George Strong
Vice President

George Strong, a resident of Crystal Beach, is semi-retired. Strong attends Bay Vue United Methodist Church, is a member of the Board of Directors and is the Secretary of the Emerald Beach I property owners association. He is a member of the Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and the Lighthouse Crew. Prior to moving to Crystal Beach Strong owned and operated George Strong and Associates (GS&A) in Houston. GS&A provided lobbying, campaign consulting, grassroots lobbying and communications services. As a political analyst, Strong is often quoted in the Houston newspapers and on various talk radio stations including News Talk station KTRH. Strong is a native of South Dakota, graduated from South Dakota State University and has a master degree from the University of Denver.


Harold Guidry
Secretary

Harold Guidry recently retired after more than 35 years with Gulf/Chevron/Premcor Refinery. Harold is married to wife, Chris. They have two children, Richard and Tristi who both live in Austin. Harold enjoys doing volunteer work and helping the communities on the Bolivar Peninsula. Harold also enjoys his hobbies of stained glass and wood working.


Al Altemus
Treasurer

Al Altemus has served over 20 years as a Director of B.P.S.U.D. He has owned property on the peninsula since 1967 and became a permanent resident in 1981 after his retirement from Sysco Corporation. Al is also a member of the Eagles Aerie and Knights of Columbus.


Jack Blume
Director

Jack Blume is the owner of J.B.’s Seafood in Crystal Beach. He has been a resident of the peninsula for over 30 years. Mr. Blume has been married to his wife, Cindy, for 34 years and they are the parents of two adult sons, Jack and Derek. Mr. Blume is also a member of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church.


Jackson Cowart
Director

Jackson Cowart moved from Friendswood to Port Bolivar in 2003.  His move to the Peninsula followed his retirement from IBM Global Services after a thirty year career as a Systems Engineer and Large Systems Specialist.  Mr. Cowart’s career included work in 48 states and 6 countries. He still works contract on systems design and web design.  While working for IBM in Houston he was Enterprise Communications Specialist for the Large Accounts Marketing Branch with responsibilities for design, implementation, customization, and performance of very large networks. Mr. Cowart is a fifth generation native Houstonian, married 40 years to his wonderful wife, Charm, and they have 3 wonderful children and 3 grandchildren.  In his spare time he likes to fish but loves to catch, he reads, and he plays golf.

Maria Skewis
Director

Maria Skewis is currently employed with High Island School District as the high school science teacher. Prior to working as a teacher, Ms. Skewis worked in the chemical manufacturing industry for ExxonMobil as a Senior Industrial Hygienist. She received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biology from Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, her Masters in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and received her teaching certificate from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Ms. Skewis has received numerous awards including the 1995 Woman of Achievement Award from the Torrance YMCA, the High Island PTO Teacher of the Year Award in 2005, and the Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year Award in 2007. Ms. Skewis resides permanently in Crystal Beach.

Roger Welch
Director

Mr. Welch is the owner of Crystal Beach Plant Farm in Crystal Beach. He is a member of the Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and resides permanently on the Peninsula.


Mary Ellen Smith
Director

Mary Ellen Smith retired from ATT Information Systems. She has been in business on the Bolivar Peninsula the entire 22 years that she has lived here. Her first business on the Peninsula was a restaurant, bakery, and store. She then became a Real Estate Agent, a Broker Associate, and now is the Broker/Owner of Beach or Bay Real Estate in Crystal Beach.


Dennis Stafford
Director

Dennis Stafford and his wife, Becky, have owned property on the Peninsula since 1987 and made Crystal Beach their permanent residence in 2004. Dennis retired after 33 years of service with Texaco / Shell in Houston. He graduated from Lamar University with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Dennis is also actively involved with the Emerald Beach Property Owners Association.

David Fortenberry
Director

David Fortenberry has owned property on Bolivar Peninsula for 10 years. He and his wife, Sandy, moved here permanently in 2005.  David retired in 2000 from Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center where he served as Chief Operating Officer.  Following his 25 years of service at The Blood Center, he spent the next four years consulting for an international pharmaceutical company.  David currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Gilchrist Community Association. David and Sandy have two children, David Jr. and Holly, and a 4 year old grandson Wesley. 

