ReNews - Fall 2016

FALL 2016

Welcome to Fiscal Year 2017

PICTURED: Ben Delagado at ROAD-E-O 2016

City Council approves budget.

CNG Truck Explosion Be the Match, Operator skillfully handled a Save a Life dangerous situation.

Employee donates peripheral blood stem cells.

ROAD-E-O 2016

The Operator Olympics.

CONTENTS Director’s Message: New Fiscal Year PAGE 1

Director Gedert talks about the approved Fiscal Year 2017 budget and what it means for ARR.

Rode-e-o PAGE 2

ARR’s 21st annual ROAD-E-O was held on April 30.

cng truck explosion PAGE 4

Abraham Martinez skillfully handled a dangerous situation.

Be the Match, Save a Life PAGE 6

Maddie Morgan shares her story of donating peripheral blood stem cells to a patient in need.

Published October 2016

EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PAGE 5 Kudos to ARR staff from customers, their peers and ARR leadership.

MAJOR PROJECTS PAGE 8 Read about several major projects going on around the department: medication drop-off bins, Zero Waste Block Leaders, a grant for the Brownfields Revitalization Program and the new telework policy.

AIMING HIGHER AWARDS PAGE 9 These employees were recognized for going above and beyond their job duties to represent PRIDE values.

Director’s Message: Fiscal Year 2017

BY BOB GEDERT Austin Resource Recovery Director

Welcome to Fiscal Year 2017! October 1 marked the first day of the new fiscal year, and we’ve got an exciting one ahead of us.

CURBSIDE COMPOSTING COLLECTION ROLL-OUT On September 15, City Council approved the budget for the upcoming year. The biggest impact to our department is the approval of citywide curbside composting collection. We’re thrilled that Council approved this program because of its potential to move us much closer to Zero Waste – after all, nearly half of the material being sent to the landfill is compostable.

Over the next four years, we will expand the service from the 14,000 households in our pilot program to all of our residential customers. In the summer of 2017, approximately 38,000 households will begin receiving the service.

Then, approximately 50,000 households will be added each year until 2020.

RATES This year, the base rate (for all customers, not just those receiving composting service) will increase $1 per month. The rate will rise slightly each year, for a total increase of approximately $5 per month by 2020.

PAY & BENEFITS Of course, the other major budgetary concern of most employees is pay and benefits: PAY INCREASES Council approved the following pay increases for employees hired on or before April 1, 2016: • • •

A living wage increase to $13.50 per hour, beginning this month for regular employees and in January for temporary employees 29 cents per hour increase beginning on the December 16th payday An additional 2 percent increase beginning on the December 30th payday for employees rated “Successful” or better on their FY 2016 SSPR

The City Council was focused on creating a balanced budget and keeping taxes from rising too much, which is why the increases are less than originally proposed earlier this year.

BENEFITS There are some significant changes to the employee health plans and other benefits this year. Everyone should have received a Proposed Pay & Benefits guide in September, and you will receive a handout this month with the finalized information. Soon, training sessions about the changes to the benefits plans will be scheduled; please plan to attend one of them.

LOOKING AHEAD I’m very much looking forward to the upcoming year and all that we will accomplish. I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for your hard work representing the department and supporting our great city and its residents. Not only are you all what makes ARR a great department, but you are what makes the City of Austin the best-managed workforce in the country!

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HIRING & TRAINING This month, we will begin the hiring process for five full-time operators and one crew leader position, and later in the year we will hire six more operators for the new composting routes.

(We expect to hire more operators each year as the routes grow.)

These will be semi-automated routes. In addition to training for the new employees, current Yard Trimmings employees will receive a refresher training on using the rear-loader to collect carts.

EDUCATION & OUTREACH One of the biggest challenges with this new service will be ensuring that our customers understand what items to put in their new green cart. The Marketing and Public Information team has developed a plan to teach customers how to use their new green carts and why it’s important to do it right. Materials are already being developed and staff will be talking about the program at upcoming community events.

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2016

ROAD-E-O

BY SUSANNE HARM, Public Information Specialist Senior

ARR employees and their families enjoy camaraderie and good-natured competition.

THE OPERATOR OLYMPICS

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It takes a lot of expertise to safely drive recycling and trash trucks around Austin neighborhoods every day, so why would operators want to maneuver these 26,000-pound titanics through yet another obstacle course . . . on a Saturday? To win the Austin Resource Recovery ROAD-E-O, of course!

