Employee Newsletter Summer 2014
Transcript of Employee Newsletter Summer 2014
Our County Summer 2014 Our County
Continued on page 3...
By Don Walker
Communications Director
Brevard County Public Works utilized Social Media to transform a potential nightmare road project involving replacement of a collapsed stormwater drain on Palm Bay Road into a completely transparent
community conversation.
The collapsed drain was at the intersection of Palm Bay Road and Minton Road, an area used by an estimated 70,000 motorists a day.
Public Works Director John Denninghoff coordinated the community
conversation with assistance from Public Works Business Analyst Rich Ataman, who
established a Facebook page that not only docu-mented the work in pro-
gress, but also allowed citizens to submit ques-tions or raise concerns that were quickly addressed. Comments ranged from “Why are you doing this now?” at
the start of the project to, “You guys are amazing” as the project made rapid progress,
Denninghoff credited coor-
dination between vendors and the county, hard and steadfast work by county road crews and cooperation between the County and city leaders and law enforcement agencies of Palm Bay and West Melbourne, along with Melbourne-
Tillman staff, with making the $650,000 project a success — ahead of schedule, under budget and completed before the start of the hurricane season.
“I have been involved with thousands of projects in my career and seen impressive construc-tion efforts many times, but the effort in this case has been successful beyond the most wild expectations of even the most optimistic and knowledgeable
A Lot To ‘Like’ About Palm Bay Rd. Work
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A $3 million TRIP grant received from the Florida Department of Transportation will help fund Brevard County’s Phase I construction of St. John’s Heritage Parkway, from U.S. 192 south to the Palm Bay city limits, starting this fall.
Construction of the nearly 3.1-mile segment of the parkway is targeted to begin in October. Total cost of construction for Phase I is estimated at $16 million. A second phase, estimated at nearly $14 million, will eventually complete the 5-mile arterial roadway from Palm Bay City limits north to Ellis Road. St. John’s Heritage Parkway is expected to serve as a beltway around Interstate 95, reducing traffic on the interstate by as much as 13,000 vehicles a day. The parkway is planned to accommodate motorists employed by several Fortune 500 contractors and future residential and business development in South Brevard. An additional 3.2 miles of the parkway, funded by the state and city of Palm Bay, is already under construction
from Malabar Road to the Palm Bay city limits. The grant from FDOT District 5 was a team effort of the Public Works finance staff, the Space Coast
Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and the local citizens group, Friends of the Parkway. Tammy Thomas-Wood, department finance manager, reviewed the grant agreement accepting the funds and coordinated preparation of the plans and documents by her staff to meet FDOT’s requirements. Georganna
Gillette, the Space Coast TPO’s transportation program specialist, spent several months’ interacting with FDOT to ensure the inclusion of the project and the funding into the FDOT Work Plan. All of staff’s efforts were supported during several public meetings at both the city, County, and state level by Bob Kamm, executive director of the TPO, and the local grass-roots organization Friends of the Parkway, represented by The Holton Group. The cooperation of the Board of County Commissioners, the Space Coast TPO, and the citizen support thru Friends of the Parkway pushed this project to the construction phase.
$3M TRIP Grant Boosts St. John’s Heritage Parkway Phase I Funding
During a ceremony in May, County Manager Stockton Whitten and Assistant County Manager Venetta Valdengo recognized volunteers who helped make Brevard County Government’s first-ever Black History Month Celebration, held Feb. 25, a huge success.
Those recognized and receiving certificates of appreciation were Cheryl Street, Fred Howell, Miriam Fuentes, Euripides Rodriguez, Shawn Turner, Vicki Bennett, April
Chapman, Loretta Berry, Elijah Santana, Steven Baker, Karen Petters, Nancy Slater, Linda Graham, Leslie Jones, Luis Gonzalez , Jimmy McCalla, Marian Bynum, Felicia Fallen, Lawanna Harrell, Trina Judson, Pam Wright and Natasha Jones.
Diversity Committee members are Venetta Valdengo, Miriam Fuentes, Connie Lea, Robbin Porter, C.J. Herriott, Hector Lopez, Jeff Davis, Donna Parks-Martin, Jocelyn
“Jazz” Scott, Euripides Rodriguez, Andrea Villanueva, Alvin Hall, Don Walker, Jonathan White, Scott Barrett, Kathy Engerran and Leslie Jones.
The Diversity Committee, established as a Bre-vard County Government initiative to celebrate cultural diversity, is currently planning and orga-nizing a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration planned for Sept. 30 at the Government Center in Viera.
