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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-08 a .:.:: A ::; Newsletter r for and Retirees Q 7 ( s Employees t • •••••• • • ••• . • •• • • ... ••........ ... .. m o Qas an y R P Tom k t fT ty ' o :R o 0 Information Services ;k,`~ ' August 2000 . � Volume 13 Number 8 County Sponsored We hope that we can make these blood drives an annual or semi - annual event since blood supplies are short and blood is Blood Drive A Success in such great demand, especially in the summer months. So, By Jackie Kippola & Cheryl Nelson be watching for information on next year's drives and we The first County sponsored blood drives were held on July hope that you will take the opportunity to give then and at any 31st at Biggs A and August 10th at the Human Services other blood drives that you may be aware of. Remember, it Building. The goal was to get at least 40 County employees to could be you or a loved one that needs blood - help to make donate. However, we are proud to announce that over 100 sure that it is always available. employees donated to this worthy cause.'" re ; ! a We would like to take this opportunity to thank the County ',' i t ; 0 ' employees that took time from their busy schedules to donate ,� ' , l„ blood. We would also like to thank the other employees that ` .�2 assisted with the blood drives by performing receptionist or 1 r . , canteen duties. Special thanks to Jamie Wright and Lyn Byrd from the Highway Division for assisting with signs to route people to the donation site at Biggs A. Thanks, also, to the Department Heads for granting time away from work to the"' ��� employees in order that they could donate. Everyone's 1 assistance is appreciated. `'`' • We would also like to extend a HUGE thank you to the" County employees that served as Recruitment Team Members and helped us to organize the blood drives by serving as , contacts in the various County facilities. The organization and signing up of donors would not have been possible without the Jonathan Wood, Deputy County Attorney, was just one of the help of these individuals. The Recruitment Team Members many county employees who donated blood. were: Joan Jurkowich .., Michelle Pottorff r , . >�r . , ;,w N ` Dianna Schooley '"; j, r p Tim Kessler r = Mary Mills Kim Moore —� , Barbara Davieds Tim Stephenson 4 Marl Anderson . . ' - -wg10 ' Paula Herman � , Judy Milks r: Donna Whitaker Michelle Eighmey '? _ Roxan Noble ,, i. ` � . 11 Suzanne Phillips` Linnets Warner Ted Schiele Dwight Mengel Vickie Gustafson was just one of the many Red Cross Jackie Yoder Volunteers who helped make the blood drive a success. eight members of the Editorial Board have dedicated themselves to promoting the newsletter, setting policies, obtaining articles, and meeting monthly to review = content and layout. Two of its members, Judy Tynyk County and Bill Chapp, have served since the inception of Corridors. I'd like to especially thank Judy for all she has done for us since former editor Ruth Pond retired at the Administrator's ,47 end of 1999. Corridors was created thirteen years ago as a publication by and for the employees and retirees of Report the County. The Editorial Board's efforts are what keep it that way. My thanks to all of you. By Rick Erb Are Your Records Current ? ?? I don't think anyone doubts the importance of making a There are several reasons an employee must keep the good first impression and for government agencies, that Personnel Department advised of specific events. Here are a is especially true. Most citizens deal with their couple. government as infrequently as possible and this may lead to frustration when trying to make contact with a 1) Change of Address — The County is required to system that is foreign to them. Maybe you have maintain a record of an employee's home address. If experienced it yourself, when attempting to work with you move be sure to advise your department another governmental entity. Most of us know good administrator and /or the Personnel Department. customer service when we see it, but how do you define Personnel will automatically notify your health or measure it? Recently the Canadian Centre for insurance provider of address changes. Management Development surveyed 2,900 citizens to learn what the appropriate standards might be for 2) Changes in Dependent Status — A change in routine governmental transactions. See how your own dependent status could occur for any one of the perceptions compare with these excerpts from the study. following reasons: Ninety-seven percent of those surveyed find 30 seconds • Marriage or Divorce to be an acceptable time to wait on the telephone for a government representative. • Death of a dependent Eighty-five percent think that two is the maximum ♦ Birth or adoption of a child number of people you should have to deal with on a telephone request. • Dependent child satisfies or ceases to satisfy eligibility requirements. 