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By Mike AllenSeptember 19, 2023 (Santee) -- Ivan Andujar (photo, left) was appointed by the board of directors of Padre Dam Municipal Water District to the Division 4 seat formerly held by the late Augie Caires earlier this month.
Caires, who served as the general manager of the district from 1993-2006 and then on the board of directors from 2007 to 2023, died Aug. 2. Andujar, an Alpine resident, will serve the remainder of Caires term, which expires in December 2024.
The board selected Andujar after interviewing three candidates at its Sept. 6 meeting. The two other candidates were Paul Tarpy and Kimberly Hales.
In his application for the position, Andujar listed his 19 years working for a non-profit organization and 14 years working for a city parks and recreation department as experience worthy of being considered to fill the seat. He is currently working as the chief operations officer for the East County Transitional Living Center, a 100-room shelter and training complex in El Cajon.
He began working at the facility in 2004. He also worked as a recreation coordinator and other jobs for the city of Monrovia.
In his application, Andujar (photo, right, right) said his interest in the position is to be a voice for the customers of Division 4. “My first priority as a new Board member will be to learn all aspects of Padre Dam operations so that I will have the knowledge necessary to make sound decisions with my fellow Board members,” he said.In addition to his regular job, Andujar also serves as the Chairman of the Alpine/Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the El Cajon Rotary Club, Lakeside Kiwanis, San Diego Leadership Foundation and Community Emergency Response Team.
Padre Dam along with three other agencies is in the midst of overseeing the building the largest and most expensive public infrastructure project in the region’s history, the $950 million Advanced Water Purification Program. The water district along with the city of El Cajon, the Helix Water District and the county of San Diego formed a joint powers authority to construct the AWP.
The system will convert some 15 million gallons of sewage now pumped to the Point Loma sewage treatment plant into some 11 million gallons of purified water or about 30 percent of the region’s need.
Construction of the massive project began last year, and is estimated to be completed by late 2025, and begin delivering water to some half million customers by early 2026.
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