Cultural Diversity Committee Recognizes Volunteers
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individuals in this field of endeavor,” Denninghoff said. “I am very proud to have been associated with the staff that were central to accomplishing this repair.”
Denninghoff said few delays were encountered. Even the weather cooperated. “The weather was very nearly not even a factor in the schedule, slowing us no more than three days,” he said.
“I have seen this project move forward so smoothly that I have yet to notice any avoidable delays. This means that all the staff, vendors, material suppliers, schedulers and other supporting agencies cooperated
and participated taking ownership of their roles in perfect harmony with the rest of the team.” Vendor performance was critical to the project’s success, Denninghoff said.
Vendors were: Hanson Pipe and Precast – Precast
Box Culverts
Goodson Paving – Concrete
Headwalls, Curbs, and Sidewalk
Palm City Sod – Sodding
East Coast Fence – Guardrail
Signal Group – Traffic Signal Removal
and Reinstallation
Precision Contracting Services -
Fiber-Optic Cable Realignment and
Repair
ACME - Maintenance of Traffic Signage,
Variable Message Boards
Florida Striping - Road Striping
V.A. Paving – Asphalt Installation
“This outcome, while not always achievable, could only be achieved as a result of hard work and the wise application of hard-earned experience by many committed individuals functioning as a unified team with a clear goal in mind,” Denninghoff said.
“The several programs within Public Works that were needed to complete
this project included Road & Bridge Construction, Road & Bridge Maintenance, Survey, Engineering, Traffic Operations, Traffic Engineering,
and our Administrative staff. I am most proud of the commitment of the County staff which has resulted in this outcome, which I can say is truly outstanding.”
Continued from Page 1 ...
Page 4 Our County
Human Resources presents the 2014 graduates of the Employee Development Program. The program is a series of 20 classes organized into three phases that highlight communication skills, the continuous
improvement process, and organizational philosophies and objectives.
Since August 2013, when the last certificates were awarded, 27 additional employees completed the 20 workshops and passed the voluntary examinations, earning Certificates of Professional Development. Twelve of these employees received certification with Honors, meaning the combined average of all three tests was above 90%.
Front row: Brian Breslin (Housing & Human Services), Leslie Jones (Office of Human Resources). Second row (from left to right): LeeAnn McCullough-Wham (Natural Resources), Valerie Citta (Natural Resources), Devin Swanson (Public Works/Engineering), Laurie Blair (Parks & Recrea-tion/South Area), Rhonda McConnell (Parks & Recreation/Central Area), Shawn Turner (Parks & Recreation/Central Area), Randy Detwiler (Parks & Recreation/South Area), Phillip Bissett (Utility Services), Michael McGrew (Central Services/Facilities), Jeff McKnight (Information Tech-
nology, Christi Winn (Utility Services). Third row (from left to right): Darrell Schmitt (Public Works/Traffic Operations), Darcy Blessing
(Utility Services), Jason Kelly (Public Works/Road & Bridge), James Ennis (Public Works/Engineering), James Savary (Public Works/Road & Bridge), Constance Lea (Budget Office), Stephen Harrell (Utility Services), Cindy Short (Housing & Human Services), Mark Ellenson (Parks & Recreation/South Area), Dawn Verostic (Planning & Development), Don Kean (Utility Services),
John Self (Information Technology), Sascha Albury (Utility Services). Not in photo: Larry Joseph (Central Services/Fleet), and Fred Poppe (Parks & Recreation/South Area).
HR Employee Development Program Graduates 27
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Brevard County Emergency Management stresses the three keys to preparedness this hurricane season: Build a hurricane preparedness kit, make an evacuation/communication plan, and stay informed. The “Stay Informed” component is being emphasized
this year, and residents and county employees are encouraged to register for Emergency Management’s new mass notification system.
Cell phone numbers that are registered to the FirstCall Emergency Notification Service will have the ability to
receive automated message alerts to brush fires, hazardous material incidents, boil-water notices, flood concerns, or other incidents that would directly affect the county. The free service offered through Brevard County Emergency Management is something all residents should take advantage of, said Emergency Management Director Kimberly Prosser.
“We want to get to as many people as we can by using the notification system,” Prosser said, “and we’re sharing the system with Brevard County Fire Rescue and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, as well.” For years, Brevard County has used an automated emergency notification system that provided alerts by telephone via landlines of natural or man-made emergencies that occurred in their area. However, both the
previous system and the new system have access only to telephone numbers that are assigned to home or
business phones, and the previous system had access to only published numbers. Prosser encouraged county employees to go to the Emergency Management website, www.EMBrevard.com, click on ‘Alert Signup’, and register. Those who don’t use computers or don’t have internet access can call FirstCall directly at 866-484-3264 to register their information.