'This could occur if a Seventy percent think that a telephone voice child turns age 19 and is no longer a full -time message should be returned within four hours. student. or if a dependent child turns age 23. Ninety percent believe that an e to a government Whenever a dependent loses their dependent eligibility for office should be responded to within four hours. health insurance, they may qualify for continuation of health coverage under COBRA. Questions should be referred to The acceptable time for a snail mail reply? Two weeks. Jackie Yoder, Benefits Manager, 274 (must be very little confidence in the Canadian postal service). Sixty -eight percent find waiting in line for five minutes to Good News for BCBS Subscribers be acceptable. BlueCross BlueShield of Central New York has "paid back" to Naturally, these responses reflect the Canadian Tompkins County and its BCBS subscribers $533,932. This payment represents the amount of premium payments made in perception of public services. But does anyone believe excess of medical claims paid during calendar year 1999. that the results would be much different in the U.S.? Even the Internal Revenue Service has taken the issue of The portion of this check attributable to County employees service standards to a new level and adopted a 95% "no will be returned in the form of premium relief during the busy signal" rate for their 800 number. If they can do month of September (for October insurance coverage). that, imagine what we can accomplish in Tompkins County. Retirees with BCBS coverage will receive Before closing, I'd like to express my appreciation to the separate notification of their health insurance rebate. people who make Corridors happen each month. The "Upstate NY ", or Ithaca, NY, home of Cornell (which most DO" 24° people know about even if they never heard of Ithaca). This helps. I do understand what you are saying, and have encountered the same thing many times, and have felt the mg a same frustration. From THEIR perspective, however, four out of ten people in New York State live in New York City. In the Dear Dan and Danielle, absence of any further knowledge of where you live in New Recently I got a call from an old friend who's been York, NYC is not a bad guess. unemployed for quite some time due to an addiction. He wants to use me as a reference for a job, and 1 don't know — Danielle what to say about him. Do you have any ideas? Dear Ithacan, No Name Please I've got a good idea. The next time someone assumes such things, give them $20 and a ride to NYC for a Dear No Name, night. Then bring them Upstate and do the same. They'll My advice would be to offer references based on the know the difference between Upstate NY and the City in a best attributes of your friend. Whether or not the addiction hurry. still exists is not your personal knowledge. You were friends with this person, so you must have some positive statements - Dan you can make related to his or her character or quality of work. This should be the extent of your reference. The fact that your friend is actively seeking employment indicates that he or she may have worked through whatever problem Dear Dan and Danielle, previously existed and want to rejoin the workforce. This is a 1 am a new stepparent of two teenage boys. 1 get positive step forward, and your loyalty and support for your along with each of the boys individually just fine, but when friend will go a long way towards making this step a reality. they are together I am at a loss. They can't keep their hands off from each other. They are always hitting, pinching, Danielle poking, etc. It is driving me crazy! They also think it is funny to pinch and poke at me! I am not a pinchy, pokey Dear No name, person and l don't know how to help them show affection This is a difficult one. I've been in a similar position without being mean. How would you handle this situation? and still don't know if I did the right thing. don't want to sound rude, but I want to tell them to keep their I'd have to agree with Danielle that you need to base cotton - pickin' hands to themselves! your decisions on your knowledge of the person. BUT, then Pinchy Pokey NOT! there's the case that "you know too much ". In this case, you have to weigh whether or not you think this person HAS Dear Pinchy Pokey NOT, changed their work ethics, addictions, etc. OR WILL change More than likely, it is a typical adolescent guy thing. their work ethics, addictions, etc. after receiving such a job Much like whispering and giggling is an adolescent girl thing opportunity. (which, to me is even more annoying than the pinchy pokey In either case, you really need to decide if you want stuff). your name attached to this person. It could come back to The fact that they are taunting you, their new Step - haunt you if you don't think this through. Mom, this way probably means that they have accepted you into their "bonding ritual ". BUT you must insist that they Dan modify their behavior and not do this because it causes you physical pain. I honestly believe they do not know that