July 26, 2018 500 AM
MARFA – The Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District (PCUWCD) hired a new General Manager, Carolyn Macartney, at a meeting of its Board at the Presidio County Courthouse on July 23, 2018. Directors JB Baeza, Patt Simms, David Williams, and Trey Gerfers were in attendance. Director Vicky Carrasco was out of the country.
Ms. Macartney resides in Alpine and holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has worked in a variety of capacities: from filmmaker to photographer to professor to sign painter. Many of her signs can be seen around Marfa, including the Lincoln sign across from the courthouse and the sign in front of the new Livingston Insurance offices. Ms. Macartney has also worked at Skinner’s Drilling and Well Service in Alpine, where she became familiar with the water of the Big Bend region. She views her new role as a concrete way to contribute to the conservation of this most vital resource.
In collaboration with the District Board, Ms. Macartney will be working with former General Manager, Rudy Garcia, to compile Mr. Garcia’s vast knowledge of the County’s water resources into a database. She will also organize the District’s filing and permitting system, maintain the District’s compliance with all state laws, and act as a liaison between the District and the Presidio County Commissioners Court.
The PCUWCD also passed a draft budget for fiscal year 2019, which Ms. Macartney and District Chairman, Trey Gerfers, will be discussing with Judge Guevara and each of the County Commissioners individually and at Commissioners Court. Mr. Gerfers and Ms. Macartney will also be attending the Texas Groundwater Summit in San Antonio at the end of August.
