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Home My WebLink About2002-01 4 Information Services 10 Fi Newsletter for v EmployQQS and Zetirggs ( t t'.Q.VLID 1 o f Tompkins County January 2002 Volume 15 Number 1 Thanks. . . an best wishes Submitted by Board Office staff r ' -___ "'"'''''t.4. \ 7 N I � a u a . r.. w .._x,.. ma r.: Stuart Stein with wife, Sandy, and their twin grandchildren from Norway Barbara Mick On December 18 Barbara Mink and Stuart Stein took their seats in the Board of Representatives Chambers one last time. Together, Barbara and Stu have a combined total of 32 years of service to Tompkins County. Stu was first elected to the Board in 1982 and Barbara began her first term in 1990. Each of them decided last fall not to run for re- election and instead devote more time to other things they enjoy. As for Stu, we're sure he will be devoting a lot of his time to his family and traveling abroad. Barbara will likely continue to spend her time painting and listening to her talented daughter, Emily, play piano. Cont'd on page 4 REPORT have occasion to see employed. After an explanation of the equipment, You push this button to release the FRO shotgun" (Hmmmm...) and basic logistics, we were off. THE COUNTY There was a full compliment of four deputies on the shift in addition to Sergeant L,ampman. Apparently the shift had started out at a busy clip but was settling down. I ADMINISTRATOR had been warned previously that on any given shift it can be anywhere from very slow to very busy. 1 silently hoped for the former. By Stephen Whicher p f,. As we worked our way around the County, the Sergeant was constantly monitoring the Deputies locations and Y g P Exploring Tompkins County potential issues that they may encounter. This is no easy task when there are two phones, a radio, computer messages, traffic and a County Administrator to interact For months now Sheriff Meskill has been encouraging me with simultaneously. When he became concerned, he to "ride along" on a shift to get a better understanding of would say "1 think we'll slide over there." "Just in case." the concerns presented during numerous discussions After it became apparent that this looked like it would be throughout the year. While some may look at such an a slow night, Sergeant Lampman asked if I would like to offer as an exciting life opportunity, I have to admit that it see the Newfield Satellite office. I wondered how close did not excite me. After all, if I wanted to join a police it was to Connecticut Hill. force and deal with the consequent risks, I would have chosen that path long ago. Dealing with taxpayers has We returned safely from Newfield to meet up with always seemed like risk enough for me. But there was no Deputy St. Angelo. A quick tour of his car; "push this disputing that I had managed to fill my time this past year button to call dispatch" (comforting); and we were off. with minimal contact outside the Courthouse complex and After traveling in the 4X4 the first thing that one is I did have a certain level of curiosity. So the next call struck by is that these cars move! Images of spending a was to Sheriff Meskill to state that I wanted to take him up good part of the night on two wheels faded quickly as I on his offer. gained confidence that Deputy St. Angelo knew how to handle the car. During the shift I also gained an We arranged that I wouk "ride along" on a Friday appreciation for the competence of our law enforcement evening. Everything sounded pretty normal until community. Even though the shift was slow, Deputy Undersheriff Haus stopped me in the street early Friday Sgt. Angelo took the effort to give me a basic afternoon to advise me to wear long underwear "just in understanding of the various aspects of his job. The case." In case of what? Memories of a dark and lonely taxpayers in Tompkins County should be very assured if night spent on a "Snipe Hunt" as directed by my trusted Deputy Sgt. Angelo and Sergeant Lampman are typical childhood summer camp Connecticut Hill in sub -zero of our law enforcement community; these guys are very weather. The Snipe hunt wasn't much fun. I wondered good. Thank you both for your time and for returning what the evening would bring. me safely. After a full day in the office, I drove home to change into Speaking of feelings of safety, I need to mention the warmer clothes, `just in case" and met up with the Sheriff outstanding job that was done by our dispatchers during at his Warren Road office. He offered a bulletproof vest. my ride along. It does not take long to appreciate a true With false bravado, 1 stated that I had no