Department News

Department News

Affirmative Action

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Aviation

Greg Cunningham was promoted to division manager for the public safety & technology division.

Goodbye and best wishes to Jo Ellen Porter, who retired after 11 years.

Welcome to these employees who joined the department in 2004: Jan Jackson, Will Jones, Brian Low, Paul Murphy, Coya Phillips, Carole Pitts and Bill Zrioka.

The Interfaith Chapel in Terminal C of Bush Intercontinental Airport is newly remodeled. Work to add new carpet and ceiling tile, to repaint, and to reupholster and refinish furniture was completed in December.

HAS and Airports Council International continued their series of familiarization visits in October. Seventeen employees from airports from nine African countries spent a week learning about operations at all three Houston airports. The yearly visits build better relationships that often lead to air service expansion and cooperative arrangements between HAS and airports in other countries.

Saba Abashawl earned special recognition from Mayor Bill White for her work in welcoming a high-level delegation from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to Bush Intercontinental Airport. They had flown to Houston to explore a major business opportunity, and in the interest of the city’s economic development, Abashawl walked these visitors through the U. S. Customs process. – Roger Smith

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Building Services

Welcome Kenneth Brumlow, Lorna Clark, Calvin Curtis, Phillip Golembiewski, Wendy Heger, Lisa Johnson, Hanh Le, Lee Lopez, Martha Leyva, Carlos Macias, Vladimir Naranjo, Richard Odlozil, Wes Phillips, Morgan Porter, James Reddington Jr., Carter Roper, Kelly Snook, Gilbert Soliz, Jack Welker and Joel B. White. Best wishes to retirees: Ellison Hargrove, Marion Moore, Dennis Mendez and Frank Tighe.

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City Council

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City Secretary

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Controller's Office

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Convention & Entertainment

Anna Hawley joined the George R. Brown Convention Center staff as marketing manager.

Larry Larson was promoted to assistant manager at Wortham Center. Larson will retain some of his duties at Houston Center for the Arts.

The new 3,000-square-foot Explore Houston Visitors Information Center, located on the second floor of the George R. Brown Convention Center, features Houston-flavored merchandise and souvenirs. Photo by Joe Aker.

Elodia Martinez and Pam Stephens received promotions.

Essie Landry marked 25 years on the job.

Fond farewell to Avis Wirth, who retired after 40-plus years. – Pete Radowick

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Finance & Administration

Thanks to Monica Assaf for helping Rita Garza during Garza’s asthma attack reported in the fall ’04 issue of City Savvy.

Goodbye to Garza, Alice Ravin, Lisa Lau, Cynthia Hamilton, Erma Pinson, Manuela Salazar, and Michele Haylett. – Sophia Chang

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Fire

At the third annual Houston Firefighters’ Safety and Survival Symposium Oct. 21-23, fire-service experts from across the country taught courses on making the dangerous job of firefighting safer. Firefighters practiced escaping from collapsed structures, rescuing fallen firefighters, propelling, and using thermal-imaging cameras.

Councilman Ronald Green rappels on a drill tower at the training academy during Fire Ops 101. Photo By Ken Paradowski

Council members Adrian Garcia, Ronald Green and Toni Lawrence were the second set of council members to attend HFD’s Fire Ops 101, a one-day fire department orientation course. They learned first-hand what firefighters experience during a fire by participating in several live burn activities and a simulated structure-fire response. The council members finished the day by visiting and riding fire engines at assigned fire stations.

Mayor Bill White, Fire Chief Phil Boriskie, Building Services Director Issa Dadoush and members of the local community welcomed firefighters to the new station 33, 7117 Fannin. The new 12,000-square-foot, four-bay fire station replaces an older fire station 33 building. Firefighters moved into the new station Aug. 25.

Nineteen cadets graduated from the ninth Citizens’ Fire Academy Dec. 2. The academy began in September 2000.

Fire Engine 27 was dedicated to Elias Martinez, the first Hispanic Houston firefighter who served from 1950 to 1986.