this hurts and that girls HATE it. It will be your job to teach them. Dear Dan and Danielle, They must learn that pinching, poking, or hitting a Why is it that when 1 mention to anyone that 1 am girl is NEVER okay. No matter whether they are kidding from New York they automatically think I am from the city? around, or genuinely upset.... It is never okay to do this to Don't people in other places of this world realize that New women. You will be their mentor and trainer on the finer York State is MUCH bigger than New York City? After all graces of how to treat a lady. Let the training begin. the total area of New York State is 54,471.144 square miles ( http:/ /iloveny.state.ny.us /facts.htm) and the total population - Danielle of New York State is estimated at 18,196,601 people. With 10,776,435 of those people NOT living in NYC (See Dear Pinchy Pokey NOT, www. census. gov /pupulation /estimates /state /st- 99- 3.txt). It's important to get your spouse involved in this situation. At this point in the game, your loved one has more Ithacan of relationship with the children and will probably be able to Dear Ithacan, get through to them a little easier. When I tell people where I live, 1 generally say - Dan 2000 TOMPKINS COUNTY GOLF TOURNAMENT FRIDAY SEPT. 8th, REGISTRATION 8:15, TEE -OFF @ 9:00 a.m. (fringe time to be used) 6 Location : s • . • • • TRUMANSBURG G II F COURSE HALSEY STREET, TRUMANSBURG. LIE 4 Person Team, Captain and Crew Al Shot Gun Start Cost: $36.00 per person, includes 1 greens fee, 18 Holes, 1 cart rental, and Hot Dog/Hamburger after 9 holes, Chicken BBQ after 18 holes Pay in Advance by September 1ST Team Format: - Must have at least 2 County Employees on the 4 person team - Team can include employees from various departments Please return this form with check(s) of 4 x $36 = $144 per team to: Jackie Kippola @ County Administration by SEPTEMBER 1ST. (check payable to Trumansburg Golf Course) Yes, I'm interested. Name My Department 1. 2. 3. Team Mate's Name Team Mate's Name Team Mate's Name W est Nile Virus • Remove all discarded tires from your property. 1 • Drill holes in the bottoms of recycling containers WNV Response Plan Being Used that are kept outdoors. By Steven Kern, Environmental Health • Clean clogged rain gutters and make sure they There has been much coverage given to West Nile continue to work properly. Virus in the East Coast media this year. After last year's 62 WNV encephalitis cases and 7 deaths in the • Turn over wheelbarrows and wading pools when NYC metropolitan area, and the resulting mosquito not in use. spraying in that area (we can only become infected by the bite of an infected mosquito), this issue became a • Change water in bird baths at least every 4 days. hot topic. • Clear vegetation and debris from the edges of As a result of the outbreak, the New York State ponds. Department of Health, with help from the DEC, CDC, EPA and other acronymic agencies, put together a • Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor comprehensive WNV Response Plan which is being saunas, and hot tubs. used to guide the counties' actions. ♦ Drain water from pool covers. The enlargement of the affected areas this summer, • Use landscaping to eliminate low spots where coupled with the several county skip to Onondaga standing water accumulates. County, has caused local concern. Lastly, anyone with any questions should call me at First, I'd like to say that there is no reason to 274-6688 or 274-6693. become overly concerned here in Tompkins County. Most people who are infected show no symptoms at Have a fun and safe summer. all. Almost all of the remaining people who are infected have flu symptoms with a mild fever. Only 1 - 2% of infected individuals develop encephalitis and most of those individuals survive with hospitalization. ." 1111 - • This year only one person in the four states that are 0 n„ © ^ l r �, affected has been found to be infected. He is home 111 in Staten Island and is expected to fully recover. .00.10-AsikfteAs,CA,32kCas ZI'C I.L1UC'FLCR CXP E Second, I'd like to refer you to the NYSDOH Public Web Site at http: / /www.health.state.ny.us /nysdoh for information on WNV; press releases from A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and Commissioner Novello, as well as nay new ones that were standing in the lobby discussing their recent will be developed. They contain good information. tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to The following preventative suggestions for reducing disperse. "But why ?" they asked, as they moved off. breeding sites for mosquitoes were taken from the "Because," he said, "I can't stand chess nuts boasting New York State Department of Health web site in an open foyer." http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/commish/2000 /westnile5.htm. A woman had twins, and gave them up for adoption. One of them went to a family in Egypt and was named ♦ Replace or repair broken screens and install new Amahl. The other went to a family in Spain; they