The new system, operated by FirstCall Emergency Notification Service, provides digital emergency notifications via cell phones, text messages or e-mail as well as notifications over landlines. Users also have the ability to select from a variety of weather notifications on the site as well, ranging from severe thunderstorm warnings to tropical storm watches to tornado warnings. The emergency notification system is able to pinpoint whom to notify based on addresses entered into the system, or by an area that is selected on a map.
Hurricane Season 2014:
Stay Informed: Sign Up
for Emergency Alerts
Summer Nights on Florida’s Space Coast… Warm sunshine and glittering waves are the hallmarks of a summer beach vacation. But there's a whole different world to explore after the sun goes down and the stars come out on Florida's Space Coast. Through August, after-dark adventures include nighttime rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center, exhilarating
airboat rides through Florida's lush landscape and bioluminescent night kayaking, an otherworldly experience in which the waters literally light up as kayaks glide through the prettiest parts of the Indian River Lagoon. The phenomenon is caused by tiny bioluminescent plankton that produce streaks of neon-blue light when gently moved by the paddles.
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Summer kicks off with 5th Annual “Vote To End Childhood Hunger” event
Research shows that two out of every five children in Brevard County live in households that struggle to put food
on the table. Forty-five percent of Brevard’s student population receive free or reduced price lunches. These staggering statistics were the motivation behind the crea-
tion of the Vote to End Childhood Hunger Bake
Sale, started five years ago by Supervisor of Elections
Lori Scott.
Supervisor Scott and her staff raised $2539.35 during this year’s Vote to End Childhood Hunger Bake Sale & Raffle, held on May 27th at the Titus-ville, Viera, Melbourne and Palm Bay Supervisor of Elec-tions Offices. Proceeds from this year’s event were once again donated to Project
Hunger & United Way in support of their Feed & Read Program.
“With the community’s sup-port, the Bake Sale has
grown bigger and better every year,” Scott said. “Thank you to everyone who participated this year, start-ing with the amazing bakers on my staff, our wonderful corporate partners, and of course our many bake sale customers who, through their generous contributions, allowed us to increase our donation by 25% over last year.”
Eight raffle baskets were available during this year’s Bake Sale. Winners were: Janet Whittimore-Titusville Dinner, Movie, & Dessert Basket (valued at $105); Shirley Corliss-Titusville “Lunch Is On Us” Basket (valued at $209); Gina Cogan-Family Summer Fun Basket (valued at $565); Catherine Parks-Father’s Day Basket (valued at $650); Terri Bowyer-Pamper Basket (valued at $300); Gloria Mullings-Date Night Basket (valued at $500), Valerie Citta-Victory Casino Cruise (valued at $440); Sandy Nathanson-Texas Roadhouse Basket (valued at $35); Ginny Jacobsen-Silent Auction Photograph
(valued at $60).
“I couldn’t be prouder of my staff and our community,” Scott said. “It was an honor and a blessing to donate this year’s check to such a worthy cause.”
Supervisor of Elections Bake Sale
For more information on Project Hunger & United Way’s Feed & Read Program, please visit
http://www.thechildrenshungerproject
.org/uw-feed-and-read-
program.
Come on “Get Happy” at Local Hotels …
Hoteliers along Florida’s Space Coast are rolling out the welcome mat for families every Friday night through August.
Dubbed “Family Happy Hour,” the events take place from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and include poolside games, groovy music, bonfires and signature kiddie-cocktails.
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NORTH REACH RESTORATION TOPS AMONG AMERICA’S BEACHES The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) named Brevard County’s North Reach beach restoration one of four national winners of its 2014 Best Restored Beach Award.
“ASBPA created the Best Restored Beach Award in 2001 as a way of highlighting the value of America’s re-
stored beaches,” said Harry Simmons, mayor of Caswell Beach, N.C., and ASBPA president. “As Americans flock to our coastline during the upcoming beach season, most don’t even realize they may be enjoying a restored beach.” Brevard County’s North Reach restoration focused on 9.4 miles of shoreline, including Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach. Previous restoration efforts of the once highly eroded beach area exceeded expectations in
the face of extraordinary storm events in 2004 and 2012 and helped turn a shoreline lined with seawalls and rock revetments into one of wide beaches and flourishing dunes, drawing tourists and turtles alike to its inviting sandy shores. Recovery projects implemented in 2005 and 2014 have helped sustain the integrity of the project initially begun in the fall of 2000. “Brevard Beach caught our eye because it established wide dunes and beaches where in previous years ero-
sion had completely eliminated the beaches and dunes,” said Lee Weishar, chair of the Best Restored Beach Committee. “The new beach is absolutely fabulous. Additionally, many thousands of people using these beaches most likely have no clue that this is a restored beach. This will provide Brevard a chance to edu-cate the many lucky folks that get to use the beaches.”