Fire trainee graduation class 2003-04 was held Dec. 16. This class of 48 trainees entered the academy in November 2003. – Alicia Whitehead

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Health & Human Services

La Nueva Casa De Amigos Health Center and the Harris County Hospital District’s La Casa De Amigos Health Center, located next to each other just north of downtown, are working to integrate services for their patients. They seek to eliminate duplicate health-care resources in the community, which could result in the city health center sharing its clinic space with the hospital district for delivery of primary-care services. Certain hospital district services could relocate to the city facility as early as this spring.

Starting early this year, Houstonians can visit the Adult Immunization Clinic for shots protecting them from hepatitis A and B, tetanus, polio, chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella, pneumococcal disease and meningitis. The clinic, in the Third Ward Multi-Service Center, will also offer typhoid and yellow fever vaccines for international travelers.

In February, 18 nurses will begin training to provide pelvic exams and pap smears to clients at the department’s seven health centers. Currently, only physicians and nurse practitioners offer pap smears. The training, offered by a University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center grant, will also train the nurses as educators focused on the prevention and early detection of skin, lung, breast, colon, rectal, ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancers. – Porfirio Villarreal

Housing & Community Development

On Oct. 15, Project Row House held a grand opening for four of eight duplexes in the Third Ward. The two-story duplex homes offer two units of 630 square feet each. The units consist of two bedrooms, one bath, energy-efficient features, and major appliances. Rent starts at $425 per month and targets households making 40 percent of area median income or below. Project Row House, a nonprofit corporation established in 1993, is helping rebuild the Third Ward community. Attendees at the grand opening included HCDD staff, representatives from U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee’s office, State Representative Garnett Coleman and Councilman Gordan Quan.

The Avenue Community Development Corporation hosted a construction kickoff for the Jefferson Davis Artist Lofts, 1101 Elder St., in the First Ward. The development consists of 34 residential and work spaces for Houston artists and their families. More than 200 people gathered to view the project renderings outside the former Jefferson Davis Hospital. Avenue CDC collaborated with Artspace Projects of Minneapolis, a nonprofit real estate developer, for the Artist Lofts project, which includes $500,000 in HOME funds provided by HCDD. Construction of the lofts began in August and is expected to take 11 months to complete. – Lester Whiteing

Houston Emergency Center

The department collected $81 in pocket change to feed 70 homeless at the Star of Hope Mission on Thanksgiving. The employees also adopted Mr. Humphrey, who was legally blind and on dialysis. His family had abandoned him for the holidays, so HEC employees brought him a hot dinner from Luby’s. – Joe Laud

Human Resources

Selection services is managing a change in the selection process. Now, departments will handle screening and referrals of their applicants.

Goodbye to Maria Irshad, who transferred to Municipal Courts Administration as an administrative coordinator, and retirees Johnnie Hines, 28 years, Maria Gonzalez, 24 years, and Cynthia Sax, 15 years.

Welcome Agnes Creeks and Dennika Moreland to the benefits division. Julie Keeton joins the communications division as new citywide CMC coordinator.

Congratulations to Rod Newman, who was promoted to division manager of selection services and employee relations, and Vivica Sonberg, who was promoted to deputy assistant director.

Rich Barrett completed a three-year term on the board of directors of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association. – John Perry

Information Technology

Legal

Congratulations to Fabian Izaguirre and Marshall Abrin, third quarter Eagle Award recipients. The Eagle Award is presented to individuals who have gone the extra mile in the performance of their job.

For the 11th year, the department held the Holiday Gift Program for disadvantaged students at Scroggins Elementary School. Gifts costing $15 to $20, along with candy and other goodies, were donated by employees and presented during a holiday celebration Dec. 10.

Celebrating milestones are Paulette Vaughn, 25 years; Peggy Scott, Henri Merceron, Lloyd Segall, and Russell Richardson, 20 years; Karl Fortenbach and Tommi Eanes, 15 years; Sandra Sarabia, 10 years; Jeffrey Ross, Dennis Alexander, Linda Folmsbee and Shontel Chaney, 5 years.

Welcome new employees Liz Brennan, Craig Hemphill, Tara Long, Veena Krishnan, Traci Witt, Jenni Crutcher, Tonya Bradley, Ardiana Ademni, Latosha Fraley and Ben Araiza. – Vachel Henry

Library

Annie Cano, Rita Washington, My-Van Phung, Dean Turner, Kamal Bhatia, Katie Tomfohrde, Rosie Ollie, Gene Green, Andrea Malone, Martha Ross, Darlene Dibble, Jennifer Collins, Helen Jackson,Johnson Dweben, Shirley Singletary, and Alice Depot attended the weeding party at Acres Homes Branch Library. Through their diligent efforts, 88 boxes of trash were filled and discarded.