intention of professional monitoring your activities when you are finding my life in jeopardy this evening. With his alone and the one expected to "serve and protect" in the nonchalant shrug we went to get me assigned. dead of night. On this Friday night Julie Ferris was on duty for the police side of dispatch. Julie's confidence, The Sheriff explained that I was to begin by riding with competence and concise communication skills are Sergeant Bob Lampman and then complete the shift with impressive and appreciated by the entire police Deputy Michael St. Angelo. The first thing one notices community. During my short ride- along, knowing Julie when getting into a present -day police car is that it is was there was very reassuring and my memories will be equipped with a vast array of technology and much better then those of the "Snipe Hunt." communication equipment. Sergeant Lampman's 4X4 was equipped with a mobile data computer including GIS mapping and tracking, two phones, a communication radio and various tools of the trade that I hoped that I would not 2 7i (*AWAY neglecting to submit these announcements. Also, welcome to any new highway employees 14 ' .. , who were missed in previous issues. By Geri Lockwood, Highway We have been under construction at the There have been several personnel changes Bostwick Road facility since July, and look at the Highway Department over the past forward to moving into the new offices later in January, along with the F Division year. Before we welcome the new Assistant Highway Manager, we should probably soon after. backtrack and explain the need for a new Due to the lack of snow at the end of 2001, one. you might wonder what the highway crews As many of you probably know, Ward have been doing to keep busy this winter. Hungerford, the County Highway Manager Actually, they have been quite busy with several different projects. One of them is for many years, retired in March, after 30 building a spreader hanger unit behind the years at the Highway Department. The highway facility, which is where the salt Assistant Highway Manager at the time, spreaders will be stored when they are not Pete Messmer, was promoted to Manager in in use. May. Although Ward technically retired in March, he stayed on to train Pete after he One project that is performed each fall is was promoted. He came back, from July the tree survey. This survey is necessary to until the middle of October, to assist with determine what trees in the County right- some projects, because no Assistant had been hired yet. After interviewing several of -way (typically, 25 feet from the centerline) need to be trimmed or removed, applicants for the position, Mike Harris either for sight distance visibility, or for joined us, in December, as the new Assistant Highway Manager. public safety reasons. After the survey is completed and the property owners have Belated best wishes to Ward in his been notified, the trees are either trimmed or cut down during the winter. retirement, congratulations to Pete in his (not so) new position as Manager, and A large project underway for this spring is welcome to Mike! Pete has implemented the North Triphammer Road Reconstruction. some positive changes to the Department This is a federally funded project, which will since his promotion, and several large widen the shoulders of the road and add projects were completed under his direction. slope to the ditches, along with new There are several more projects in store for our crews in 2002. pavement. This project involves acquiring right -of -way from several property owners. The acquisition process began in November Congratulations are overdue for other 2001, and is now nearing completion. Highway personnel for births, marriages, etc. Please accept our apologies for 3 FROM BEGINNING TO FINISH...THE PUBLIC .„ , h WORKS FACILITY 1 _ 1 - .r '' The finished product! A (best wishes, cont'd from front page) I - % During that time Stu served as Chairman for three years and Barbara five. Although they were involved in many aspects of County government, Stu will long be _ .. _ remembered for the wealth of knowledge he carried with : „ - ” him, the "on- the - spot" history lessons he provided, and the "fatherly" leadership many looked to him for Once the energy market became deregulated Stu worked Arel LeMaro, Facilities Manager; tirelessly to bring residents and municipal consumers an Michael Lane, 2001 Public Works Committee option of joining the Electric and Gas Alliance which Chairman; and Tom Schickel, Schickel would prove to lower costs to its members. Stu also Architecture was a leader in the planning and