The 2014 North Reach renourishment placed nearly 1 million cubic yards of sand at a cost of roughly $15 million, which was virtually 100 percent federally funded, though some state dollars and Brevard County
bed tax revenues generated by overnight hotel stays were also used. Brevard County officials say the cost for renourishment is balanced by the $1.6 billion estimated economic impact to Brevard’s economy each year by beach-related tourism. Others beaches awarded were Aquia Landing County Park in Stafford County, Va.; Iroquois Point Beach, Oahu, Hawaii; and North Topsail Beach, N.C.
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County adds signs warning of currents…. New rip current warning signs will be going up along 53 miles of public beaches on the Space Coast. The signs will be bilingual because of the large number of Spanish speakers who frequent our beaches. In
addition to a description with a diagram informing beachgoers how to escape rip currents, there will be a phone number and website that will have information about locations of lifeguard-staffed beaches. A link to a BrightHouse Networks app will provide weather warnings accessible by smart phone. The county plans to make 260 signs which will be placed at Brevard’s 230 public beach
crossovers, with 30 spares for replacement use. The TDC unanimously approved the $16,000 cost will be covered by revenue from our resort tax.
I Need My Space!... The Space Coast Office of Tourism is hoping to drive visits to our area through a stepped -up focus on social media,
targeting families with our jingle that declares, “I need my space.” A contest asks people to create the best short video (up to 30 seconds) using the promo song. The winner will get a five-day trip for four
to the Space Coast. The contest will use not only the Office of Tourism website and a specially
created micro-site, but also Facebook, Google, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, incorpo-
rating a unique social media hashtag (#ineedmyspace) into the promotion. This tourism pitch will run thru September and will target the North and the Southeast.
Social Media Buzz…. Twsquared, the TDC’s public relations Agency, is generating social media buzz in a joint effort with the KSC Visitor Complex. Five “Mommy bloggers,” travel writers who focus on family vacations, visited the Space Coast for a
weekend. The idea is that the bloggers will spread the word about the Space Coast to their readers. In addition, two travel experts/mommy bloggers are working with the PR agency on a summer blitz to the
Atlanta, Jacksonville and Orlando markets. The promotion focuses on “vacations that pack a punch” - touting “authentic thrill rides” such as kayak racing, kite-boarding, surfing and zip-lining. These bloggers will share their real-world tips on planning active, easy, outside-the-box vacations for families with kids ages 7 to 14. They will be featured on English and Spanish language media in those markets, which are prime areas for attracting people to the Space Coast.
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If you’re looking for a new pet, Brevard County Animal Services is letting you name your own adoption fee for the shelter’s dogs, cats, kittens and pup-pies.
Prospective animal adopters can pay any price they choose for their new pet starting July 1 at the shelters in Melbourne and Titusville as part of the shelter’s “Name Your Price” adoption
promotion, which runs through July 31.
All of the dogs and cats housed at the County’s animal care centers, which are the only open
admissions shelters in Brevard County, are in-cluded in the monthlong promotion and will come spayed/neutered, vaccinated and micro-chipped. Adopters will also need to purchase a County animal license for their new pet, which is $10 per year.
“Adopters are encouraged to make a donation they can afford when adopting a shelter pet,” said Karla Torpy, Director of Animal Services & Enforcement. “When you adopt from the
County shelters, your pet has already received hundreds of dollars of free pet services, includ-ing vaccines, spay/neutering, deworming, flea treatment feline leukemia test, heart worm testing and prevention medication.”
To see dogs or cats available for adoption, visit the Brevard County Animal Care Centers at 5100 W. Eau Gallie Blvd. in Melbourne or 2605 Flake Road in Titusville or go to the shelter website at http://www.brevardcounty.us/AnimalServices. The Animal Care Centers are
open from Noon to 6 p.m. every day but Wednesday.