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ARR’s 21st annual ROAD-E-O was held on April 30 at KGSC, where more than 200 family members, coworkers and friends of our professional drivers came out to watch the precision-driving

competition. Operators demonstrated their skills in a variety of contests including parallel parking, serpentine obstacle courses and meticulous tractor-crane operations, as a team of judges watched and scored each performance.

According to Tim Hill, Training Specialist, “ROAD-E-O is like the Olympics of truck driver competitions. It’s all about the camaraderie and excitement of the games!”

vehicle

TRACTOR 1st Place

vehicle

Rear Loader 1st Place

BOBBY BROWN

CHRIS GUERRERO

2nd Place

2nd Place

DAVID CHAMP

ISMAEL BRYAN 3rd Place

VIRGINIA DARBY

The 2016 Overall Champion, Chris Guerrero!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY 2016 ROAD-E-O WINNERS! ARR’s ROAD-E-O featured a rock climbing wall, mechanical gyro-rides, inflatable slides and a free barbecue lunch for everyone who attended.

“This friendly competition is ARR’s annual opportunity to highlight our Culture of Safety, as well as demonstrate our operators’ skills and talk some trash. The fun and the smiles on the children’s faces is priceless,” said Steve Dixon, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist (and ROAD-E-O Coordinator since 1995!).

vehicle

vehicle

Automated Roll off 1st Place

1st Place

JACOB CERVANTES

CHRIS FARR

2nd Place

2nd Place

JAIME MARTINEZ

MIKE CARNLINE

3rd Place

3rd Place

KEVIN SPENCER SR.

AMOS CASTILLO

ARR’s local ROAD-E-O champs qualified to compete at the TxSWANA (Solid Waste Association of North America) State ROAD-E-O in Denton, Texas on June 3 and 4. There, Bobby Brown and Chris Farr came out on top. Farr placed first in the 500 Roll Off contest and Brown won first place in the Tractor Trailer competition. Jaime Martinez placed second and Kevin Spencer Sr. placed seventh in the Automated event, and David Champ placed fifth in the Tractor Trailer competition. Way to go, Team ARR! First-place winners from the State competition had the opportunity to compete at the 2016 SWANA International ROADE-O in Dublin, Georgia on September 3, 2016. This year, we were honored to have Chris Farr compete as a representative for ARR and TxSWANA. Although he did not win, he did a great job!

Tractor first place winner, Bobby Brown.

The roll-off vehicle first place winner, Chris Farr.

The automated vehicle first place winner, Jacob Cervantes.

Tractor second place winner, David Champ.

MISSED THE ROAD-E-O?

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Go to bit.ly/road-e-o to watch a video of Bobby Brown use a tractor-crane to pick up a soda can and place it inside a bullseye without crushing it!

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CNG TRUCK EXPLOSION

BY JESSE MUNOZ, Training Specialist & JOHN HOLLENBECK, Occupational Health & Safety Coordinator

dangerous to handle himself, so he immediately evacuated to a safe location.

By the time he reached safety, the truck was engulfed in flames.

Captain Schultz, with the Austin Fire Department (AFD), said when the responding units arrived, Abraham immediately told them the truck was fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG).

This allowed the AFD team to fully assess the dangers and develop a plan to safely extinguish the fire.

Captain Shultz praised both Abraham’s actions and ARR’s Technical Training Team for their CNG fire safety training. He said the training must have been excellent, because Abraham did everything right.

The CNG truck after the fire.

On the morning of July 21, as Abraham Martinez left a service stop in south Austin, he noticed black smoke coming from behind his truck. Within seconds, he heard an explosion and observed flames behind the cab. Abraham quickly placed the vehicle in park, exited the cab, grabbed a fire extinguisher and went to extinguish the fire. When he saw hydraulic fluid shooting onto the exhaust system, he realized the situation was too

ARR is committed to ensuring all employees have the knowledge and skills to react as well as Abraham did if and when dangerous situations occur. After the July 21 fire, a CNG Emergency Response training class was conducted. The training focused on the correct way to respond to a CNG fire or fuel leak. To date, 218 ARR operators have been re-trained on emergency response to a CNG fire, and ARR trainers have received requests to provide the training to other City of Austin departments.