Welcome Edward Melton, David Aragon, Mary Simione, Donald Vo, Tamika Waldon, Perl Mancillas, Barbara Rivera, Karla Silva, Jessica Isaac, Rebecca Marshall, Samantha Warhol, John Brandon Pope, Mingyu Chen, Billy Hoya, Melissa Hayes, Sidney Hung, Evangelina Porras, and Stacey Ramirez.

Congratulations on well-deserved promotions to Linda Breaker, Claire Lecompte, Blake Denbina, Shammi Gill, Andeberhan Tensae, Roberto Zapata, Patricia Jones, Ambree Killings, Irandokht Badrei, Candace Sawyer, Marshandria Smith, Craig Bertuglia, and Felicia Brisco.

Best wishes for a happy retirement to Willie Robinson, Sharyn Easterbrook, Adele Abramowitz, Syeda Khan, Harvey Feehan, Michael McGee, Robert Johnson, Sandra Stuart and Director Barbara Gubbin, who took a position as director of the Jacksonville Public Library in Florida. – Sandra Fernandez and Blanca Quezada

Mayor's Office

Mayor Bill White nominated Carol Lewis for chairperson of the Houston Planning Commission. Lewis is the mayor’s special assistant on transportation and planning and a professor at Texas Southern University.

Welcome aboard volunteer Shira Latte and interns Elizabeth Rivera and Enisha Henry.

Yolanda Guess-Jeffries has joined the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods and Housing as administrative manager, and James Donatto is the new administrative assistant in the office of the deputy chief of staff. – Debra Veal

Municipal Courts

The implementation of cutting-edge courtroom technology was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 18. Special assistant to the mayor Jim Moriarity, Presiding Judge and MCJ Director Berta Mejia, CIO Richard Lewis, MCA Director and chief clerk Barbara Sudhoff and MCA’s chief technology officer Mark Stinnett viewed a demonstration of the Integrated Case Management System software as the parking portion went live at municipal court. With the new system, parking enforcement officers issue citations from handheld units that interface with the ICMS. At the end of a shift, the unit electronically funnels the day’s citations directly to the MCAD database. All information will be at court workers’ fingertips within 24 hours of the officer issuing the citation. The ICMS should be fully functional in spring 2005. This system will make Houston’s municipal court the largest in the nation to go virtually paperless.

Welcome Sandra Aponte, Bob Bassett, Mario de los Santos, Loyd Drain, Maria Irshad, Dorothea Montoya, and Greg Prier.

A fond goodbye and warm wishes to MCAD retirees: Cheryl Sollid, 14 years; Cynthia Stell, 25 years; Whitney Ashley, 5 years; Jim Turner, 8 years; Beatrice Perkins, 24 years; Wanda Baker, 23 years; and Patricia Smith, 15 years. – Maria Irshad

Parks & Recreation

Raymond Hall, Rio Reaux, Charles Sneed and Fritz Greer won first place in the CMC Golf Tournament.

Goodbye and best wishes to retirees Pablo Garcia, Thomas Juergen, Mario Perez, Carlon Daniels, Clarence Harrison, Walter Herrera, Adam Martinez, Armando Mendoza, Eloise Rodriguez, Vandy Shepard, Lincoln B. Tennesse, Pedro Trujillo, William Woodard, Ruby Young, Roberto Carrizales, Betty Douglas, Byron Guess, Edward Henry, Johnny Martinez, Charles Payton, Gloria Presser, Evelyn Steele, Jose Esquivel, Sum Ho, Johnny Martinez, Rudolfo Martinez, Joe Barrett, Zak Jones, Chau Tran, Charles Ware, Brenda Winston, Senora Barnett, Joe Carranza, Diane Deaton, Mary Edwards, Mirel Gayle, Vickie Jackson, Clydell Mobley, Margaret Mottesheard, Maria Munoz, Mittie Sampson, Bessie Sanders, Victor Scales, Thomas Turner, Arnold Villarreal, Gregory Washington, Jerry Davis, and Sovannara Nou. – Shirley Caldwell

Planning & Development

The department participated in the Houston Area Geographic Information Systems Day Nov. 18. Planning uses GIS extensively to research and analyze land use and development, existing resources, and growth potential.