July is “Name Your Price” Pet Adoption Month at Brevard County Shelters
2014 Top Tourism
Awards The TDC is proud to announce the winners of the 2014 Hospitality & Tourism Awards: Eddie James Brown received the Hospital-ity Specialist of the Year award and Rob Varley, Director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism, received the Solomon “Portrait of Excellence.” Brown has been the cook at
the Cocoa Beach International Palms Resort for 45 years. Varley plans to retire in October.
TDC member Tom Williamson (L) presented awards to Rob Varley and Eddie James Brown.
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A Grand Opening and ribbon-cutting was held on May 28th for the New Sarno Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center. This new facility replaces an old temporary shed and will provide more storage, easier
navigation and the addition of another operational day
for the public. E-waste (electronics) is now accepted at this new expanded facility. Now open four days a week Wednesday through Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Brevard County Solid Waste has been involved with household hazardous waste
(HHW) collection since the
early 1980’s. In fact the Solid Waste Department had one of the first county pro-grams to partner with the Florida Department of Envi-ronmental Regulation (FDER)
to host a six-day “Amnesty Days” event where residents could bring in their old paint, pesticides, motor oil, batter-ies, etc. and know that it was going to be disposed of prop-erly.
In 1987 the Solid Waste Department received a $50,000
grant from FDER, to help build the first permanent HHW Collection Center in Cocoa, followed by the temporary site
here at Sarno in 1996 and a third facility at the Mocking-bird Mulching Facility in Titusville in 1997.
To date we have serviced over 320,000 customers at
these HHW Collection Centers; averaging 600 participants each week, collecting recycling and safely managing over 14 million pounds of waste over the past 26 years.
One of the highlights of the HHW Program has been the County’s Paint Recycling Program. Since the beginning, paint has been the largest component of household haz-
ardous waste collected. The Department recognized the waste of resources these disposal mechanisms rep-resented; both of wasted usable latex paint and the lost energy value in oil based paint. Enter “Richard’s Paint Company”, they took on the challenge… and the rest is history!
The County’s recycle paint program is an example of a collaborative and pioneering effort, coordinated by the Solid Waste Management Department and Richard’s Paint Manufacturing Company. Our program has received numerous awards since its inception (1988) including recognition as the first initiative of its kind in the nation (1989) and “Longstanding Program Partnership Government/Private” (2009 & 2010).
The Department segregates out all good latex paint and Richard’s consolidates, reprocesses and repackages
the paint into one and five gallon cans with the County’s own “Brevard Recycled Paint” label for re-
distribution to the public. To date an estimated over 500,000 gallons of paint have been recycled.
New Sarno Center Targets Household Hazardous Waste
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In March 2014, Bruce Black waspromoted to Road & Bridge ConstructionManager. He has 25 years of experiencein building and paving roads. Twentyyears of his experience was spent in theprivate sector managing projects for VAPaving, APAC, and Old Castle BuildingMaterials. His philosophy is to “put out aquality product, safely”.Bruce and his lovely wife, Susan, havetwo children and one grandchild. Whenhe’s not working, he enjoys fishing,hunting, golf, grilling, and spending timewith his family.
Our New Construction Manager
Jessica Taylor
Jim Marple
Our New DataControl SpecialistsJim Marple works for South Area RB Maintenance and has extensive experience in computer software and process engineering.
Jessica Taylor works for North Area RB Maintenance She‘s a UCF Knight with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a technology and aerospace background.
Page 12 Our County
CPR Training Saves LivesAccording to the American Heart Association, 92 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. Fortunately, Road & Bridge Heavy Equipment Operator, Ed Kaelin, averted that statistic on March 28, 2014. While completing a pipe replacement project on Merritt Island, he went into cardiac arrest. Thanks to their quick thinking and CPR training, James Aquino and Jason Colson were able to apply all the life saving techniques they’d been taught until the Fire Rescue EMS arrived. This type of outcome is why we provide CPR & First Aid training to our employees each year. It really pays off – Just ask Ed Kaelin.
Human Resources’ Training & Development Dynamic-Duo:Leslie Jones & Jennifer Meyer
From left to right: Jason Colson, Ed Kaelin, James Aquino
The Human Resource office continues to play an invaluable role in support of the Road & Bridge Program’s commitment to continuous learning and skill development. To help educate and empower our employees, Leslie Jones and Jennifer Meyer designed a two hour training session tailored to our operation. Employees were taught how to create a smart goal - one that is aligned with the strategic goals of the organization, and how to create a career development plan - one that prepares them for the challenges and opportunities we continue to face. Our employees are our greatest asset, as such, their ability to adapt to new technologies, innovate on inefficient processes, and increase production is why we’re committed to a culture of continuous learning.