Our Staff

Jennifer McKnight
General Manager
e-mail: jennifer@bpsud.com

Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in 1988. Jennifer’s career in water began right after graduation with the City of Houston. Jennifer then became the General Manager of a water district in Nederland, Texas. She was elected to the Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District’s Board of Directors in 2001.

Upon the resignation of the District’s previous General Manager, Jennifer was appointed General Manager of Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District in November 2002. She and her husband, Kevin, have owned property on the Peninsula since 1997. Since 2000 they have lived permanently on the Peninsula with their daughter, Kellie, and their pets Radar and Thumbs.

Barbara Cowie
Office Manager
e-mail: barbara@bpsud.com

Barbara began her career with Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District in 1991 as a Customer Service Representative. She was promoted to her current position of Office Manager in 1994.

Barbara has been a resident of the Bolivar Peninsula for over 40 years. She and her husband, Roger, have two married sons, Steven and Jeffrey, and are enjoying their two granddaughters, Destiny and Dana. Barbara is a member of the First Baptist Church in Crystal Beach and is active in the church choir and teaches children’s Sunday School.

Kenny Strimple
Plant and Field Manager
e-mail: kenny@bpsud.com

Kenny’s career with Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District began in March of 1989 as a member of the Field Crew. He earned his Operator’s License from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 1990 and was promoted to a System Operator at that time. In 1998 Kenny was promoted to Plant Foreman. Then, in 1999, Kenny was appointed Plant and Field Manager where he oversees the Field Crew and the System Operators for the District.

Kenny is a lifetime resident of the Peninsula. He currently resides on the Peninsula with his wife, Rosie, and their three dogs, Hooch, Sophie and Rudy and their three cats, Lily, Abby and Fitz. Kenny and Rosie raised two children, Jessica and Hunter, who have both completed college and are currently living on their own.

Clifford Howard

Clifford started working for BPSUD in May 1992 as a meter reader. He was promoted to Assistant Plant Operator in 1996 and to Plant Operator in 1999. As the District grew and became more automated, Clifford trained in computer technology and was made the District’s Technology Specialist in 2002. In 2005, he was promoted to his current position of Utility Systems Manager where he oversees computer automation, plant instrumentation, daily plant operations, and meter reading.

Clifford attended College of the Mainland where he received a computer certification in Novell and Cisco. He has a Class C Operator’s License and a Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester endorsement issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. He is a fifteen year resident of Port Bolivar where he resides with his partner Sarom, and his two cats, CC and Tux.

Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District Service Area

District Boundaries ~ Galveston County

The District encompasses an area of approximately 60 square miles in Galveston County. The District's service area includes the communities of Port Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Caplan, Gilchrist and High Island. The District currently serves 6000 service connections throughout the Peninsula.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What do I do if I am experiencing low pressure?
Answer: First, check your meter and surrounding area for possible leaks. Second, call our office and report low pressure for your area.

Question: Why is my water milky in color?
Answer: A repair could have been completed recently allowing air to enter the line, causing the milky look.

Question: What chemicals does BPSUD add to the water?
Answer: Chlorine and liquid ammonia sulphate.

Question: Why does my water taste, look and smell funny?
Answer: Once there has been an interruption in service (line breaks and water flow has stopped) this sensitive chemical (chlorine) releases an odor and smell that will take several days to clear up.

Question: My water tastes, looks and smells funny, is it safe to drink?
Answer: All public water systems in the state of Texas are required to maintain a minimum chlorine level of 0.5 (tested at the end of the system) by state law. We maintain a level of 1.5 through 2.5 at the source (tested at the beginning of the system). Our chlorine levels are tested daily to ensure safety. Unless you hear of a "boil water" notice from an emergency situation, your water will always be safe to drink.

Question: Why does my hot water smell funny?
Answer: Most likely your water heater needs to be flushed. This should be done once a year. CAUTION: If you plan on doing this yourself, read the owners manual to keep from being harmed and/or damaging the water heater.

Question: Why does it have a "previous balance" when I know I sent my payment?
Answer: We may have received it after the due date or we may not have received it at all. Call our office and we will help you solve this problem.

Question: I couldn't have used this much water!
Answer: You may not have - numbers can be transposed or hard to read. We can fix it! Or, you could have a leaky toilet that's difficult to detect. Just call the office, we'll help you figure it out!