economic development arenas. His efforts there have proven invaluable as Tompkins County is now a leader across the State in planning, homeownership, and economic development initiatives. One issue he will likely remember far too ti well will be the long Board deliberations over ,: ` °`" celebrations funding! � Barbara Mink will always be remembered for her leadership qualities and her ability to run a meeting like , �° - g `K no other. She has a rare quality of not beating around the bush but getting straight to the point. Her most "°' widely known achievements include the relocation of the �. ; Department of Social Services to downtown, and the ' 4116 - :- 4 "reconstruction" of the Woolworth's building into the +0 new state -of -the -art, Public Library facility. Barbara 4 . ° -. also introduced Tompkins County employees to the i 1 i_ concept of Total Quality Management which later led to 4 - ,. - the County's of PFQ (Partners for Quality) initiative. #�, We're sure that all County employees join with us in v "' thanking Barbara and Stu for the enormous contributions :"" ° '`' "' they have made to Tompkins County and extend to them Construction is well underway best wishes, good health, and success, in the years that follow. 4 • Give the Gift of Family Reading books, picture books, early reader books, and chapter books to provide a range of reading levels Program at Tompkins County for children of all ages. Once a parent selected the WIC books, the volunteer wrapped them in lovely gift - by Katrina Morse, Program Coordinator, Family Reading Partnership wrap and sent the parent home with ready holiday and Holly Gump, WIC Program Director gifts. In December, 544 new books were given away at WIC clinics. Parents love giving books as gifts. One mother at a j WIC clinic said: "Thank you so much for the book we got last year! We really didn't have many gifts. My daughter hugged it when she opened it, and took it to bed with her for a month!" The Give the Gift of Reading Program establishes j the tradition of using books to mark special occasions. When a book is associated with a special event, it becomes more valuable in the eyes of the • child. The book is a reminder of that holiday, :"±At _� -�� birthday, graduation, or other notable moment in Mark and Matthew Feliciano the child's life. The book becomes familiar and enjoyable, like a good friend. Imagine a young child toddling up to a bright red collection crate, and gently putting a new copy of his The Give the Gift of Reading Program is a favorite book inside. Such an act of generosity! This collaboration between the Family Reading book became one of the many which were given Partnership and the WIC Program. The Family away at Tompkins County WIC clinics as part of the Reading Partnership also provides volunteer Give the Gift of Family Reading Program. readers at WIC clinic waiting rooms. WIC staff value these programs because they educate and The program begins in November when book entertain children while clinic work is being done. collection crates are placed throughout the County at Through collaboration, these programs are bookstores and toy stores. Funds are also collected "creating a culture of literacy" at the Tompkins at local banks and at Cornell Hockey games in early County WIC Program. winter. With these donations from our community, the Family Reading Partnership provides book gifts to Foster Care /Adoption many human service agencies and organizations, including the WIC program. The program has been Informational Meetings running in WIC clinics every year since the inception Submitted by Ellie Arnold, DSS of the Family Reading Partnership in 1997. The WIC Program is a federally funded nutrition ‘01.1 education program which provides nutritious foods, nutrition and health education, breastfeeding promotion and support and referral to community Where: Human Services Building services to low income pregnant and postpartum Beverly Livesay Conference Room women, infants and children to age five. The Health Department sponsors the WIC Program in Tompkins County. When: February 14, 2002 March 14, 2002 When families came for their regular December WIC April 11, 2002 appointments they found a beautiful array of new books spread on a festive tablecloth, and a friendly Time: Noon to 1 PM volunteer who invited them to choose a book for each child in the family. Book choices included board 5 School bays and Cow Eyes RECYCLING NEWS... By Liz Croop, Mental Health Linnett Warner, Administrative e Assistan) .111. • M The Tompkins County Solid Waste Management The Country School I attended from age 7 to Division has