CNG Vehicle

CNG Vehicle

safety tips

Benefits • • •

Using CNG vehicles reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 percent.

CNG trucks can be as much as 50 percent quieter than diesel trucks.

CNG trucks do not produce any water pollutants.

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Inspect mounting bolts to ensure CNG tank is secure and there is no movement Inspect CNG lines daily, looking for the following: o Fuel leaks o Frost on the lines o Loose fittings o Damage to CNG tanks from low-hanging tree limbs If your truck is on fire: o Warn bystanders o Contact 911 and ARR dispatch, if possible o Try to extinguish the fire, if possible

Employee

Recognition COMPILED BY DANIELLE RANSOM, Communications and Marketing Intern

BILL GARRETT Bill Garrett’s outstanding work ethic and drive has made him a standout employee. Bill enthusiastically completes every task sent his way, completing them ahead of time while maintaining high standards. His colleagues are particularly appreciative of his recent work setting up a computer lab in the KGSC auditorium.

ROSLYN KYGAR AND SARAH HOOVER A heartfelt thank-you to waste diversion planners Roslyn Kygar and Sarah Hoover for their efforts in completing Austin’s 2015 Community Diversion Study, the first comprehensive study on recycling, composting and other diversion activities.

This study included data that fully showcased the baseline diversion rate in Austin and was a multi-year effort that both women worked tirelessly to complete.

CHRISTINE WHITNEY

Strategic Initiatives Division Manager Jessica King thanked Gena McKinley, Woody Raine, Ron Neumond and Ashley Fisher for their work gathering public input about ARR service expansion. These four worked tirelessly to get residents to attend public meetings and complete ARR’s survey. The information gathered received praise from the Zero Waste Advisory Council for the outstanding effort to better understand customer preferences.

ELI DURAN, JON BALADEZ, BEN DELGADO AND CHRIS GUERRERO When ARR was contacted by a frantic resident who had accidently thrown her wallet in the trash, litter collection team Eli Duran, Jon Baladez, Ben Delgado and Chris Guerrero dug through 22,000 pounds of trash to find it. Working overtime, the team was able to find the wallet and safely return it the owner.

The grateful resident was very appreciative of the crew’s help in her time of need.

DAVID DAILY, JUANITA FERNANDEZ, IRENE MONTEZ The Code Department thanked Customer Service employees David Daily, Juanita Fernandez and Irene Montez for their diligent work ensuring that all Code Service requests were completed on time during the peak weeds and grass season in May.

JOHN TREVINO Code Department Assistant Division Manager Anthony McBryde thanked operator John Trevino for his outstanding work picking up bulk items during the Lanshire Drive clean-up in August. John was very helpful and professional when educating citizens about ARR services, and he displayed excellent work ethic.

ARR The Keep Austin Beautiful Clean Sweep event this past April was a great success, and Monica Magee, Development & Communications Director at Keep Austin Beautiful, thanked ARR for their hard work on the event. She expressed gratitude for ARR’s help and collection services that helped move tons of trash (literally!) out of neighborhoods. More than 4,100 volunteers took part in the citywide cleanup, which removed an estimated 18.5 tons of waste from 151 locations around Austin.

JASON GALAN AND TERRANCE CARR A resident complimented operators Jason Galan and Terrance Carr for their excellent customer service. The duo worked together efficiently to collect the customer’s bulk trash in a timely and safe manner.

JASON MCCOMBS Jason McCombs, Waste Diversion Planner with the Strategic Initiatives Division, recently joined the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) Board of Directors. He was also selected for the upcoming Leadership Austin class. Great job, Jason!

ORANGE JEFFERSON A resident praised operator Orange Jefferson for his commitment to excellence.

He completed multiple street-sweeping passes on the resident’s street to make sure all trash was cleared before moving on to the next task.

ZEKE GRIMALDO AND ROBERT MATIAS The Safety team recognized operators Zeke Grimaldo and Robert Matias for their perfect vehicle inspection. Their truck was found to have zero deficiencies despite their daily work toll. Zeke’s and Robert’s honest efforts in upholding ARR standards has earned them standout recognition.

RUDY ESPARZA, TOM COLEMAN, ROBERT GARCIA, MIGUEL SALINAS A resident called to compliment Rudy Esparza, Tom Coleman, Robert Garcia and Miguel Salinas for a great job in picking up her storm debris from her residence.

