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Fall 08
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Welcome Bin Liu, Linda Porter, Tashell Smith, Irene Precella, Val Francis, Karina Tran and Leslie Morgan ... In the wake of Hurricane Ike, HR established the Hurricane Ike Employee Assistance Center at 611 Walker. Staffed by department volunteers, the center offered employees information about FEMA, emergency food stamps, the Blue Roof Program, shelter locations and much more. Services were also provided at departmental locations. Planning & Development
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| Nettie Millsap, 10, spent three barefoot days at the George R. Brown Convention Center after Hurricane Ike. Then, Suzy Hartgrove, right, and Brian Crimmins, Planning & Development, bought her a new pair of Nikes. |
In a ceremony at the Hobby Center, the department recognized and presented gifts to Mira Washington and Director Marlene Gafrick, 28 years; Kathryn Morgan and Ernest Tobar, 26 years; Lydia King, 25 years; Mohdudul Huq, Robert Issac and Virginia Rodriguez, 24 years; Kevin Calfee, Pamela McCoy-Taylor, Annette Mitchell, Sam Vacanti and Marcia Wilson, 23 years; Patricia Benavides, Tommy Mah and Margaret Wallace, 22 years; Patricia Cotton, Matthew Dease, James Nimene, Jennifer Ostlind and Hector Rodriquez, 15 years; Carl Davis and Amar Mohite, five years ... The department marked the recognition of two new super neighborhood councils, the Mid-West and Westwood Super Neighborhood Councils. Forty-seven councils now represent 53 super neighborhoods ... The city added two historic districts, Freeland and Shadow Lawn, making a total of 13 recognized historic districts. – Suzy Hartgrove
Kudos to Nirja Aiyer, Kary Gregg and Marilyn Allen, for prevailing in two high-profile administrative hearings that involved permit denials to sexually oriented businesses. Madeleine Appel, Controller’s Office, commended Connie Acosta, Donald Fleming and Tim Higley’s professionalism and legal skills while representing her and others and for getting a case dismissed by the U.S. Magistrate. Robert Teir of Boening & Teir expressed his respect and admiration for Karen Singer’s Court of Appeals decision and the tremendous job she did representing her client in the Stephens case. Ramiro Cano, Human Resources assistant director, praised Lan Nguyen for her professionalism, efficiency and assistance in processing the Cambridge contract ... The department participated in the 15th annual Houston Bar Association book drive benefiting area charities including the Salvation Army and Star of Hope. The project chaired by Auggie Campbell, assistant city attorney, netted nearly 16 boxes of books, DVDs and related items. Also, Lynna Shuffield, project coordinator, delivered 42 boxes of donated magazines, personal-care items, pajamas and T-shirts to the Veterans’ Administration Hospital ... Celebrating milestones are Bill Beauchamp, 30 years; Barbara Pierce, 20 years; J.R. Lopez, Sokkhorn Tan and Peggy Walker, 15 years; Alice Kipple, Tracy Calabrese, Jim Sutherland, Thomas Rodriguez, Velda Britt and Drenda Wallace, 10 years; Rico Davis and Shani Dennis, 5 years ... Welcome Evelyn Njuguna, Chandilyn Davis, Mark DeSouza, Carolyn Davis, Sandra Edison, Louis Rossitto, Thomas Sulton, Goran Krnaich, Stacie Russell, Marie El Attar, Art Valdez, Phillip Faseler, Jaime Huntley, Nicole Huynh, Kyra Keosoff, Augustus Campbell, Paige Bryant, Lori Severson, Debbie Guillory, Rafael Sanchez and Kleneteria Jackson. – Vachel Henry
Texas Municipal Court Education Center partnered with Municipal Courts to provide court clerk level I certification classes at the E.B. Cape Center Aug. 9. About 45 clerks attended the classes, the first step in renewing their certification or becoming certified. The partnership enabled MCA to train a larger group of clerks in one session rather than sending them to Austin three or four at a time ... MCA began renovating 1400 Lubbock, with construction continuing through 2009. Visit www.houstontx.gov/courts/index.html for court location changes ... MCA managers attempted to dodge high-flying water balloons and water hoses during the annual Soak the Boss Day. Employees paid to soak their bosses, with the proceeds going to the department’s holiday celebration. Soak the Boss Day is a good way to boost morale and for employees to let off steam. – Rebekah Peterson