replacement recycling bins for 10 was West of Cortland, near Camp's meatpacking Tompkins County residents. The new bins are 18- company, where they did everything from gallon sized and are available for $5.00 per bin. slaughtering cows to making hotdogs. My brother, Victor, got a job there in his teens, and introduced A County resident can use a container close to the me to the many facets of packaged meat - production. same size as the County recycling bin. Make sure So, once in awhile, I would pedal my little red bicycle the container is marked with an "R" to let the up there on my lunch hour, sit on a dock with my recycling trucks know it is for recycling and not legs dangling, and eat my peanut butter sandwich garbage. while watching them kill cows. The US Government meat inspector was a really neat guy who was always Do not use plastic bags for your recycling. They willing to slit open a cow stomach so I could see jam up the recycling equipment and become an what was inside. operational nuisance at the Recycling and Solid Waste Center. Take your plastic bags back to the Now we must skip ahead in time to age 13, store where you got them. Most stores will take when I was in Biology class at Homer High. I their bags back to be recycled into new plastic volunteered to stop at Camp's and pick up a cow's products, such as plastic lumber. eye for dissection in class. On that fateful morning, the school bus driver made a special stop so I could Please remember to put your recyclables out at the run in, and I was given a round paper quart appropriate time in the morning or preferably the container with a lid on it. Back on the bus, in the night before to assure collection. back seat with the big kids, we eagerly twisted off the top only to look in on many bloody eyeballs, still If you have any questions, give us a call at 273 - attached to pink flesh, with hair liberally sprinkled 5700. among them. My stomach lurched! What happened to that 10- year -old fearless tomboy? I've never figured it WELCOME out. - Geri Lockwood (Highway), gir and Tammy VanOrman • - (Assessment) to the - - My, my_ The cupboard was getting pretty bare: Not a crumb of cheddar, not a nibble of Swiss, one Corridors Editorial Board. small piece of provolone, and only a smidgen of Monterey Jack. So I helped Louse Mouse and Teensy into their sweaters to accompany me to the store. On the way, The Corridors Editorial Board would love Louse was acting up as usual, asking me for the hundredth to have new members. Anyone time if he could have a scooter. I told him I just don't interested should contact Iretta Ellis at have the money right now, and he said, "Go to the store ITS and get some!" I laughed, realizing that he sees the cashier giving me change and thinks that's where money comes from, and told him I wish it were that easy. Annie N. Mouse 6 A Little Good News.... For Your Safety... Taken from: 1988 Parlay international Submitted by: Frank Croteau, Has a fellow employee done something nice for you? Has another employee gone out of the way to help you complete a task? Has -17.1:1? , ; ) someone stayed late or come in early to help you finish a project? Is there an employee Y P j \t) that always goes the extra distance to get a ter' job done? If you have answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, wouldn't it be nice - to let that employee and the readers of the County Corridors know how much you Safe Driving Tips appreciated that person's extra help? 1. Check your vehicle once a week for condition The County Corridors will allocate a space in of brakes, accelerator, belts, radiator, oil, battery, tires, head lamps, and brake lights. each edition for employee recognition. If 2. Follow traffic laws, your own state's and the another employee or group of employees has laws of the areas you'll be driving through. done something that you feel should be 3. Watch the other driver and stay clear of recognized, send a short note to the vehicles that swerve in and out of traffic, brake inconsistently, fail to signal, or drive erratically. Corridors staff listing the employee(s) name, 4. React to special conditions like rain, ice, or the department in which they work, and a poor surfaces. Reduce your speed and proceed brief description of what the person(s) did cautiously. and why you are recognizing them. 5. Stay alert whenever you drive. Alcohol, drugs, or other medications, lack of sleep, anger, These days, particularly, the world could use and fatigue can all be lethal when you drive. more good news. So, take a few minutes and say thank you to those individuals that help to . , Avoiding Slips