Cybersecurity threats, a clean financial audit, and progress on a long-awaited wastewater treatment plant were the focus of the June 16 meeting of the Upper Thompson Sanitation District Board of Directors.
The board also filled a vacant board seat and received an update on the proposed Water Reclamation Facility and Lift Station Improvement Project, a major infrastructure undertaking expected to cost about $100 million.
The meeting opened with a presentation from Jason Bovee, vice president of client partnerships for Istonish, a Denver-based information technology services company that provides cybersecurity support to the district.
Bovee outlined the district’s multilayered cybersecurity strategy, including email security, endpoint protection, vulnerability management, multifactor authentication, employee training, and 24-hour security monitoring. He said public agencies, including water and wastewater utilities, remain attractive targets for cybercriminals and nation-state actors.
“The information you have online and just the requirement of being a special district make you a target,” Bovee told the board.
He reported no known cybersecurity threats currently affecting the district and said the district’s systems align with recommendations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal cybersecurity agencies.
Bovee warned that advances in artificial intelligence are accelerating cyber threats, with new tools capable of identifying software vulnerabilities in minutes rather than days or weeks. While the technology can help organizations strengthen their defenses, he said it also enables attackers to identify weaknesses more quickly, increasing pressure on organizations to keep systems updated and patched.
“Unfortunately, until there’s no more profit left in it — until the juice is just not worth the squeeze — it’s still going to be a battle.” Jason Bovee
When board chair Sue Doylen asked whether the cybersecurity industry is gaining ground against increasingly sophisticated bots and cybercriminals, Bovee said the threat landscape continues to evolve, largely because cybercrime remains highly profitable.
“There are still organizations, especially in countries that are less scrupulous, where people punch a clock, sit down at 8 a.m. with their coffee or tea, and spend all day trying to get one over on organizations like UTSD,” Bovee said.
“Unfortunately, until there’s no more profit left in it — until the juice is just not worth the squeeze — it’s still going to be a battle,” Bovee said. “I don’t see that changing.”
2025 audit received and approved
Later in the meeting, Alanna Moses, a certified public accountant with Anderson and Whitney, presented the district’s 2025 financial audit.
Moses reported that, in the firm’s opinion, the UTSD’s financials are in good condition. The audit showed the district ended 2025 with approximately $43.1 million in net position, including about $23.8 million in unrestricted funds. Total revenues increased about 14% over the previous year, while expenses rose about 10%, resulting in net income of roughly $2.3 million.
Moses praised district staff for maintaining strong financial controls and accurate records.
“Generally speaking, the district has really, really clean books,” she told the board.
District Manager Suzanne Jurgens said the audit has been submitted to the Colorado State Auditor and the district’s bond rating agency. The board unanimously approved the audit.
Plans for new wastewater facility closer to finalization
The board then received an update from Steve Ravel, senior project manager with Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services LLC, the firm overseeing design of the new Water Reclamation Facility and Lift Station Improvement Project.
Ravel said engineers are completing a 90% design package and coordinating reviews with regulatory agencies, including the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Larimer County, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Equipment manufacturers are also reviewing specifications as part of the final design process.
The district plans to provide the nearly complete design package to the contractor, RN Civil Construction, for a negotiated construction price. Ravel said the contractor is expected to need 30 to 45 days to prepare a bid.
If permitting and pricing proceed as anticipated, the board could receive a recommended contract amount by its August meeting.
“That’s the overall timeframe that we’d be thinking that we would be ready to come to the district with a recommendation,” Ravel said.
Should the board approve moving forward, Ravel said a notice to proceed could be issued by mid-September, allowing the contractor to begin mobilizing equipment and ordering materials shortly thereafter, with a possible groundbreaking by October or November.
It is expected that the project could approach $100 million and represent the largest infrastructure investment in the district’s history.
Page appointed to UTSD board
The board also filled the vacancy created when former director Chris Eshelman resigned in May after being elected to the Estes Park Town Board of Trustees in April.
Doylen said directors interviewed two candidates, Kevin McClure and Jeff Page, and found both highly qualified. Doylen ultimately recommended Page, citing his engineering and project management experience and the district’s approaching decisions on the treatment facility project.
The board unanimously appointed Page to complete the remainder of Eshelman’s term.
Jurgens reminded the board that the UTSD will host its annual community open house on Tuesday, June 30, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The event will include plant tours of the current wastewater treatment plant, an information booth, and an ice cream social.
Following the appointment, the board recessed and later entered executive session pursuant to Colorado law to discuss negotiating positions, project scheduling and the construction contract for the Water Reclamation Facility and Lift Station Improvement Project.
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