When Walter Popoff first ran for Area H director in 2008, he didn’t know how long he would last.
Eighteen years later, he’s preparing to leave the Regional District of Central Kootenay board after five terms.
Popoff recently announced he would not seek re-election in this fall’s local government elections, ending nearly two decades representing the Slocan Valley.
When he first took office in 2008, Popoff said the population of Area H was around 4,000. It has since grown to more than 5,000.
He said one of the things he has valued most during his time as director has been connecting with residents face to face.
“The ability to work with different communities and the people in the different communities, that’s what I value the most, is the person-to-person engagement with my residents,” Popoff said.
Popoff said the support of volunteers who served on commissions and committees, along with Regional District of Central Kootenay staff, also helped him navigate difficult issues throughout his time as director.
“The support that I received from the volunteers that volunteered to sit on commissions was fantastic, and that helped me navigate through difficult issues,” he said. “Without the volunteers sitting on commissions and staff support, I would’ve had a lot of problem navigating through all the difficult issues that came up in Area H.”
Among the projects that stand out from his time as director is the development of an enforceable noise bylaw in Area H.
Popoff said residents had raised concerns about electronic music events that could run from Friday through Monday morning and disturb nearby communities.
The RDCK began enforcing the bylaw in 2023, and Popoff said it helped resolve the issue.
“We did enforce it, and that stopped the problem that was there. So that was a great accomplishment,” he said.
As he prepares to leave the position, Popoff said he hopes the next Area H director understands the Slocan Valley and the communities they will represent.
“What would help an incoming director is knowing the Slocan Valley and the different communities in the Slocan Valley,” Popoff said.
“A director that gets elected after just coming recently to the Slocan Valley, without knowing the residents, they will have a difficult time.”
He said building person-to-person relationships with community leaders would help an incoming director navigate the role.
Popoff also hopes several projects underway in the area continue moving forward.
They include the establishment of a Slocan Valley services committee involving the three villages and Area H, plans for Campbell Field at Playmor Junction and an ecological assessment underway at Krestova Park.
“There are other issues in Area H that have been started and I would hope the new director would continue them rather than drop them,” Popoff added.
Before becoming Area H director, Popoff worked for BC Tel and later Telus, starting in maintenance before moving into engineering and design.
He has lived in the Slocan Valley his entire life and his family first came to the area in 1927.
His work with Telus also took him throughout the region, giving him familiarity with the Slocan Valley and surrounding communities before he entered local government.
As his time as director comes to an end, Popoff said he will miss engaging with residents and working alongside staff and volunteers.
He thanked the people who supported him throughout his five terms.
“I’d like to thank everybody for their support over the last 18 years,” Popoff said. “The volunteers that volunteered to sit on the committees of Area H and the staff support was very important.”
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