Employee Development
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Mike Brooks, ASC Certified Master Truck Technician Heavy Equipment Mechanic III
On July 31st, longtime employee, Mike Brooks, is putting down the wrench and packing up the RV Camper. After 36 years of service, he and his adventurous wife, plan on traveling the back roads of the United States camping and exploring new places of interest.
During his career with Brevard County, Mike repaired everything from SCAT buses, Solid Waste heavy landfill equipment to Road & Bridge construction & maintenance heavy equipment. His supervisor, Tom Biamonte, explained that "Mike may be the dirtiest person at the end of the day, but he was the hardest working – often doing the work of two people.” He also added that Mike was never afraid to tackle any type of repair.
We extend our gratitude and thanks for 36 years of excellence and wish you the best in your retirement. The Road & Bridge team will be celebrating his retirement on July 25th.
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Page 15 Our County
On Saturday, April 26th, the Brevard County Fire Rescue & Friends Team once again participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies at the Space Coast Stadium. Team Captain Carrie Cotter sends a special thanks to the TEAM (cause there’s no “I” in TEAM), to Pam Barrett, Danielle
Jackson, Jennifer Wyman, Ra-chel Poteet, Michelle Levar, Jen Jones, Jill Hayes and our newest walker (and token male) Devin Swanson.
The Team’s fundraising efforts this year included three very fun events. Jennifer Wyman held the first fundraiser by hosting a Thirty-
One party in her home. Fun was
had by all as we viewed and shopped the unique and stylish Thirty-One products. The Team thanks Thirty-One consultant Dawn Niehoff for generously donating a percentage of the sales ($202) to
our Teams’ fundraising goal.
Cotter held the second fundraiser event hosting a Tastefully Simple
party. Tastefully Simple is all about food, fun and friends all of which were in abun-dance (and Tastefully Simple slush drinks!) at the party. Thanks to Tastefully Simple consult-ant Jenny Lucas for a great party and donating
a percentage of sales ($200) to our Team.
And thanks to all of you that attended both fundraisers and to those of you who missed out on the fun but still placed orders.
The Teams’ biggest and most popular fund-raiser is the raffle baskets. We would like to thank all of you who supported the Team by buying raffle tickets for a chance to win 8 awe-
some prize packs. In the raffle alone, the Team raised $1,981.00 and this was only possible because of YOU and the generosity of spon-sors: Aja Salon & Day Spa, Avon Independent Sales Representative Lee Nessel, Azteca II Mexican Restaurant, Basil Pizza & Pasta, The Bath Cottage, Best Western Ocean Beach Hotel & Suites, Bone-fish Grill, Comfort Inn in Cocoa Beach, Courtyard by Marriott, Dixie Crossroads, Duran Golf Club, Essentials
Spa, Firehouse Subs, Fishlips, Grills Tiki Bar, Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach, Imperial Salon & Spa, La Bella Spa, Lia Sophia Jewelry Consultant Joyce Brose, Milliken’s Reef, Norman’s Raw Bar & Grill, Orlando Pet Supplies, Peanut’s Hair Attraction Salon & Spa, The Resort on Cocoa Beach, Rusty’s Seafood & Oyster Bar, TJ Nails, Victory Cruise Casino Cruise Line, Viera East Golf Club, Wakulla Suites and WonderWorks Orlando.
Throughout the year, please be sure to visit and support all these awesome sponsors who donated to our raf-fle as their bighearted contributions made it possible for our TEAM to not only meet our goal from last year but PASS IT RIGHT ON BY and for this we are most appreciative! Because of your generosity and support the TEAM collectively raised $3,257!!!
Fun-filled Events Highlight March of Dimes Campaign
Congratulations to the following winners:
Wasting Away in Margaritaville Basket – Anne Wickham, Supervisor of
Elections
Two Bottles are Better than Wine – Sue Wesley, South Area Road &
Bridge
Time Flies When You’re Having Rum – Beverly Joyner, Kennedy Space
Center
Lia Sophia Jewelry – Cindy Paulin, Fire Rescue
Pamper Me or My Mom or My Aunt or My Sister – Naomi Hicks, Planning
& Development
Avon Calling – Kathy Prothman, Clerk of Courts/Finance
Certificate Bundle – Laurie Rice, Clerk of Courts
50/50 Drawing – Dana Blickley, Property Appraiser (The Team wants to send a very special THANK YOU to Blickley, who so kindheartedly donated
her 50/50 winnings ($213) back to our team!)
