As part of Noozhawk’s Nov. 3 election coverage, we are publishing Q&As with board candidates for some special districts and education districts, including the Montecito Sanitary District.
Candidate answers may have been lightly edited for spelling and formatting, but are otherwise presented as they were submitted.
The Montecito Sanitary District is responsible for wastewater collection, treatment and disposal, which means operating and maintaining the system of sewer pipelines, pumping stations, a treatment plant and ocean outfall pipe.
The county is reviewing the district’s development plan, which includes a new essential services building for its 18 employees and recycled water project for the Santa Barbara Cemetery, which is across the street from the district headquarters at 1042 Monte Cristo Lane. Its small-scale, pilot recycled water treatment plant started operating in late 2019.
In Montecito, the water and sanitary districts are talking about a joint project to start producing and distributing recycled water to some large water users, such as golf courses and hotels.
The November election includes four candidates running for three seats on the sanitary board, and three of them are running as a slate known as the Water Security Team.
Longtime general manager Diane Gabriel and administrator Toni McDonald have recently left the district, and following November’s election, all board members will be relatively new, with the longest-serving the ones who were first elected in 2018.
Candidate Don Eversoll
Noozhawk: Why are you running for the Montecito Sanitary District Board of Directors?
Don Eversoll: I am running because I am the only candidate who has built sewage treatment plants. I grew up in Los Angeles and was named the division president of New York for Kaufman and Broad. We are a sole source acquirer on Long Island. As a consequence, I built a 1.25 million-gallon plant. When I joined with my partner Peter Klein, I built a 400,000-gallon sewer treatment plant, a 50,000-gallon plant, three 15,000-gallon plants, and expanded a plant from 1.5 million gallons to 2.3 million gallons.
Noozhawk: What personal and/or work experience would you bring to the organization?
Eversoll: I was chair of the Nature Conservancy on Long Island, so I bring an environmental perspective.
Noozhawk: What do you see as the top issue facing the district right now, and how would you address it?
Eversoll: The top issue of the district is the total lack of transparency. They have among the highest rates in the state of California at nearly $1,500 per year; Summerland pays $1,000, Carpinteria pays $600 per year, while Goleta pays $500 per year.
Noozhawk: What do you see as the future of recycled water in Montecito?
Eversoll: The State of California has mandated that any discharge into the ocean must be recycled. The large (water) users such as the Santa Barbara Cemetery, Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel, Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore hotel, Birnam Wood Golf Club and The Valley Club of Montecito would all benefit from recycled water.
Noozhawk: Do you support the long-planned essential services building to replace the current headquarters?
Eversoll: I do not support the essential services building. It serves a total of four people. The $7 million would be better spent on converting septic systems to sewers.
[Editor’s note: The district-approved capital improvement budget for 2020-21 includes $4.6 million for an essential services building. The district has 18 full-time employees.]
Noozhawk: What do you see as the role of staff members at the Montecito Sanitary District, and what would be your strategy to hire a new general manager?
Eversoll: I feel that the staff members of the sanitary district are an integral part of the daily operation. They certainly have my support. I would attempt to hire a manager with sewer experience and hands-on experience as well.