District Transitions: Honoring the Past, Strengthening the Present, and Investing in the Future

The year 2025 marked a period of meaningful transition for our District, as we honored the legacy of long‑serving employees, welcomed new leadership, and strengthened our administration and operations teams. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to providing reliable, high‑quality water and fire services to the Inverness community.

Honoring Decades of Service

This past year, the District celebrated the retirement of two long‑time employees whose dedication has profoundly shaped our water and fire departments. Brothers Ken Fox and Jim Fox, who both began their employment in the mid‑1980s, stepped into well‑earned retirement after more than four decades of combined contributions.

Ken Fox served the District for over 40 years, providing invaluable expertise in water distribution and treatment operations. His problem‑solving skills, deep institutional knowledge, and service as a Volunteer Firefighter ensured reliable and steady operations across multiple generations.

Jim Fox contributed to both administrative and operational aspects of the water system and also served as a Volunteer Firefighter beginning in 1974, before becoming Fire Chief following the retirement of former Chief Michael Meszaros. His leadership, technical insights, and dedication to public safety strengthened the District’s fire response capabilities and left a lasting impact on the community.

Together, Ken and Jim devoted their professional lives to Inverness. Their service and commitment built a strong foundation for the District’s future.

Welcoming New Leadership

As we honor the Fox brothers’ legacy, we also look toward the future with confidence. David Briggs, formerly Assistant Fire Chief, has been promoted to Fire Chief. With extensive operational experience and a calm, collaborative approach to leadership, Chief Briggs is well‑prepared to guide the department forward.

In the water department, we are pleased to welcome Richard Perez, who has served as Water Superintendent since September 2025. Richard brings valuable experience in system operations, maintenance, and regulatory compliance. His hands‑on expertise supports our ongoing commitment to providing safe, dependable water service to the community.

Administration and Operations Staffing

The District has also strengthened its administrative team. While we continue to benefit from the experience and dedication of General Manager Emeritus Wade Holland, we are pleased to introduce Patricia Grinnell, who is working closely with Wade to learn the water system billing processes. Patricia also provides financial bookkeeping and administrative support, bringing precision, thoughtful problem‑solving, and a steady work ethic to the District.

Within Operations, Jacob Leyva and Cassidy Russell continue in their roles as certified water operators, and early in 2025 we welcomed Jonathan Anderson, also a certified water operator. Together, the three operators have taken on the challenges of day‑to‑day system operations, special projects, and maintenance responsibilities with professionalism and dedication.

Our Grants and Project Manager, Jenna Nicolas, continues her important work researching funding opportunities for both the water system and the fire department. Her efforts support needed equipment, infrastructure investments, and future facility improvements.

Appreciation for Our Board of Directors

The District extends its sincere appreciation to our volunteer Board of Directors, whose thoughtful leadership and longstanding commitment guide our mission and support the community we serve.

Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority and Fire Safe Marin have announced Pre-season signups will be opening on March 9th for all residents.

Property owners and residents are encouraged to visit chipperday.com/marin on or after March 9th and enter their address to view all available events in their area. 

They will once again deliver a total of 30 weeks of chipping service during the season and, the program will follow the same rotating schedule as it did last year, resulting in residents having the opportunity to receive pickup roughly once every five weeks.

 

Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority - February 2026 Report

Did you know Inverness is a Fire Wise Safe Community? 

 

Each year, dedicated community members work to ensure Inverness maintains it's certification by ensuring public informational resources, documentation of home hardening activities and efforts to make our community safer. Some homeowner insurance agencies provide an opportunity for a discount for Fire Wise Safe communities. The certificate is available on the IPUD website here. If you have a question about Inverness Fire Wise, contact firewiseinverness@gmail.com.

 

Water System Update: Tank Replacement Projects are complete.

With a generous grant from the California State Department of Water Resources, we were able to replace the last of the Redwood water tanks at both the Colby tank site on Perth Road and The Seahaven tank site on Via de la Vista. 

The project faced challenges with design, weather conditions and a shortened project window, but with the determination and expertise of Jim Fox working with our Engineering Firm, Brelje & Race Engineers and Piazza Construction, we were able to complete the project by the deadline of February 28th.

The cooperation and patience of the property owners adjacent to and near both tank sites was also instrumental in our success and we want to express our gratitude to them.

Disaster Preparedness, Inverness Disaster Council and West Marin Community Resilience Team:

The District sponsors the activities of the Inverness Disaster Council (IDC) and collaborates with the West Marin Community Resilience Team (CRT) We have a dedictaed group of community members who volunteer with the IDC.  Both organzations provide resources for community members to be prepared for emergencies.  In the coming months, we will be sharing ways to get involved, update your emergency contact information and learn more from your Neighborhhod Liasons and Area Coordinators. See the links above for more information about both the Inverness Disaster Council and the West Marin CRT and stay tuned for more information.