C C A E N T - Athens
Transcription
C C A E N T - Athens
A C C E N T The Athens-Clarke County Employee & Retiree Newsletter • October 2016 • Vol. XIX, Iss. 10 ACC employees, artists paint hydrants for water awareness An unveiling of 20 fire hydrants, painted by local artists as part of the Fire Up The Hydrants project, takes place Saturday, October 8 in front of City Hall from 10:00 a.m. - noon. The project celebrates 80 years of drinking water delivery service from the J.G. Beacham Water Treatment Plant and is intended to serve as a reminder that the local water system is much more than a source of drinking water. “We want people to notice these hydrants,” says project organizer Laurie Loftin (Public Utilities). Loftin’s idea was based on seeing painted fire hydrants in Arlington, VA during United States bicentennial celebrations. She imagined painting Athens’ hydrants to encourage people to take a moment and consider the crucial The Fire Up the Hydrants project features four hydrants designed by ACC employees (L to R) Sheridan Soileau, Marc Beechuk, Emily Bilcik, and Sarah Cook. roles water plays in their lives. From 75 submissions, 20 artists were chosen, four of whom are Unified Government employees. Marc Beechuk (Planning) painted the hydrant at Pulaski Athens Wellbeing Project surveys begin The Unified Government is partnering with the Clarke County School District, the Athens Area Community Foundation, Family Connection-Communities in Schools, the United Way of Northeast Georgia, and UGA for the community-wide Athens Wellbeing Project (AWP). The AWP’s mission is to integrate planning efforts and improve the outcomes achieved by local institutions, organizations, and community stakeholders through collecting and sharing openaccess, neighborhood-level data that is representative of AthensClarke County’s population. Data is collected in the form of a 15-20 minute random household survey on a community-wide basis and will be used to map residents’ opinions on improvements to housing, transportation, lifelong learning, community safety, wealth and employment, civic vitality, and health. The data collection process started September 19 and will last through November 18. The Unified Government will use the data from the AWP in a number of ways, including strengthening its community policing strategy and using the data to look at different parts of the community to see where needs differ. For more information, visit www.athenswellbeingproject.org. Street and Clayton Street themed around the movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. He painted actor Bill Murray on one side, colorful sea creatures on the other, and the movie’s mythical jaguar shark on the bottom. “The tones and creatures lend themselves well to a public art project,” says Beechuk. “Some might like the movie reference; some might simply like colorful creatures.” With a friend’s assistance, Emily Bilcik (Public Utilities) painted the fire hydrant at East Broad Street and Jackson Street to look like a flowering cactus. “I chose this design with water conservation in mind,” Bilcik says. “Cactus and succulent plants are used in xeriscaping, a style of landscape design requiring little irrigation,” For the hydrant located at Pulaski Street and West Broad Street, Sarah Cook (Probate Court) painted a toadstool mushroom. “I chose this design because mycelium is one of nature’s wonders that I have always loved and admired,” says Cook. continued on p. 3 ► Tech Talk: Creating PDF files Talking with... Gail Brazil (Tax Assessor) Gail Brazil is an Information and Technology Appraiser. She has worked for ACC for 22 years. What does an Information and Technology Appraiser do? I analyze the public utility (GA Power, Walton EMC, CSX, etc.) assessments sent to us by the (Georgia) Department of Revenue. Another part of my job is receiving, analyzing and processing the special use applications such as tax exempt requests, conservation use applications, and landmark historical, rehabilitated historical, and residential transitional covenants. I enter ownership changes and log changes sent to the Tax Commissioner’s office. However, I am certified by the Georgia Department of Revenue as an appraiser. The state requires our office to have a certain number of certified appraisers based on the population count here in AthensClarke County. What aspects “drive” assessment values? Market sales. Our ratios reflect sales from the past year, which is the guideline we must use from the Department of Revenue. Who are the people that reach out to you for your services? Taxpayers are our main clients; however, we do have professional clients such as real estate attorneys, tax reps, and fee appraisers. What are the main continued on p. 3 ► The PDF file format was designed to create documents that can be easily shared across multiple computer platforms. You probably use PDF files