Grand slam for employee Doughboy outing

It was a swing and a miss if you did not attend the City Employee Outing to the Doughboys’ game. Cathy Ball threw the first pitch to get the game rolling for the Johnson City Doughboys and Princeton Whistlepigs. The weather was perfect for City employees and their families who were treated to the game and dinner.

Although the game’s outcome was not ideal, the Whistlepigs bested the Doughboys with a 14-5 win, this event was a grand slam for the City employees who attended.

Shoutout!

Joe Collins, Parks and Recreation, was recently acknowledged by a grateful citizen for his extra effort in maintaining Kiwanis Park.

Luba Sharapan’s letter reads:

“I just wanted to send some words of thanks and praise about one of your parks and rec employees.

Joe Collins, the gentleman who seemingly singlehandedly maintains Kiwanis

Park, is one of the kindest, most diligent and caring people I’ve met. Always working, yet never missing an opportunity to wave, say hello, and give my pups a scratch behind the ear, Joe takes pride in his work and does a wonderful job keeping my neighborhood park clean, mowed and safe.

Mr. Collins is there every day (my dogs make sure we visit every morning) and the park is definitely a point of pride for him. If you take a critical look, Kiwanis has gone from ‘meh’ about 5 years ago, to really clean and pristine now. And it’s absolutely due to Joe’s care. He knows the neighbors, greets people by name, and on more than one occasion, has made sure loose/lost dogs have made their way back home. His friendly, low-key presence in our neighborhood is appreciated and he is an asset to the JC Parks and Rec department.

He doesn’t know I’m sending this and would be mortified. But I just wanted to let you know you’ve got a great employee on your team.”

New fueling station open at Water Sewer Services

The new Water and Sewer Services fueling station located at 2250 Eddie Williams Road has both diesel and unleaded gas pumps. Access to the pumps requires entry through two gates on the site. Both gates are open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

The existing fueling stations near Fleet Management (Water Street) and near Brush Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (Riverview Drive) remain available for City use as well.

Please note the fueling station near Fleet Management will be temporarily removed from service later this fall while it undergoes an upgrade.

Gasboy Fueling Instructions

1. Present key fob to screen (A “beep” will sound after the fob has been scanned.)

2. Enter pump number & press ok.

3. Enter correct odometer/hours & press ok.

4. Push third arrow to enter 4 digit employee ID & press ok.

5. A “beep” will sound with a prompt to begin refueling

May hires, retirements and promotions

New Hires

Karl Trevino, Police

Paul Miller, Police

Austin Inancsi, Police

Sundie Mobley, Parks & Recreation

Montoya Fain, Water & Sewer Services

Retirements

Coral Addison, Transit, 15 Years of Service

Shoutout!

Customer service is more than just showing up for Rusty Lowe, Water and Sewer Services (WSS). In a letter to WSS, Peter Shoun commends Rusty’s extra effort.

The letter reads:

“I recently encountered a problem with my water consumption. When I received a water bill for over $300.00, I called the Water Department and spoke with Mr. Rusty Lowe. Mr. Lowe came out that day and checked my water meter and explained to me how to determine if I had a leak under my house. After checking, I determined I must have a significant leak. Mr. Lowe explained the opportunity for

Recent Promotions

Samuel Miller III, Parks & Recreation

Billy Church, Police

Scott Jenkins, Police

Eric Dougherty, Police

Scotty Carrier, Police

Mike Adams, Police

Blake Watson, Legal an adjustment and walked me through that process. My grandsons were able (youth is wonderful) to climb on their stomachs in my crawl space and fix the leak (actually two leaks three feet apart).

I contacted Mr. Lowe and informed him that the leaks had been found and fixed. Mr. Lowe explained that it might take two to three months for my water bill to return to normal and how much I should pay of each bill until my water consumption rate returned to my normal consumption.

In all my dealings with Mr. Lowe, he demonstrated the behaviors of what I think would qualify him as a ‘great employee’ and ‘great ambassador for the City of Johnson City, TN.’ Rusty was always cordial and friendly, understanding, accessible, demonstrated concern for my situation, followed through with all of his tasks, knowledgeable and left a lasting impression of how well Rusty Lowe preformed his work and interacted with a citizen of Johnson City.

I must also commend the administration of Johnson City for hiring employees like Rusty Lowe. I have expressed my gratitude to Mr. Lowe for his dedicated work and I hope each of you take the opportunity to do the same. I would highly recommend Mr. Lowe for any award or bonus that might be available.

Thank you for the opportunity to express my positive experience with one of your employees.”

Shoutout!

Recently, Wayne Elley of New Zealand toured the Watauga Water Treatment Plant with Randy Griffin and Matt Holtsclaw, Water and Sewer Services. Jeff Corder organized Elley’s tour and received a note of gratitude following the visit.

The email to Jeff reads,

“I just wanted to express my thanks to you for helping organize the visit and tour Tuesday last.

Randy & Matt were excellent hosts with a wealth of knowledge and experience they were happy to share.

You have a great setup there and it’s obvious the guys love their job and look after the place with great skill and care. They are clearly passionate about water.

If any of you get to brave the long-haul flight to New Zealand, ‘give us a holler’ and we’ll be only too glad to show you around Waikanae Water Treatment Plant near Wellington City.

Kind regards, Wayne Elley”

Have questions about EMPOWER or TCRS?

On-site assistance with representatives from Empower and TCRS will be available to answer your questions. Days, times and locations are listed below.

Tuesday, July 18 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday, July 20 from 7 a.m. to TBD

Friday, July 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday, July 24 from 8 a.m. to noon

Monday, July 24 from 1-4 p.m.

Wednesday, July 26 from 1-4 p.m.

Friday, July 28 from 1-4 p.m.

MPCC Media Room

Water & Sewer Training Room, 2250 Eddie Williams Road, Unit 100

MPCC Performing Arts Room

MPCC Classroom

MPCC Media Room

MPCC Classroom

MPCC Media Room

Work with your supervisor to find a time to meet with a representative. Human Resources is happy to help you with any questions, or you can reach out to Empower directly at 800.922.7772 or call your local representative, Tim Crawford, at 423.341.3088.

1.

Get to know...

Name: Tim Devlin

Title: Buyer

Department: Purchasing

Started with City: January 2023

Where did you grow up?

I grew up outside Hartford, Conn. in a town called Avon. I moved to Boston in 2005 and received my bachelor’s in television and film production in 2009. I moved to Johnson City in 2021 to help my father with his corn crop.

2.

Have you ever met anyone famous?

I once had coffee with Elvis Costello, breakfast with The DropKick Murphys, and drinks with Mumford & Sons and Edward Sharpe. All in a weekend.

3.

If you were on Death Row, what would your last meal be?

All the gluten I miss so much.

4.

What’s the most recent song you downloaded?

“What It’s Like” by Everlast

5. Hockey!

What is your favorite sport to watch? To play?

6.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I like being there for my teammates and being someone who can get or answer what you need.