GRESHAM, Ore. – Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis has announced his retirement with his last day being December 31, 2024. Chief Lewis has spent 42 years in the fire service with 22 of those years in service to the City of Gresham.  

“His deep dedication to public service and to this department has been greatly appreciated,” said Gresham City Manager Eric Schmidt. “My heartfelt best wishes go out to him as he transitions to the next chapter in his life.” 

Chief Lewis began his career in his hometown of Fairborn, Ohio. He served the Fairborn Fire Department for 20 years, in time rising to the role of Operations Deputy Chief. The pursuit of career growth and the opportunities a larger department can offer initially drew him to the City of Gresham. Chief Lewis first started at the City in 2003 as the Deputy Chief of Operations and has served as Fire Chief for much of his tenure at the City. 

“With the passage of the Safety Levy this past May, I can say with confidence that the City of Gresham is moving in the right direction, and this is the right time for me to step down,” said Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis. “It has been my honor to serve as Fire Chief and a great privilege to work alongside the courageous firefighters of the Gresham Fire Department.” 

With the notice of this retirement, City leadership will be beginning the process of a national recruitment with the hope of having a permanent replacement by the spring.  

About Gresham: 

Gresham is a welcoming community of hard-working people where tradition meets innovation and opportunity in Oregon's fourth largest city. Gresham’s residents care deeply about our roots as a homestead and agricultural community and are committed to building a vibrant future. Today, Gresham is a dynamic and rapidly growing city with a desire to thrive. In Gresham, we are family. To learn more, visit www.GreshamOregon.gov or visit us on Twitter at @CityofGresham. 

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GRESHAM, Ore. – The City of Gresham and Rockwood Water People’s Utility District (RWPUD) have each been awarded a $1.5 million grant thanks to the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These grants will help fund the expansion of the local Cascade Groundwater System. 

“We’re using this funding to help expand our local groundwater system and provide a high-quality, resilient drinking water source for the people we serve in East Multnomah County,” said Mike Whiteley, Water Division Manager for the City of Gresham. “By owning and operating our own groundwater system we’ll be able to provide greater rate stability and service to our customers.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant is awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency through Business Oregon and The Oregon Health Authority’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The funding will be used by both agencies for the purchase and installation of Manganese Water Filtration systems.  

To help keep the project affordable, the partners are also taking advantage of other financing options, including federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans. Rockwood has been awarded a WIFIA loan of $30.4 million and is now applying for additional funds. Gresham has been awarded a WIFIA loan of $34 million.  

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants combined with low-interest WIFIA loans support rate stability, long-term affordability, and equitable delivery of high-quality water to the 138,000 residents served by Gresham and Rockwood.

“We’re grateful for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants. They help Gresham and Rockwood come together for the local community and make historic, long-term investments to ensure we have a resilient, affordable, and consistently high-quality water supply well into the future,” Kari Duncan, General Manager of Rockwood Water People's Utility District.

Gresham and RWPUD partnered to form the Cascade Groundwater Alliance and build an independent, safe, and reliable water system to serve East Multnomah County.

The construction of the expanded system, which includes eight groundwater wells, two redundant water transmission lines, three water filtration plants, and 10 million gallons of storage, is currently underway. When it is complete in 2026, the system will provide 33 million gallons of safe, reliable water per day. 

Learn more about the Cascade Ground Water Alliance and the expansion of the local groundwater system at GreshamOregon.gov/Environmental-Services. 
 

About Gresham:

Gresham is a welcoming community of hard-working people where tradition meets opportunity in Oregon's fourth largest city. Gresham’s residents care deeply about our roots and are committed to building a vibrant future. Today, Gresham is a dynamic, innovative, and rapidly growing city with a desire to thrive. To learn more, visit www.GreshamOregon.gov or visit us on Twitter at @CityofGresham.

About Rockwood:

The Rockwood Water People’s Utility District provides drinking water to 66,000 people in the City of Gresham, East Portland and Fairview.  As the Water provider for the Rockwood area since 1925, almost 100 years, it is our mission to provide excellent quality and affordable water to the community.  To learn more, visit www.rwpud.org

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 [EC1]Can we use a shorter URL?