer at a time. Two more future officers will be attending the police academy next month. The new officers help fill vacancies left by retiring officers or those who have moved onto other agencies. Left, Mayor Joe Hardy gave the three new officers an impromptu group hug during the ceremony.

The Mouse, his House and me

I’m about to say something that divides many in terms of their opinion. More than should a sandwich be cut horizontally or the diagonal cross-cut. Even more than the question of Coke vs. Pepsi and even more controversial than whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable.

Eagles keep up their winning ways on volleyball court

Boulder City High School boys volleyball continues to succeed against higher classes of opponents, knocking off 4A Somerset Sky Pointe 3-2 on April 8.

Late-inning effort lifts Lady Eagles

A young team that is showing progression, Boulder City High School softball showed resiliency this past week, capping off a come-from-behind victory over rival Virgin Valley on April 9, while defeating 4A Silverado on April 8.

‘Honestly, I just thought about football’

Torryn Pinkard doesn’t want to be looked upon as someone with cancer who happens to play football. He’d rather be seen as a football player who happens to have cancer.

Boys volleyball wins first league game

Boulder City High School started league play with a victory, defeating The Meadows 3-0 on April 1.

From Garden to Grave

Last week, the Christian Center Church hosted four showings of Garden to Grave: Live Stations of the Cross. Pastor Deborah Downs said the Stations of the Cross “are a contemplative practice of walking the way of suffering with Jesus. If one were to visit the city of Jerusalem, they would discover all 14 stations on what is called the Via Dolorosa – The Sorrowful Way – a path from Pilate’s court to Golgotha to the tomb.”