and make your life a little easier or better. -�- ! Falls Fall Prevention Checklist 1 bear County Corridors, _ We would like to thank Lisa Eaton (Purchasing) ✓ Make sure your pathway is clear. for all of her assistance in working with the Public Close drawers and cabinets after every use. Works staff to select and order furniture for the .i Secure electrical cords and wires away from renovated spaces in the Bostwick Rd. facility. walkways. Because it was the year's end, Lisa had to process ✓ Use a stepladder for overhead reaching. orders quickly. Thanks, Lisa, for all of your help. ✓ Repair or replace loose flooring. ✓ Make sure stairs and walkways are well- lighted, (From the Facilities, Highway, and Public Works especially at night. Administration staff) ✓ Shovel, sand and /or salt stairs and paths to clear ice and snow. 7 CLASSIFIEDS UNITED WAY UPDATE Submitted by Roxanne Iacovelli, Personnel For Sale: For sale: Roland EM 10 Keyboard with stand. One year The United Way Campaign for 2001-2002 is old, comes with manual. Asking S250. Call Nancy at winding down. Our total contributions for this year 898 -3930 (days) or Jeff at 533 -8762 (evenings). increased by roughly 60 percent. I would like to say thank you to all county employees and retirees who Free to a loving home - Mated pair of Chinchillas- contributed to this year's campaign. It is greatly Thomas is standard gray - 3 years old. Muffin is beige - appreciated. just over I year; with cage. Great for older kids who have outgrown gerbils. Contact Sara via email CLASSIFIEDS sarabeth101@yahoo.com Classified ads up to 25 words in length are free to County employees, retirees and their immediate families. Ads may Services: be for any purpose, however personal ads will not be accepted. No County addresses or telephone numbers Tioga Technical - Don't kill your computer! Let me may be listed in your ad, however, we do need your full help with troubleshooting, training, upgrades - whatever name and County telephone number submitted with the it takes to get you and your computer working together ad in case there are questions. Submit your ad to County again. Call James Keegan at 273 -7957 evenings or Corridors c/o Michelle Pottorff, Board of Representatives, weekends. Courthouse, Ithaca, NY 14850 via U5 or interdepartmental Tynyk Originals is proud to announce that selected mail or e-mail to: mpottorff @ tompkins - co.org items are now available at Contented Country Gifts located at 297 Jersey Hill Road, Danby; one of the most NOTE: unique shops in the area! Custom gifts and home decor If you would like to modify your classified or want to items are still available by calling 564 -9244 evenings or run it again, you must re- submit it! weekends. If I can't make it, you don't need it!! DEADLINE: 1 TUESDAY OF THE MONTH Tense? Stressed? Achy ?• Therapeutic Massage can put Articles to be considered for the February 21' issue, relaxation and comfort hack into your life. For an must be received by noon on Tuesday, February appointment or information call Richard Reed at 753- 5th. Submit articles via e-mail as an attachment or on 6383. disk in any file format that is readable by Word for Windows '95. Send disk and hard copy to County Kinetic Performance — specializing in Motorsports Corridors c/o Michelle Pottorff, Board of engines, carburetion and general racing fabrication. Call Representatives, Courthouse, Ithaca, NY 14850. Dayton Umholtz at 277 -6442 evenings or weekends. Please include a contact number in case questions French Tutor — Call Sarah at 257 -3047. Please leave a arise. message. COUNTY CORRIDORS Articles and opinion pieces for County Corridors are selected by the Editorial Board based on their interest to Tompkins County employees and retirees. They do not necessarily express the W elcome: opinions of the Editorial Board. Material is solicited from current employees, retirees and others. The Editorial Board reserves the right to edit submissions, except in the instance of copyright Robin Baker, Dental Hygienist in the Health Promotion materials. Program at the Health Department who started January EDITORIAL BOARD 7, 2002. Michelle Pottorff (Editor) Board of Representatives Iretta Ellis (Chair) Information Technology Services Kathy Luz Herrara, Martha Robertson, Dick Booth, Bill Chopp Department of Social Services Liz Croop Department of Mental Health and Leslyn McBean, to the Tompkins County Board of Katy Prince Health Department Representatives. Vickie Wagner Department of Assessment Geri Lockwood Highway Division Tammy VanOrmcn Assessment Department Donna Deputron (Distribution Coordinator) Bldgs. & Grnds 8 L --