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Christine Whitney, Austin Brownfields Revitalization Office Program Manager, contributed to Austin Woman’s July article about making Austin a sustainable city. Christine talked to the magazine about what brownfields are and why they’re significant. Visit bit.ly/austinwoman-whitney to read the story!

GENA MCKINLEY, WOODY RAINE, RON NEUMOND, ASHLEY FISHER

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Maddie Morgan donates peripheral blood stem cells.

BE THE MATCH, Save a Life WITH DANIELLE RANSOM, Communications and Marketing Intern & MADDIE MORGAN, Waste Diversion Planner

Every three minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer. For many of them (as well as those who have blood/marrow diseases such as sickle-cell anemia), their only hope for a cure is a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant.

After a close friend shared the sense of purpose he felt after donating bone marrow, Maddie Morgan – Waste Diversion Planner with the Strategic Initiatives Division – decided to register as a potential donor with Be the Match (BTM).

BTM is a nonprofit organization that helps match patients and donors. In April, Maddie learned that she was a possible match and in July, she donated. The beginning of the donation process coincided with the two-year anniversary of her father’s own life-altering procedure to get rid of his third bout with cancer, making her journey even more meaningful.

Communications and Marketing Intern Danielle Ransom asked Maddie some questions about her experience.

Danielle: After finding out you were a possible match, how were you impacted by the significance of this opportunity?

Maddie: I had a mix of emotions – nervous, scared, excited and humbled. For a while, I felt confused because I wasn’t getting full support from everyone in my family. They were worried about the risks associated with old bone-marrow donation procedures.

When I found out I would be donating peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC), rather than actual bone marrow, I lost all hesitation and grew very excited at the opportunity to help save someone’s life.

Donating PBSC is a much simpler procedure.

apheresis machine. Blood was removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that collected the stem cells.

Then, the blood was returned through a needle in my other arm.

It’s very similar to the procedure for donating blood platelets.

The donation took about five hours. I had no issues, not even bruising or pain at the injection sites. It was a better experience than the numerous blood drives I’ve participated in! I noticed some fatigue after the donation, but in less than a week I felt 100% normal.

Danielle: Did you make any lifestyle changes, like exercising more or eating healthier to prepare to be a donor?

Maddie: I made an effort to stay extremely hydrated and give my body the necessary nutrients. Beyond that, it had little to no impact in my daily life.

Danielle: How did you feel once everything was finished?

Maddie: I was exhausted, exhilarated and experiencing some pain from the filgrastim injections. The day after donating was the most taxing. I had done something so amazing the day before, and it was kind of like, well . . . now what? This opportunity was one of the most rewarding, humbling experiences of my life.

Danielle: Did you get to meet the patient who received your donation?

Maddie: My recipient is a 45 year-old man living in the U.S., but that’s all I know about him. I was told the procedure went well and his stem cells were increasing with no sign of graft vs. host disease (a serious complication where the donated cells try to attack the patient’s body).

If after one year he and I both agree, we can release our personal information to each other. I hope one day to be able to meet him.

Danielle: Are all donors matched with patients?

Maddie: Unfortunately, most patients are not matched with a donor because there aren’t enough people in the registry, and only 1 in 430 of registry members actually donate. Staff at my donation center told me that about half of patients in their area don’t undergo the transplant. Many potential donors back out due to lack of education about how easy the procedure is now.

Danielle: Why do they have difficult time finding matches for minorities?

Maddie: Matches are based on specific protein markers that are associated with ethnicity, and since minorities make up only one quarter of the registry, it’s harder to find matches. Adding more diverse members to the registry increases the likelihood of all patients finding a life-saving match.

Danielle: What was it like going through the tests to donate?

Maddie: BTM covered all costs, even travel expenses. Everything went very smoothly. They take extreme measures to ensure donors are not at any risk. Testing included phone screenings, a physical, an EKG, a chest x-ray and extensive bloodwork.

Danielle: How can people register and donate?

Maddie: It’s free for people ages 18 to 44 to register and it’s so easy! Visit join.bethematch.org to complete a short questionnaire.

Be the Match sends you a kit in the mail and all you have to do is swab the inside of your cheek and mail it back.

Danielle: What was the actual donation process like?

Maddie: Donating PBSC is a five-day process. The first four days, I received filgrastim injections in each arm to boost bone marrow production. The injections can cause side effects, such as bone pain and fatigue, but mine were very mild until the fourth night.