On Sept. 6, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, El Paso, Corpus Christi and five smaller Houston-area cities joined 101 schools in 17 school districts across the state to re-enroll students not in school during the fifth-annual Reach Out to Dropouts Walk. This was the first year to bring together those cities and those school districts. Galena Park, Baytown, Rosenberg, Richmond and Stafford participated in this year’s walk. The 2008 Reach Out to Dropouts Walk had 4,537 volunteers with 751 teams making home visits to 6,761 homes. Volunteers contacted 3,887 students and/or their parents, providing important information to get students back in school. Volunteers left 2,354 door hangers with families who were not home. More than 500 students returned, and 1,350 students contacted on walk day committed to returning to school at a later date. Dropout prevention specialists will work with those and other students throughout the year to encourage them to re-enroll and stay in school. From 2004 – 2007, 5,583 students returned to school as a result of the walk ... Welcome Minnette Boesel, Cameron Waldner, Rummeka Allen and Peter Keo. – Peter Keo and Debra Veal
This fall the department will launch Project Saving Smiles to provide free dental screenings, sealants, fluoride varnishes and oral-health education to about 3,000 second graders from six area school districts and one charter school. Children who suffer from oral health problems tend to have trouble learning in school. The department will partner with Good Neighbor Healthcare Center, a federally qualified health center at the West End Health Center, to screen the students. Buses will transport 800-1,000 students to the health center during one week in November, January and March. A needs assessment conducted by the Greater Houston Dental Health Task Force found that in the Harris County area, 52 percent of prekindergarten children had untreated tooth decay; second graders, 46 percent; seventh graders, 31 percent; and tenth graders, 27 percent ... The department developed a strategic plan to guide it through 2010. The plan presents the top seven priorities that will help the department promote and protect the health and social well-being of Houstonians. The priorities include protecting residents from communicable diseases, ensuring optimal health for mothers, infants and children, promoting environmental health, providing human services to optimize community well-being, supplying residents with information to help them make wise health decisions, preparing for a coordinated response to disasters, and reducing the incidence of chronic disease ... The department began a tuition-assistance program for employees attending a university, college or vocational technical school. The program provides tuition reimbursement up to $1,000 annually per eligible employee.
– Porfirio Villarreal
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The Summer Food Service served nearly 1.150 million lunches and snacks to children 1 – 18 who might otherwise have gone hungry. The service, a federally funded program coordinated through the Texas Health & Human Services Commission, has been sponsored by Parks since 1984. The department received special recognition from the Texas Department of Agriculture for being the state’s largest sponsor, and the 384 registered sites constitute a record for lunch sites … Between athletics, arts and crafts, field trips, and water fun, the 4,600 children enrolled in the Summer Enrichment Program had a fantastic time at community centers across town ... A massive new flood control project in north Houston’s Keith-Wiess Park opened in August. A series of artificial ponds designed to appear natural were built, offering increased safety from flooding and improved recreation for the neighbors … Five fitness centers received new workout equipment … This fall Park’s new urban gardener program will help Houstonians exercise their green thumbs and grow their produce in a leased urban garden … September’s brush with Hurricane Ike left a mess in Houston. The department dedicated 90 percent of its resources and its urban forestry division to work with the Solid Waste Management Department to clear streets. After Andrea White asked citizens to volunteer to clean up the parks, hundreds responded and moved limbs and small debris to the perimeters of parks, allowing green space staff to remove the larger debris and trees. – Don Whitaker