screens as needed. named him Juan. Years later, Juan sent a picture of himself to his mother. Upon receiving the picture, she • Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic told her husband that she wished she also had a pots, or similar outdoor items that hold water. picture of Amahl. Her husband responded, "But they are twins - if you've seen Juan, you've seen A mahl." You Think Gas Costs A Lot... it parfum. That's 60 times the price of a 1990 Dom By Judy Tynyk, Director of Weights and Measures Perignon champagne. And almost 30,000 times the price of a gallon of gasoline). Every time gasoline prices increase, Weights and Measures Departments across the country are inundated Check out the results of a high /y unscientific, two -day, with telephone calls from the public demanding that we 15 store survey. Prices shown aren't necessarily the do something about it! To date, this department has highest or lowest we found. (For example, Revlon nail received 381 calls; 46 from employees, 18 from retirees enamel so /d in half -ounce rations, ranged from $903.80 and the rest from the general public. to $1,216.00 a gallon, Johnson's baby shampoo ranged from $24.65 to $31.48). Weights and Measures does not have any control over the price of gasoline. We test the pumps to determine This wasn't a bargain hunt, simply an attempt to show that they are delivering the stated quantity of product representative prices. The next time you gripe about within the acceptable tolerance set forth by state law. gasoline, think it over; you could be buying Pepto - Bismol We also check to see that they are calculating the price at 38 times the price of an equal amount of gas. accurately, that the hose doesn't leak, that the anti -drain valve is functioning properly and that the proper octane • Heinz white vinegar - $3.29 /gallon sticker is posted. That's where our authority ends. Just • Campbell's tomato juice $5.50 /gallon for the record, Weights and Measures doesn't have control over the price of anything. • McDonald's coffee - $7.92 /gallon You, the buying public, are the ones who have control • Wendy's chili - $15.84 /gallon over the price of gasoline at the pump. As long as you keep buying it when the price is high, it's going to stay • Mrs. Butterworth's syrup - $17.71 /gallon high. Gasoline is no different than any other commodity; as demand goes down, so does the price. • Mylanta Supreme antacid - $46.85 /gallon If you want to save money at the pump, cut down on • Pepto- Bismol - $58.52 /gallon your driving - walk, car pool, ride the bus, ride a bicycle, use any means of transportation other than your car • Vicks 44D cough syrup - $96.97 /gallon once in a while. If you have errands to do in town, do • Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch - $141.24 /gallon them on your lunch hour while you're already in town, even if it means using some of your fringes in conjunction in order to get them done, or do them on • Chanel No. Sparfum $45,056.00 /gallon your way home at the end of the day. The next time you go shopping, take your calculator Why does the buying public always pick on gasoline along, and every time you put a liquid commodity into when there are so many other commodities out there to your cart, multiply it out to find the price per gallon; you'll be amazed at how many things you buy on a choose from when it comes to high prices? Rising prices regular basis, cost you more per gallon than gasoline. of gasoline may have the populace fuming, but it's still one of the cheaper gallons of anything you can buy these days. If you don't believe me, read the following which was taken from the Elmira Star - Gazette. What Did You Do on Your Summer vacation? Submit one good picture with a short bleach costs about the same as a gallon of self - caption telling what you did on your serve. A allon of Evian water (water!) w ill set you back �'' 3 ` 9 ( ) Y summer vacation, and we will publish it lit as much as a gallon of McDonald's coffee ($7.92 based on 99 cents fora 16 ounce cup). in County Corridors. Please include your name, department, work and home telephone numbers. Please We set out to find the cost of a gallon of everything. note that picture may have to be cut, so send one that Well, not everything. Not snake venom. But things you we don't have to return. encounter in your daily life, or fantasy life. Paint. Perfume. Pepto Bismol HAVE A SAFE AND ENJOYABLE Of course, most of this stuff isn't sold in gallons. When LABOR DAY we couldn't find a gallon of something, we took what we found and did the math. In some cases, higher math! AND DOWN FORGET The winner - and nobody else even came dose - was SCHOOL �t� I L BE OPENING Chanel No. 5 parfum, at $88 for a quarter of an ounce. TrT� T L T That's $45,056 a gallon. (At this price, they'd better call SOON, S O DRIVE C A R E F J Y Upcoming trips and events sponsored by the Vending Committee Recreation Subcommittee: Keuka Maid Luncheon Cruise with stops at the Windmill Farm & Craft market and the Glenn