Danielle: What is the ADL incentive the City offers and how can employees use this offer?

Maddie: The City offers up to five days of ADL per calendar year for donating bone marrow (with supervisor approval). It definitely made the process much less stressful.

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On day five, I drove to San Antonio with my mom and a close friend for the donation procedure. I had my final bloodwork done and got the last injection, and then they hooked me up to the

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Major Projects

Before

After

ARR BROWNFIELDS REVITALIZATION OFFICE AWARDED $820,000 GRANT

NOW RECRUITING BLOCK LEADERS We’re recruiting residents to become volunteer Zero Waste Block Leaders! The program is open to all Austin residents. Block Leaders serve as a point of contact for neighbors who may have questions about recycling, composting, material reuse and what being a Zero Waste community means. If you or someone you know are interested in becoming a Zero Waste Block Leader, visit austintexas.gov/zerowasteblockleader.

The City of Austin has been awarded an $820,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. These funds will be administered by the Brownfields Revitalization Office and will help clean up contaminated land, also known as brownfields.

This grant will go toward assessing properties, cleaning contamination and removing barriers to community redevelopment.

Learn more about brownfields and this grant at austintexas.gov/ brownfields.

TELEWORK POLICY ADOPTED AFTER SUCCESSFUL PILOT MEDICATION COLLECTION Did you know that you can drop off old or extra medication to be safely disposed of – no questions asked? There are two drop-off bins in the Austin area where you can take many types of medications, including pills, liquids, creams and inhalers. For details, including a full list of items that are and are not accepted, go to austintexas.gov/drugs.

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Drop-off bin locations:

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• •

Travis County Constable Precinct 5, 1003 Guadalupe St. Forty Acres Pharmacy, 100 W. Dean Keeton St.

The ARR telework pilot, which allowed administrative employees to work from home for part of each week, ran from February 8 through May 6. We saw great results: • • •

30% decrease in miles driven alone 39% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions 29% increase in monetary savings

Employee and manager satisfaction after the pilot was high – most employees found it easier to do their job as a teleworker and most managers agreed that employees were equally or more productive when teleworking. Based on the feedback, Director Bob Gedert announced in July that the temporary telework pilot would become a permanent telework policy.

AIMING HIGHER

AWARDS AIMING HIGHER AWARDS ARE PRESENTED TO INDIVIDUALS WHO shoot for the stars, WHETHER THROUGH ONE EXCEPTIONAL ACTION OR BY regularly going above and beyond.

WINNERS GET A GIFT CARD AND ARE RECOGNIZED HERE IN THE NEWSLETTER.

COMPILED BY DANIELLE RANSOM, Communications and Marketing Intern

Peter Decesare and Charley White

studies that highlight the importance of this program.

Jorge Ortega

When a fellow employee needed help moving a piece of equipment, he knew just who to call. Even though they were both off the clock, Peter and Charley canceled their personal plans to help their co-worker get three pieces of equipment unstuck from a mud patch.

Both Pete and Charley went above and beyond, saving the department the expense of a tow truck.

Jorge consistently goes above and beyond his duties, coming in early and staying late to beat deadlines. He recently undertook a huge project gathering art and photos for a new project. At first, it appeared that only a few images were needed, but it turned out that more than 90 new images and photos had to be added and altered. The process was extremely time-consuming and tedious, but Jorge cheerfully completely the work.

Ashley Pace

Maddie Morgan

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Maddie has been instrumental in growing the Zero Waste Business Rebate Program into a robust resource with her expertise. Since stepping in to lead the program, she has doubled participants from 23 to 55 in one year, developing tracking methods and case

Ashley’s phenomenal “cando” attitude has made her a great asset to the team. In addition to volunteering for office events on the weekend, Ashley worked on obtaining promotional clothing for ARR and started an event committee. Her impressive work ethic, attitude and genuine love of helping others is greatly appreciated.

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Memi Cárdenas

Memi is always dedicated to ensuring ARR is well-presented to the public, and she demonstrated this during a marathon three-day stretch where she worked tirelessly to promote ARR. On short notice, she agreed to forego her day off and assist a reporter covering overnight cleaning crews during South by Southwest. Her all-night shift spanned from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., after which she rested for a few hours before heading to an outreach event from noon to 7 p.m. On day 3, she arrived at KVUE at 8 a.m. to do a segment on the Austin Recycles Games.