Congratulations to Gayatri Anoo, sworn in as a U.S. citizen in November. – Suzy Hartgrove

Police

HPD and the Houston Association of Realtors are creating a partnership to keep realtors safe as they do business in and around the city. In exchange, the 20,000-plus realtors will become the eyes and ears for HPD by helping to identify hot spots of crime.

Chief Harold Hurtt proposed modifications to the department’s policy regarding officers working extra jobs at nightclubs. Hurtt was acting on recommendations from an extra employment committee formed last November. Proposed changes include: make approved permits available to area patrol commanders; mandate training for officers working at nightclubs; increase monitoring of extra job activities by first-line supervisors; temporarily suspend extra employment permits for officers under investigation regarding activities while working at nightclubs; and deny issuance of extra-employment permits if a club has received numerous violations from the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission.

HPD’s crime lab is implementing recommendations from experts at the National Forensic Science Technology Center as it works toward national accreditation.

While checking on an elderly woman, Officer Warren Jones noted a dilapidated church being used as a haven for criminals. Two senior citizens lived on either side of the church. Jones initiated an abatement process to this drug haven and used his own money and other volunteer contacts to prepare the building for demolition. In September, the church was demolished.

Texas Cops & Kids held its first Don Clark’s Annual Golf Tournament Sept. 24 at Hermann Park Golf Course and its annual Dare to Care Dinner Oct. 27 at Drexler’s Barbecue. The tournament developed partnerships between corporate and community leaders and local law enforcement and created a positive educational and social environment for youth. Texas Cops & Kids is an early intervention program that provides an alternative for at-risk, disadvantaged youth.

On Sept. 22, officials at West Houston Medical Center presented HPD with a collection of teddy bears to be given to traumatized children at crime scenes or during interviews.

On Sept. 30, Hurtt, U.S. Marshal Ruben Monzon and Harris County Sheriff’s Major George Sturgis announced the 15,000th arrest by members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force composed of HPD, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshal’s Office, Harris County District Attorney’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies.

New Tasers were distributed to officers at the Westside Command Police Station Dec. 3. The city bought 3,500 Tasers in an effort to reduce officer-involved shootings. By mid-February, all uniformed patrol officers will have a Taser.

A new city ordinance requires businesses that employ off-duty police officers for traffic control to first get a permit. The ordinance should increase traffic flow and improve mobility through the training and regulation of traffic-control personnel. For more information, call (832) 394-0065. – Alvin Wright

Public Works & Engineering

Mayor Bill White kicked off the Houston Is On A Roll Campaign Dec. 2. The yearlong campaign includes 13 new programs to support cyclists, provides tools to enhance bike riding in Houston and increases awareness of cyclists among motorists.

F&A’s Erma Pinson recognized Richard Lewis, James Phillips and David Sion for setting an excellent example of support during F&A’s move to 611 Walker’s 13th floor.

Bonita Cade, Jeana Nellons, Sam Miller, Charles Turner, Willie Cook, Dave Whitfield, Derrick Cleveland, Lee Standfield, Charles Williams, Reginald Jefferson, Karl Easley, Carol Desai, Michael Green and Elizabeth Jackson received recognition for participating in the Fall 2004 Volunteer Home Repair Program. The volunteer program repairs homes of elderly or disabled citizens living on fixed incomes. – Gary Norman

Solid Waste Management

Winners of the Employees of the Quarter for the First Quarter are Lisa Lenzy, Maria Ayala, Franciso Medina, Ronald Garrett and Terry Hawkins.

The department participated in the 11th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade in honor of King’s support of sanitation workers and his contributions to the solid waste industry.

Solid Waste has collected approximately 600,000 Christmas trees in its 13 years of sponsoring the annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program.

SWMD and the City Wide Club cosponsored the 3rd Annual Trash and Treasure Curbside Food Drive to help needy Houston families with canned goods, nonperishable food items and toys for the holidays. – Marina Coryat