H. Curtis Museum When: Saturday, September 23rd Cost: $25 /pp includes bus transportation, luncheon on the Keuka Maid, and admission to the Glenn H. Curtis Museum (Children 5 -11 - $15 /pp & Children under 5 — Free) First stop on this outing will be at the Windmill Farm & Craft Market, then on to Hammondsport for a 2 hr. luncheon cruise on the Keuka Maid, and then a stop at the Glenn H. Curtis Museum before returning home. Lion King in Toronto When: Saturday, October 14th Cost: $100 /pp Includes bus transportation and show ticket SOLD OUT! — WAITING LIST ONLY! Franklin Mills Fall Shopping Excursion When: Saturday, November 4th Cost: $20 /pp New York City Day Trip When: Saturday, December 9th Cost: $30 /pp You decide what you want to do: Shopping, show, sightseeing! Presently this trip is sold out, however, additional seats may become available! Call NOW to make your reservations! For more information call or e-mail: Pete Coats — 274 -6688 (pcoats @tompkins - co.org) or Patty Stamm — 274 -6674 (pstamm @tompkins - co.org) CLASSIFIEDS 1803 Town of Dryden is formed. 1804 Simeon DeWitt names Ithaca (then in the Town of Ulysses). For Sale: Whirlpool heavy duty washer - almost new- great condition - $125.00 - call 898-9992. 1995 Spectrum 16 ft. pleasure /fishing boat and trailer - 40 HP Mercury motor. - steering console, trolling motor, fish finder, rod storage, 13 gal. built -in fuel CLASSIFIEDS tank, many more features. Asking $7,500. Hardly used. Call Russ at 275 -0321. Classified ads up to 25 words in length are free to County Brittany Spaniel puppies. National champion blood employees, retirees and their immediate families. Ads may lines. Males and females, great pets or for hunting, very be for any purpose, however personal ads will not be cute! All shots current. $350 - call Ted at 275 -9556. accepted. No County addresses or telephone numbers may be listed in your ad, however we do need your full name and County telephone number submitted with the S ervices: ad in case there are questions. Submit your ad to County Corridors c/o Michelle Pottorff, Board of Representatives, Tioga Technical - Don't kill your computer! Let me help Court House, Ithaca, NY 14850 via U5 or with troubleshooting, training, upgrades - whatever it interdepartmental mail or e-mail to: mpottorff@tompkins- takes to get you and your computer working together co.org again. Call James Keegan at 273 -7957 evenings or NOTE: weekends. If you would like to modify your classified or want to Zart Computer Services - for all of your computer run it again, you must re- submit it! needs: consulting, computers and accessories. 266 -7492. It's never to early to start thinking about Christmas. Call DEADLINE: 1 TUESDAY OF THE MONTH Tynyk Originals at 564 -9244 evenings or weekends for a unique gift or home decor item. Expecting a new arrival? Articles to be considered for the September 21st Ask about the Fleece Cuddle Wrap for babies. issue, must be received by noon on Tuesday, Massage for relaxation or as a therapeutic response to a September 5th. Submit articles via e as an chronic problem. Can be flexible benefits reimbursable. attachment or on disk in any file format that is Call Richard Reed at 844 -9327. readable by Word for Windows '95. Send disk and hard copy to County Corridors c/o Michelle Pottorff, � Q vurju DJ ' t Judy I. Tynyk Board of Representatives, Court House, Ithaca, NY 14850. Please include a contact number in case After twelve and one half years on the Editorial questions arise. Board for County Corridors, I find it necessary at this time to resign from all activities connected with this publication. COUNTY CORRIDORS Articles and opinion pieces for County Corridors are selected by the Editorial Board based on their interest to Tompkins County I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the employees and retirees. They do not necessarily express the current and past members of the Editorial Board for opinions of the Editorial Board. Material is solicited from current their dedication to and support of County Corridors. I employees, retirees and others. The Editorial Board reserves the would also like to thank those of you who contributed right to edit submissions, except in the instance of copyright the articles, suggestions, photos, etc. which made this materials. publication possible. EDITORIAL BOARD Bill Chopp Department of Social Services Sharon Cooper Sheriff's Department Michelle Pottorff has graciously consented to act as Liz Croop Department of Mental Health Interim Editor starting with the September issue. I Iretta Ellis Information Technology Services ask that you help make this a smooth transition for Michelle Pottorff Board of Representatives her by adhering to the submission deadline. I have Katy Prince Health Department Vickie Wagner (Artist) Department of Assessment every confidence that Michelle will do an excellent Judy Tynyk (Chair /Editor) Dept. of Weights & Measures job as Interim Editor. Donna Deputron (Distribution Coordinator) Bldgs. & &rnds. I 1