Scott Long

Joe Carrizales and Tony Mendoza

department, going above and beyond her expected duties.

Datrin Guyton

When a customer couldn’t start her car one morning, Datrin stepped in to help. He pushed the car uphill to jump start it. The customer was completely astounded by this kind act and is grateful for the wonderful service.

A family called to compliment Joe and Tony for their honesty and work ethic. After finding a wallet in the street, Tony and Joe made sure it was returned to the correct address. Not only that, they followed up to make sure the wallet was indeed returned to its rightful owner, exemplifying ARR’s PRIDE values.

IBY SETZER

Damon Fowler and Delbert Garcia

The first to arrive and the last to leave, Iby always makes sure that her team members are taken care of. She works around the clock to ensure that ARR is represented at volunteer and educational events. Iby’s co-workers appreciate her dedication to not only getting the job done, but getting it done right.

Christine Whitney, Mary Fear, Rachel Nayer, Melisa Hatherly and Erin Benoit

Meagan Herndon

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Scott is always going above and beyond his normal work duties to promote recycling.

With superb customer service, he greets almost every customer coming to recycle items at the Recycle & Reuse DropOff Center and even takes the time to educate them about recycling correctly.

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A citizen complimented Damon and Delbert for their excellent customer service during litter collection. The duo’s outstanding work impressed this customer, and they exhibited PRIDE values in taking care of our customers.

Nicknamed the “Swiss Army Knife” of the HR department, Meagan embodies PRIDE values by ensuring the needs of her department and the City are met. She constantly makes an effort to lend advice to those who seek assistance while providing encouragement and support to her team.

She works diligently in her

David Daily Never one to let cloudy days rain on his parade, David goes out of his way to lift up his co-workers while taking pride in his work for the City.

Recently, he helped the Green Team spearhead the plastic recycling program, stepping up when his team needed him the most.

Christine organized her staff to complete a series of lengthy open record requests ARR received. These requests are long and cumbersome, but these individuals completed this lengthy task of going back through files on top of their normal work duties.

Kenneth Hicks

Eric Ochoa, David Calderon and Javier Martinez

Kenneth’s co-workers value his hard work and commitment to doing a good job. Ken took initiative to organize a team and taped the whole floor for a station that direly needed to be cleaned. Ken’s determination to work hard and take care the needs of the Diversion Facilities division truly stands out.

These individuals volunteered for overnight shifts to help the city audit how customers were using dumpsters. The teams showed great public service and engagement with citizens and business employees. All members were professional and displayed integrity and ethical behaviors while performing the audits.

Greg Miller and Charley White Greg and Charley teamed up to create a more efficient paint scraper and dryer rack for used pails. This new equipment is on track to divert 15 tons of plastic going in the landfill. Their co-workers are grateful for individuals like them who go out their way to solve problems.

Cirilio Sanchez

Nathan Shaw-Meadow and Maddie Morgan

These three went above and beyond after doubling back on their route to pick up brush that a customer set out after the crew had already collected from that area, exhibiting the Public Service and Engagement PRIDE value.

Eric Ochoa and Bobby Brown A citizen complimented Eric and Bobby for their excellent customer service after the duo stopped to clean up the customer’s front yard – without prompting – while driving their route. This citizen greatly appreciated their kindness.

Nathan stepped up to help prepare outreach materials for ARR’s e-newsletter to neighborhood groups and other City departments. Not only that, he and Maddie teamed up to clean up and segment various Excel spreadsheets into one master Fix-It Clinic outreach list, making all future marketing efforts run more smoothly.

Javier Vasquez and Greg Miller

When a strange smell was coming from the ceiling at the household hazardous waste facility, Greg and Javier helped find the cause of the problem. Greg volunteered to go up in the ceiling where he discovered a large dead rat.

Then, he and Javier removed it, making work a safe and comfortable place again for their fellow employees.

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Cirilio used his safety and first aid training to take care of a co-worker who was having breathing difficulties. Cirilio administered care and stayed on the line as he waited with his co-worker for EMS to arrive, illustrating ARR’s Safety principles.