Page 16 Our County
Oyster Gardening Project Earns KBB Accolades
On April 5th, Keep Brevard Beautiful recognized individuals and community organizations for outstanding service to Brevard County. Six categories of good stewardship were honored including: Corporate, Tour-ism, Education, Non-profit, Individual and Government. For the best project by a non-profit, they selected Brevard’s Oyster Gar-
dening Project, a partnership between Brevard County and Bre-vard Zoo. Brevard County teamed with Brevard Zoo this year to engage the community in an oyster gardening project to help clean the Indian River Lagoon. So far, nearly 500 Brevard County resi-dents are caring for young oysters in habitats hung beneath
their docks. The goal for the first year of this program is to en-gage 1000 citizens in helping to identify ideal areas for restoring the lagoon’s oysters and to grow 1 million of them this year.
Oysters are filter feeders that live off algae and other suspended solids that cloud the water. Cloudy water prevents sunlight from
penetrating to the bottom where seagrasses need light to grow. Adult oysters can clean over 50 gallons of water a day as they feed. By filtering and clarifying water in the lagoon, oysters improve water quality, reduce algae blooms and help seagrass habitats recover from recent losses. Brevard Zoo, Brevard County Natural Resources, and Brevard County Extension Services have partnered to train community volunteers to be oyster gardeners. Oyster gardeners are provided all the materials they need for gardening, are coached on how to construct four habitats each, and trained to be citizen scientists
- caring for their oysters and collecting scientific data that will be used to prioritize potential oyster reef res-toration sites. To become an oyster gardener, sign up for a workshop by contacting Sammy Anderson at [email protected]
Parks and Recreation
Department threw a farewell party for Juliet Misconi from Central Services to wish her well on her new endeavors as Senior Contracts
Administrator with the City of Palm Bay.
Left to Right (back row):
Hector Lopez, Lindsay
Perry, Mike Knight, Terry
Stoms, Larry Wo-jciechowski, Jack Mas-
son, Terry Lane, Greg
Minor, (front row) Denise
Hayes, Lee Lowerre,
Juliet Misconi, Marsha
Cantrell, Connie Batt, and
Joyce Carlton.
A Fond Farewell
Page 17 Our County
We rented a small alpine-style cabin a few hundred meters
above the village of Berchtes-gaden for nearly a week.
This region is known for its mountainous beauty; its ex-tremely devout Catholicism; and as the nearest town to Hitler's "Bergdorf" mountain home (and the infamous
"Eagle's Nest.") Joyce and I came for the incredible moun-tain hiking the area affords — Jeff Thompson.
Libraries Director Jeff Thompson Takes a Hike To the Swiss Alps
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Page 20 Our County
Name Dept. Name Position Date
ARNOLDY, JOHN M FLEET SERVICES CENTRAL FLEET SYSTEMS CONTROL SUPERVISOR
5/10/2014
HAONG, AMANDA M SUPERVISOR OF ELEC-TIONS
CANDIDATE COORDINATOR 4/26/2014
JOHNSON, ANDREA C COMMUNITY RE-SOURCES
HOUSING TECHNICIAN I 5/10/2014
SCULLY, KARLEE SUPERVISOR OF ELEC-TIONS
ELECTIONS NVRA SPECIALIST 5/10/2014
CALLARD, OWEN W WATER RESOURCES CONSTRUCTION COORDINA-TOR
5/10/2014
SCHMITT, JAMES C EMPLOYEE BENEFITS HUMAN RESOURCES BENE-FITS SPECIALIST
5/10/2014
KINDLER, JR., JAMES E ROADWAY MAINT HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERA-TOR III
5/10/2014
HUTSON, KEITH A ROADWAY MAINT AUTO EQUIP OPER II 5/10/2014
CATRETT, CHRISTOPHER N.
