As you might know, Fort Collins-Loveland Water District is overseen by a Board of Directors. Board members are paid a small stipend for their work ($100 per meeting). However, they primarily volunteer their time and expertise to help our water district operate effectively and plan for the future. In this blog post, we’ll share more about the role of the board of directors, but mostly celebrate the service of board director, Stephen Smith, and welcome our new board member, Craig Medina.
TL;DR Summary:
- The Board of Directors consists of five members responsible for providing fiduciary oversight and foresight to help guide the District into the future.
- We thank board director Stephen Smith for serving on the board for the past two years. His expertise in irrigation and the water industry was invaluable.
- FCLWD welcomes Craig Medina, our newest board member. We look forward to seeing how he can support the board with his extensive and decorated military background and passion for reliable water.
Brief Overview of the Board of Directors
The FCLWD Board of Directors is made up of five members who help manage financial strategy and planning to ensure the District is positioned for long-term success. As mentioned above, they receive a small stipend for their service. According to Colorado State Law, “directors serving a term of office commencing on or after January 1, 2018, may receive as compensation for the director’s service a sum not in excess of $2,400 per annum. Director compensation is not to exceed $100 per meeting attended.”
Board members have had extensive and often multiple careers before serving on the board. Their expertise and insight are incredibly valuable to our District and the community we serve. Board members must reside or own property within the District and typically serve a two to four-year term. The board members continuing their service for another four-year term are James (Jim) Borland, William (Bill) Dieterich and Peter O’Neill. Denis Symes will continue his service for another two-year term.
Thank You, Stephen Smith!
Recently, we said farewell to Stephen Smith, a director who served on the board from February 2023 until May 2025. Stephen brought extensive expertise to the board as an agricultural, irrigation and water resources engineer. His engineering work provides consulting services in supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), canal modernization and irrigation design. Stephen founded Aqua Engineering, Inc. in 1975 and has operated a farming enterprise, Buena Vida Farm, for 25 years in Larimer County. Additionally, Stephen was on the affiliate faculty at Colorado State University for 25 years and has served on several other boards and committees besides FCLWD. The boards include the Louden Irrigating Canal and Reservoir Co., the Irrigation Innovation Consortium and the Irrigation Association.
We are very thankful for the insight Stephen provided to the board and the District over the past two years and wish him the best in his next endeavors.
Welcome, Craig Medina!
Newcomer Craig Medina fills Stephen’s seat on the board. Craig is a native Coloradan who recently moved back to Fort Collins after leaving Active Duty with the U.S. Marine Corps. Craig is currently a Reservist with the U.S. Marine Corps and is now attending Colorado State University, pursuing a Master of Science (MS) in Systems Engineering.
Craig’s extensive and decorated military career with the Marine Corps provided him with vast experience in operations, project management, risk management and strategic planning, which he brings to the table at FCLWD. While attending graduate school, he is building two startups, Calcarius Construction and Malachite Defense, with the ambition of creating high-resilience, thriving communities and supporting warfighters with new methods of terminal air defense.
As a board member, Craig believes that ready access to clean, reliable water is the cornerstone of a prosperous community. With his daughter finishing kindergarten this spring, Craig has a different perspective on what it means to build the infrastructure to support the next generation. He joined the Board of Directors to help preserve the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District’s longstanding tradition of delivering high-quality, cost-effective water to its residents.
On a personal level, Craig is excited to be back in Colorado and take advantage of everything our beautiful landscape offers. He enjoys snowboarding in the winter, camping in the summer and looks forward to spending more time in the mountains with his family.
What’s Next?
The leadership and insight of our board—past, present and future—play a critical role in shaping the direction of the District. Board members help guide our long-term planning and ensure we stay true to our mission. Are you interested in learning more about the board and how it works? The board meets regularly at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District office. All official District business is conducted at these meetings, which are open to the public. Public comment is limited to three minutes, and individuals who want to comment must sign in at the door when they arrive. You can find the complete list of board meeting dates, agendas and minutes on our Board Meetings and Calendar page.
Thank you for joining us in sharing gratitude for Stephen and welcoming Craig to the board! We are looking forward to what’s to come.