every day to view documents or fill out forms online. Have you ever wanted to create a PDF file but thought you couldn’t because you only have Acrobat Reader installed on your PC? If so, you’ll be happy to know that every version of Microsoft Office since 2007 has included the ability to create PDF files from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher without the need for any third-party program or print driver. Most ACC computers have this ability built-in. To save an Office document as a PDF, open the document, click “File,” then “Save As.” In Office 2013 & 2016, click “Browse.” In the “Save As” dialog box that appears, choose where to save the file, name the file, then in the “Save As Type” field choose PDF (*.pdf). Your original document still exists in its original format in case you need to edit it later, but you will also have a PDF version suitable for emailing or posting online. For assistance with this feature or with anything else, please contact Information Technology by emailing ITHelpDesk@ athensclarkecounty.com from an Unified Government email account or call 706-613-3075. News & Notes Election Key October Dates: • Tuesday, October 11: Registration deadline for the Nov. 8 General/Special Election and Runoff (if needed) • Monday, October 17 - Friday, November 4: Advance Voting (Mon.-Fri.) for the Nov. 8 General/Special Election. • Saturday, October 29: Saturday Voting for the Nov. 8 General/ Special Election Taxes Due: The deadline for property tax payments to the Tax Commissioner’s Office is Thursday, October 20. Athens Tree Fair: The 2016 Athens Tree Fair is Saturday, October 22, 9:00 a.m. - noon at Bishop Park. The fair features trees, shrubs and perennials for sale, a silent auction and other family-friendly activities. Lickskillet Artists Market: The 2016 Lickskillet Artists Market is Saturday, October 22 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Lyndon House Arts Center. It features eclectic wares for sale by local artists, as well as live demonstrations and music. Holiday Luncheon: The ACC Employee & Retiree Holiday Luncheon is Thursday, December 8, 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at The Classic Center. Tech Talk features bi-monthly notes from the Information Technology Department (IT). Departments Awarded: The Public Information Office (PIO) and Public Utilities each received a national award from the City County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA). The PIO received a Savvy 1st Place award for their 2016 ACC from A to Z Guide in the “Marketing & Communications” category, while Public Utilities received a 3rd Place Award of Excellence in the “Marketing and Tools: Best Use of Promotional Item” category for their Certified Blue beverage napkin. Retirements (Effective Oct. 1) Promotions (Effective July 31) Central Services: Joshua Elder - Landscape Crew Leader District Attorney: Emily Norris and Kalki Yalamanchili - both Associate Attorney; and Monica Rogina - Senior Attorney Deborah Robinson Tax Commissioner 10 years Janet Ryan Central Services 30 years Public Utilities: Antwan Reid Heavy Equipment Operator I Superior Court: Jay Johnson Deputy Chief Probation Officer Transit: Isaac Amoah - Transit Vehicle Operator (Left) Jill Witcher Finance 23 years Births Scott and Amanda Blair (both Police) - son Cadence Robert Blair on August 20. Erika B. Murphy (Sheriff) - son Nathaniel David Murphy on July 6. Gail Brazil (Tax Assessor) grandson Weston Daniel Stewart on September 22. ◄ “Talking with...” from p. 2 challenges? Time vs. the volume of work since our job operates on a cycle with state mandated deadlines. What is the most rewarding part of your job? When I am able to help a taxpayer who comes in the office and doesn’t have a clue as to what is needed - whether it is to fill out a conservation use application or help in understanding what is next in the tax process because they have become a widow or widower. Tell us about your family. I have three girls (the first two are identical, mirror image twins), one granddaughter who is eight years old and a grandson born on Trans. & Public Works: Stephen Cullar - Public Works Supervisor Accomplishments Joseph Bennett and Bright Onye (both Sheriff) graduated from the 285th session of the Regional Police Academy. Employees of the Year: Sheriff: David McAllister (Sworn) and Mary Walton (Civilian). Dale Allen (Probation Services) was presented the Milner Ball Social Justice Award by the Athens Justice Coalition of Care at a program on September 28. September 22. What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? Gardening. If you could go to visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Switzerland. What energizes you? My faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and helping and doing good for others. Do you have a hobby? Gardening and yard sales. Any pet peeves? Eye