FIRE RESCUE LT FIRE MEDIC 2 4/26/2014
DACKO, II, JOHN E FIRE RESCUE LT FIRE MEDIC 2 4/26/2014
TAYLOR, JEFFREY E FIRE RESCUE DIST CHIEF-UNCERTIFIED 4/26/2014
JURGENSEN, SCOTT M FIRE RESCUE DISTRICT CHIEF 4/26/2014
MULHOLLAND, SHEILA F LIBRARY SERVICES-CAPE CANAVERAL
LIBRARY ASSISTANT I 4/27/2014
BARRETT, PAMELA A COUNTY MANAGER ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TO COUNTY MANAGER
5/1/2014
COTTON, STEPHANIE J FIRE OPERATIONS SPECIAL PROJECTS CORDINA-TOR II
4/26/2014
MCCAIN, JR., BOBBY E. ROADWAY MAINT AUTO EQMT OP II 4/26/2014
SALAZAR, ROBERT E PARKS & RECREATION SOUTH
RECREATION PROGRAM CO-ORDINATOR I
4/26/2014
Page 21 Our County
Employees Recognized for Jobs Well Done, Services
Name Award Department
Michael Bohm Job Well Done Award Animal Services
William Turgeon Job Well Done Award Animal Services
Lynn Hollenbeck Job Well Done Award Central Services
Dawn Sale Job Well Done Award Central Services
Debbie Sheffield Job Well Done Award Central Services
Terry Thornton Job Well Done Award Central Services
Merrill Vincent Job Well Done Award Central Services
Aaron Wilder Job Well Done Award Central Services
Juan Alicea Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Steven Baker Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Scott Barrett Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Vicki Bennett Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Loretta Berry Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Marian Bynum Volunteer Service Award County Manager
April Chapman Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Jeff Davis Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Kathy Engerran Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Felicia Fallen Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Mirian Fuentes Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Luis Gonzalez, Jr. Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Linda Graham Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Alvin Hall Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Lawanna Harrell Volunteer Service Award County Manager
CJ Herriott Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Fred Howell Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Leslie Jones Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Natasha Jones Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Trina Judson Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Connie Lea Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Hector Lopez Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Jimmy McCalla Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Donna Parks-Martin Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Karen Petters Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Page 21 Our County
Awards continued ...
Robbin Porter Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Euri Rodriguez Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Elijah Santana Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Jazz Scott Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Nancy Slater Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Cheryl Street Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Shawn Turner Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Andrea Villanueva Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Don Walker Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Jonathan White Diversity Workforce Achievement County Manager
Pam Wright Volunteer Service Award County Manager
Lacie Davis Exceptional Cooperation Award Emergency Management
Brian Breslin Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
John Jay Castillo Extra Mile Award Housing & Human Services
Juanita Davis Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Juanita Davis Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
David Dye Extra Mile Award Housing & Human Services
Chenita Joiner Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Gordon Mark Extra Mile Award Housing & Human Services
Michael McDonald Extra Mile Award Housing & Human Services
Michael McDonald Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Vaishali Patel Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Vaishali Patel Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Leslie Singleton Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Lesley Singleton Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Nancy Slater Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Sandra Urban Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Christine Valdyke Pulling Together Award Housing & Human Services
Joe Clanton Extra Mile Award Information Technology
Submit Articles/
Photos/Info to:
Don Walker SCGTV/
Communications
Viera C-207 or MS#83
Phone: 321.690.6843
Fax: 321.617.7214 Don.Walker@brevardco
unty.us
Our County Page 22
By Lacie Davis
Emergency Management
We are surrounded everyday by all the noise in the world, so I thought I would give you something to smile about. In April, we had two pit bulls running around our parking lot here at the
Emergency Operations Center in Rockledge. It was a mama and her pup. They had been living in one of the homes across the street and were
not being very well taken care of. They were often roaming the street, always together. Many of us had
called Animal Services, who made several visits to the home. On that day in April, I was alerted to the dogs in our parking lot and I couldn’t just let it go. So, I went out-
side, called them over, leashed them up and brought them inside. They were full of fleas, and were so skinny you could see their ribs. We got them some water and food from the veteri-nary clinic up the street. In true pit bull fashion, they were nothing but
grateful and loving.
It is often said that doing the right thing is not always easy. I knew I had to call Animal Services, and I knew they were going to be taken to the North Animal Care Center, which was
already full and is a shelter that does not get much foot traffic. But I kept up with them, through the Friends of the North Animal Care Center Facebook page. The SPCA in Titusville pulls dogs and cats from NACC when they have space. They do this
often, and it is a wonderful partnership. If they didn’t, more animals would be euthanized. Well, my prayers were answered and the SPCA pulled Mama and Isis! I knew they would be safe until they were adopted. Recently, I checked with the Adoption Coordinator and
both have been adopted and are doing great! So many ask why I do what I do, and this is why. Yes, there is so much sadness, but there
are also great stories, such as this. Their fate may have been so different. The animal world is my passion and it feeds my soul. I encourage all of you to find some-
thing you are passionate about. For me it is animals, but for you it may be running, fish-
ing, singing, saving the lagoon. Feed your soul, make a difference, it is so worth it.
ISIS
MAMA
‘A Difference Made’ For ‘Mama’ and ‘Pup’ Pit Bulls