Farewell to Joseph Kurian, division manager of the contract compliance section, after 26 years, and to Stacey Littleton, contract compliance officer ... A warm welcome to Grace Wright, community liaison ... Congratulations to Daniel Hamilton, promoted to contract compliance supervisor. – Patsy Jackson
HFD members conducted a massive smoke alarm installation in southeast Houston Aug. 23 around Fire Station 35, 5535 Van Fleet. To prevent injuries and deaths, the department distributed and installed smoke alarms in the homes of residents who could not afford or could not install one themselves ... More than 60 firefighters graduated from the HFD Fire Academy Aug. 20 and Sept. 4 ... During a press conference Aug. 19, the Fire Fighters Foundation of Houston and HFD announced the launch of a new media campaign to encourage Houstonians to donate via the foundation’s Web site, www.fffhouston.com. FFFH is a nonprofit that provides nongovernmental funding to Houston firefighters. – Alicia White
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| During National Bike Month, residents were encouraged to ride bikes to work May 16. |
Nicole Hare, the city’s fitness guru, has submitted an application to the American Heart Association for “fitness company” designation for the department. The designation means that PWE employees are on the right track to getting fit. Two other departments have this designation: Health & Human Services and Aviation. Being recognized by the American Heart Association would validate the work of coordinators in providing healthy information and programs to employees. Several programs initiated through the American Heart Association, such as the Start Walk and Go Red campaigns, have energized PWE employees and encouraged the creation of walking groups at lunch ... For the past eight Mays, the city has participated in National Bike Month efforts to promote bicycling and safety education. Bicycling is part of the solution to many of our nation’s problems: obesity, traffic congestion, air pollution and more. If the average person biked to work or shopping once every two weeks instead of driving, we could prevent close to one billion gallons of gasoline emissions from polluting the air every year ... To celebrate National Bike Month, the Bikeway Program kicked off a one-month challenge asking Houstonians to ride their bikes and challenging corporations to enter a competition to see how many cyclists would commit to riding their bike. The Energy Corridor Team, which included Shell, Exxon Mobil Chemical, BP PLC, Conoco Phillips, and the Energy Corridor Management District, won the challenge with 239 riders ... New high-intensity activated crosswalk pedestrian lights have been installed at the intersection of Greenbriar and Watts. The HAWK lights are an extension of the traditional school bus flashing signal that warns when children are crossing the road. These lights address traffic and pedestrian issues in high-traffic locations. The signaling system is a combination of a beacon flasher and traffic control signaling technique for marked crossings ... Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Bob Stephan toured the east water treatment plant on Federal Road while assessing the vulnerability of critical infrastructures nationwide to terrorism. Public utilities division Deputy Director Jeff Taylor discussed the steps taken to secure water and waste water faculties and emphasized the strict guidelines that keep threats at bay and protect the staff. Improved fencing, cameras and an active working relationship with local and county law enforcement keep the facilities secure. During a tour of the facility, Yvonne Forest, plant manager, discussed how water is treated. Security manager Tom Collins talked about the stringent hiring requirements and background checks during the application process ... For the third year in a row, the resource management safety section won the National Defensive Driving Course Best Performance award for Texas. The award signifies that PWE’s training center leads the field in training safer motorists. The recognition is given by NSC based on its judgment and a partial criterion using the number of drivers trained and the records submitted by each training center. – Alvin Wright
| Miguel Macias, left, and Tim Smith begin the assembly of cots at the George R. Brown Convention Center for victims after Hurricane Ike. |