rolling. What is a common food that you have never eaten? Swiss chard. What is your favorite movie? Faith of our Fathers. Talking with... is a bi-monthly look at an ACC employee and their job. Sympathy George Arthur Garrison (Retiree) passed away September 18. He served with Police for 29 years. ◄ “Hydrants,” from p. 1 An environmentalist, Cook likes the idea of drawing attention to water use and conservation through art. “I think we learn more when we are having fun,” she says. “Learning begins with awareness. We should all be aware of how precious clean, accessible water is.” Inspired by Peter Max’s posters, Sheridan Soileau (Public Utilities) chose a music theme design on the hydrant at the corner of West Clayton Street and North Lumpkin Street. “I wanted to paint a concept relating to music, which is a big part of my life and a major part of Athens,” Soileau explains. When viewed in a specific order, the 20 painted hydrants form a path called the H2.0 Water Walk. Walking the route twice covers four miles, the average distance a person in a developing country may have to walk each day to get water. A map of the H2.0 Water Walk path is online at www. athensclarkecounty.com/ waterwalk. Paper versions of the map are also available at the Water Business Office, Athens Visitors Center, Athens Downtown Development Authority, the Classic Center, and certain Certified Blue locations. Each map includes a ballot for participants to vote on their favorite hydrant design. Online ballots are also available at www. thinkatthesink.com. Ballots are accepted through February 2017; the artist with the most votes will be announced in mid-March at the “Tappy Hour” event. To Your Health ACC Wellness Flu Shot Schedule: Flu Shot clinics are available all throughout October at various ACC sites. Visit www. athensclarkecounty.com/wellness for clinic schedule and eligibility details. No pre-registration is necessary. Mobile Mammography for ACC employees: Appointments are available for October 31 and November 1-3 at Satula Avenue. Eligible participants are females, 40 years of age or older, who have had a physical exam within the last year, whose last mammogram was in October 2015 or before, and who have no history of breast issues detected. Checking with a physician about scheduling with the mobile unit is recommended. Pre-registration is required. To register, e-mail wellnessteam@ athensclarkecounty.com. A physician order form must be presented at the time of the appointment. ACC Well: The 2nd Quarter of the ACC Well has begun. ACC Well 1st Quarter earnings are being rewarded on October 28. Employees with an ACC POS health insurance plan and those with no ACC health insurance coverage will receive their earnings in their October 28 paycheck. Employees with an ACC CHS health insurance plan will receive their earnings in their HSA. Nutrition Credit: The Well introduces more opportunities to earn nutrition credit in the 2nd Quarter. Participants may now report the following each month of FY17: goals met in general nutrition (fruit/vegetables/water), Omega-3 fatty acid intake, DASH Diet adherence (low-sodium foods & potassium-rich foods), and saturated fat sources. That allows for four goal accomplishments to be reported for credit each month. An additional nutrition goal will be added in both 3rd and 4th Quarters. Pilates on ACC Wellness Fitness Calendar: Pilates is a 45-minute session designed to improve flexibility, posture, and physical strength as well as enhance mental awareness. The class meets on Wednesdays 12-12:45 p.m. in the Memorial Park Recreation Hall. Dressing to exercise is recommended. To Your Health provides healthrelated notes from ACC’s Wellness Program and other sources. Vulture festival returns to the ACC Landfill on October 22 The third annual Vulture Festival, organized by Solid Waste’s Recycling Division, celebrates vulture culture at the local celebration of International Vulture Awareness Day. The 2016 festival takes place on Saturday, October 22 from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the ACC Landfill’s outdoor classroom. Visitors can enjoy food and fun, educational activities, a vulture ambassador, scavenger hunt, bird walk, and much more. The Recycling Division partners with Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail and the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society to host this event honoring nature’s cleanup crew. ACCENT Produced monthly by the Athens-Clarke County Public Information Office with input from the Communications Work Team, a committee of department representatives. Editor: Jeff Montgomery Layout & Preproduction: Irena Epling & Jason Harwell Writers: Irena Epling & Jordan Slappey Send comments, questions, letters to: Public Information Office P.O. Box 1868 - Athens, GA 30603 706-613-3795 - 706-613-3026 (fax) www.athensclarkecounty.com [email protected]