At the May board of directors meeting for the Woodmen Hills Metropolitan District, three new members were sworn in, following the May 6 election.The new members:Lynne BlissLynne Bliss has lived in Colorado for about 35 years, 10 of which have been in the Falcon area. She said she went to Regis University and graduated with a Bachelorís Degree in Business and then received her Masterís Degree in Human Communication from the University of Northern Colorado.ìBoth (degrees) will help in this area (WHMD board) because we really need a business approach to managing a water district,î Bliss said. ìI think itís important to communicate with residents about whatís going on. We need to find a way to reach them; find different ways to reach them.îBliss, a former writer for the Ranchland News, said she has attended many meetings, including WHMD board meetings. ìI saw what worked for them (other boards) and what didnít work and how they can help each other benefit the entire community, not just Woodmen Hills, through collaboration,î she said.Bliss said she would like to help maximize the use of the recreation centers by letting people know what the centers offer to the community. She said sheís also concerned about the status of the aging wastewater treatment plant and hopes to help move that issue in a positive direction. ìI hope to bring my broad-based experience, because not everyone on the board has that kind of background,î Bliss said. ìI think weíre all going to work really well together. Iím optimistic.îSteve KrepsSteve Kreps and his family moved to Falcon in 2010, after deciding they wanted to have more space but still be close to the city. He said his degree from Regis University has a focus on human resources, and more than 20 years in management in the private industry has given him a unique perspective.ìI got my bachelorís degree in 2002; and, during that time I transitioned from employee to supervisor to management to vice president,î Kreps said. ìI feel like I have enough experience in my background to deal with a lot of the things the board has faced and the community is facing.îKreps said Woodmen Hillsí reputation is a concern because it doesnít accurately represent the community. ìWoodmen Hills, I believe, has a bad mark on it as a community,î he said. ìItís discouraging that this exists. I want to help promote all the positives that can be had in a small community like this.î He would like to change the communityís image so developers are attracted to the area, as well as potential homeowners.His other concerns include technical issues related to wastewater, and paying down the districtís debt to help the district become more financially healthy.ìWe need to seek input from the community but make that input into something tangible that we can work with Ö and just do a better job of following up with community members to let them know the outcomes of decisions. Iím ready to get in there and see whatís going on. Overall, Iím excited about being on the board, both excited and apprehensive.îWalter PorterAs a transplant from the East Coast where he worked for the drinking water system for 30 years, Walter Porter said he moved to the Falcon area in 2009 and started attending WHMD board meetings.ìIíve been going to board meetings and saw how things needed to be tweaked a little,î Porter said. ìIt piqued my interest to see what I could do to get on the board and try to help it.îPorter said he feels he brings a fresh outlook and a different perspective to the table as a board member. ìI have a lot of experience in water so I kind of know whatís going on. I like to address matters right away and not let them drag on. I donít want to let them fester and blow up in a big mess, instead of taking care of it right when it happens.ìMy goals for being on the board would be to get the wastewater treatment plant built. I think we really need that. Iíd like to see the vandalism at the parks stop somehow. I think the rec center needs to be brought back to what it originally was, and I think the new director is doing a really good job of that.îPorter said heís excited to be on the board. ìI think weíve got a very good board thatís going to address things immediately and work towards the betterment of Woodmen Hills,î he said. ìIím very excited about being part of the board and think weíre going to do a great job moving the community forward.î