Michael Zavala, Teresa Chapman, Hope Davis, Nathan ShawMeadow, Shirley Duncan, Robert Anderson, Bill Garrett, Jessica Frazier, Andrea Francis, Tom Gleason, Jonathan Mays, Mike Turner, Katrina Fenrick, David McCluggage, Maddie Morgan, CJ Sisco and Elizabeth Corey

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Anthony Calderon

Dana Blindert, Dale Johnson, Eladio Romero, Jesse Langley and Orange Jefferson

Charley also exemplified PRIDE values when he trained a new employee on how to operate equipment essential to landfill operation duties. His model behavior left a great impression on the employee, who is thankful for Charley’s help.

Ismael Figueroa and Terrance Carr When a water retention pit over flowered after heavy rainfall, Anthony volunteered to man the water pump and drain the pit. This selfless act saved ARR thousands in expenses.

Sean Barlow

Sean used his expertise to train a fellow employee on several types of heavy equipment, allowing the employee to gain necessary skills. His fellow employee felt enriched during this training, complimenting Sean on his professional etiquette, expertise and leadership.

These employees quickly assembled a response team when an accident caused a water leak and Watershed Protection wasn’t able to respond. They helped APD clean up the spill, which had caused a major traffic delay. Their cooperation and efforts prevented further delays and helped de-escalate a serious problem.

Jesse Langley After a collection truck was involved in a collision, Jesse exhibited PRIDE values by going above and beyond to provide his expertise, and he even stayed on the scene until 11:30 p.m., helping Austin Police, the Fire Department, and the Travis County Sheriffs clean up the wreckage.

Michael Wilkins

Dale Johnson, Dana Blindert and Eladio Romero After fellow ARR employees were involved in a serious car accident, Dale, Dana and Eladio showed up to assist with the investigation. The three went above and beyond to lend their expertise.

These employees stayed at the accident scene for over 6 hours in 100-degree weather to clean up and carry out the investigation.

Charley White

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Jo Gutierrez

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Jo’s ethics and hard work have made her a great asset to the Finance team, where she has been a valuable resource to all team members who have purchasing questions, regardless of whether or not the contract is under her supervision.

Recently, Jo helped a fellow co-worker solve a problem concerning a vendor account, clearly and expertly explaining the best option for the team to pursue.

Michael went well beyond his job duties to help the Household Hazardous Waste team clean up an accidental paint spill at a citizen’s house. He washed the customer’s walkway with a pressure washer, a task that took over an hour.

The customer and her daughter were very satisfied with Michael’s service

Charley helped the Austin Police Department secure their property near the old landfill after someone pushed the gate down. Charley used the crane on the service truck to pick up the gate, and he welded brackets.

When Ismael and Terrance noticed a car that had caught on fire after an accident, they threw all concern for their own wellbeing aside. A citizen was trapped inside and they did everything they could to help. Ismael and Terrance immediately contacted the fire department and attempted to put out the fire using extinguishers from their vehicle.

Their act of heroism has not gone unnoticed.

AIMING HIGHER

AWARDS

Peter Decesare and Mike Rodriguez

When the FM 812 landfill overflowed due to storms, Peter and Michael didn’t think twice about lending a helping hand. They helped pump more than 10 inches of rain water to retrieve a landfill water pump that got submerged during the storm. They saved the City money by working around the clock to make sure the rented pump was returned on time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT Aiming Higher Awards, OR TO REQUEST A NOMINATION FORM, CONTACT YOUR DIVISION AWARDS AND RECOGNITION COMMITEE MEMBER! Litter Abatement LaPree Habbit

Operations Support Ray Pilgrim

Collection Services Johnny Williams

Quality Assurance Bill Garrett

Customer Service Marcus Gonzalez

Safety Jesse Langley

Director’s Office Michael Sullivan

Finance Marcia Jones

Diversion Facilities Melisa Hatherly

Strategic Initiatives Ashley Pace

Human Resources Amanda Noble ReNeWS

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What would you like to see in

ReNews?

ARR's Marketing Team has been hard at work at an internal communication plan to improve the way information is shared in our department. As part of that plan, we've re-committed to making ReNews a quarterly publication, which will come out each October, January, April and July. We want ReNews to be relevant, helpful and interesting, so please let us know what you think about this edition.

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Guest columns Photos Employee profiles and recognition Special projects Events Suggestions for improvement

RENEWS TEAM Melissa Heald – Editor Heidi Wong – Graphic Designer Susanne Harm – Photographer