The George R. Brown Convention Center was the site of an American Red Cross staging operation in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Preparations began at the downtown facility 36 hours before Ike made landfall and continued for more than a week until the Red Cross moved evacuees to other locations. More than 7,000 storm victims were registered at the GRB during the operation ... Mathew and Tina Knowles, Bill Archer, the Rev. William Lawson, and the family of George R. Brown are the new inductees into the Houston Hall of Fame. The newcomers were honored at the city’s birthday party Aug. 26. The hall of fame exhibit, on the third floor of the GRB, now numbers 32 honorees ... Aurora Martinez and Victor Fajardo of Wortham Center and Joyce Watson of GRB were honored as department employees of the month. – Pete Radowick
On Aug. 14, Director Richard Celli, Councilwoman Wanda Adams, Fire Chief Phil Boriskie and community leaders broke ground for Fire Station 24, 2625 Reed Road. Station 24, which will house one fire engine and one medic unit, will be built with $5 million from a community development block grant. Construction is scheduled to be completed October 2010 ... The following employees were recognized at the Mayor’s Service Awards April 29: Garland Nelson, 30 years; Clara Johnson and Vernon Dwayne Lewis, 25 years; Keith Bynam, Rosalinda Cabezuela, Richard Davis, Deborah Edwards and Ceasar Gonzales, 15 years; Dan Barker, Antoinette Boone, Karen Franklin, Joel North, Ellsworth Pinkins, Jr., Pedro Sosa, Shaunell Stills, 10 years; Kennisha Freeman, Elizabeth Gaytan, Allison Hall, Greta Molo, John Palmer and Elizabeth Spinnenweber, five years ... Happy retirement to Luther Anderson after 29 years ... Welcome Victoria Silva, Perneisha Adams, Eric Hunt, Abolade Olaoye, Meagan De Bock, Laurie Haring, Markel Wagner. – Lester Whiteing
Welcome Jeremy George, Shahla Samani, Rodney Sam, Brenda Haynes, John Brower, Pius Charles Murray, Lea Newland, Elizabeth Sargent, Veronda Taylor, Emanda Campbell, Lisa Reyes, Karrington Burnett, Palwasha Sharwani, Wasif Ansari, Heather Poinstt-Dunbar, Leann Cowan, Jennifer Canales, Thu Nguyen, Donald Mayne, Kirby Johnson, Celeste Diaz, Rachel Stout, Gail Ibarra, Viviana Gonzales, Norma Silvas, Maria Salas, Jennifer Williams, Angel Bynum, Deliah Brown and Melissa Murphey, and welcome back Ghulam Markhiani and Perla Mancillas ... Congratulations on promotions to Judith Hiott, Katherine Myers, Elizabeth Porter, Daisy Gutierrez and Mark Hall ... Happy retirement to Carol Johnson ... Hiott, recently head of HPL’s digitization project, was named chief of the Houston Library Automated Network. HPL operates HALAN, a computer network that serves the Bellaire City Library, Effie & Wilton Hebert Public Library, HPL’s Central Library, Julia Ideson Building Texas Room and Archives, Marion & Ed Hughes Public Library, Lee College Library, Pasadena Public Library Central Library, Pasadena’s Fairmont Branch, Port Arthur Public Library and the Sterling Municipal Library ... Four new district managers will help operate neighborhood libraries. Becky Hubert was named northwest district manager; Suzy Benton, southeast district manager; Shammi Gill, southwest district manager; and Mary Wagoner, northeast district manager ... After Hurricane Ike, HPL quickly reopened Central Library and shifted the focus from normal services to helping with recovery efforts. On the Monday after Ike, HPL employees ensured citizens had online access to communicate their post-Ike status with family and friends, contact insurance companies and make other critical connections. HPL staff provided one-on-one assistance to citizens who needed help filing online FEMA and other aid applications. As power returned and repairs were made, HPL reopened additional libraries. Computer training labs and meeting rooms became Hurricane Ike assistance rooms. HPL also deployed the HPL Mobile Express to the parking lots of several neighborhood libraries that were not open ... What began as a service for Library staff in the first days after Ike was promptly extended to include all city employees. At the request of Councilwoman Sue Lovell and Mayor Bill White, HPL cared for more than 300 school-aged children of city employees for two weeks after the storm, making it possible for their parents to return to work. The children and teens found adventure, face painting, crafts and new friends. Activities were educational and entertaining. All children received free snacks and lunch ... Libraries provided registration sites for the Blue Roof Program, in which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided a free temporary roof to citizens who had storm damages to their roof. – Blanca Quezada
