On Good Authority May 2023

ON GOOD AUTHORITY

Roanoke Regional Equipment Rodeo

On April 26, the Field Operations department participated in the coveted Roanoke Regional Equipment Rodeo held at the Berglund Center This event hasn't taken place in several years due to COVID-19 Participants faced off in events such as the Snow Plow, Front End Loader, Street Sweeper, Zero Turn Mower, Mini Excavator and more

This event allows for regional utilities to compete and connect with each other. "Our employees get to compete against each other, meet other localities and build friendships from outside our organization," shared Mike Mills, Special Projects Planner - CIP.

The Authority showed up in impressive numbers and took home many wins. Gary Powell, Utility Construction Tech II, shared, "It's nice to see the representations from the Water Authority and other utilities. I am glad to be a Water Authority Employee."

Congratulations to all of our qualifying participants and winners!

Franklin County Creek Week

The Public Relations team recently wrapped up Creek Week at Benjamin Franklin Middle School! At this yearly education outreach event, all 450 Franklin County sixth graders spend time at Power Mill Creek and learn how to test the quality of the water using chemical tablets, digital probeware and benthic macroinvertebrates. Alongside our PR team were Master Naturalists and students from Ferrum College. Riley Hines, Sophomore at Ferrum College shared, "This was a great experiences for me! I want want to go into water quality and I love to work with our younger generations." This is a truly unique experience that not all middle schoolers get to have. "The experience these kids are getting is something that I wish I had when I was there age," said Joe Presinza, Sophomore at Ferrum College.

Monthly Newsletter for Employees & Families of the Western Virginia Water Authority Upcoming

Donnie Rowan – 3rd Backhoe

Congratulations to the Rodeo Winners!

Pictured are Ferrum College Volunteers Haley Hines and Joe Presinza.

CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES! GRADUATES!

BRIANNA CHARLTON

Brianna Charlton (Water Operator/Lab Analyst) graduated from Virginia Wester Community College with an Associates in Science in Integrated Environmental Studies. She plans on continuing her career with the Water Authority in the Drinking Water Lab.

SAMUEL VEST

Scott Agner's (Water Operations) grandson graduated from Salem High School. Sam, a 2023 distinguished scholar and band drum major, is a member of the National Honor Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. Sam plans on serving a mission trip for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and continuing his education at Virginia Western.

MELODY CAMPBELL

Melody Campbell (High School Apprentice), Graduated from William Byrd High School, plans to continue working with us here at the Water Authority and working to complete her 4,000 hours of on the job training for her Registered High School Apprentice Certification.

KARA HOPKINS

Kara Hopkins (High School Apprentice), Graduated from Cave Spring High School. She plans to attend Virginia Wesleyan University in Norfolk, VA with focus in Environmental Science this fall.

FIONA THURSTON

Fiona Thurston (High School Apprentice), Graduated from Cave Spring High School. She plans to continue working with us here at the Water Authority and working to complete her 4,000 hours of on the job training for her Registered High School Apprentice Certification.

CARVINS COVE RESERVOIR ROOSTERS

Foghorn Leghorn, Cluck Norris, Rocky Our Roosters (gifted from Heather Richardson, Finance) have finally "graduated" to roaming free. They plan on crowing and going into the manure making business.

MATTHEW TAYLOR

Greg Taylor's (Engineering) son, Matthew Taylor, graduated Cum Laude from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Business in in Industrial/Systems Engineering. He has accepted a job in Northern Virginia.

SHANE HELDENBRAND

Stephanie Blankenship's (Customer Service) son, Shane Heldenbrand, graduated William Byrd High School. He will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall.

DAQUAN MCGEORGE

Daquan McGeorge (High School Apprentice), Graduated from William Fleming High School and plans to continue working with us here at the Water Authority and working to complete his 4,000 hours of on the job training for his Registered High School Apprentice Certification.

SAMUEL WILCOX

Samuel Wilcox (High School Apprentice), Graduated from William Byrd High School. He enlisted in the military and shipping out on May 30th. Thank you for your planned service!

WATSON KOPPEL

Watson Koppel (High School Apprentice), Graduated from Cave Spring High School. He plans on taking time off for the summer before exploring college.

JAREN HALEY

Jaren Haley (High School Apprentice), Graduated from from William Fleming High School and will begin full time employment with the Water Authority in Field Operations after graduation.

Open Enrollment

May 17 - May 23

Your plan year is from 7/1/23 - 6/30/24 All changes to your benefit elections will become effective on 7/1/23

This is the ONLY TIME of the year you can make changes to your benefits unless you experience a qualifying life event (QLE).

How to Enroll:

You have two (2) options to enroll in your benefits.

1.

2. Visit the link below to self-enroll or to schedule an onsite appointment with a Benefits Counselor.

Self-enroll through the online enrollment platform Meet with a Mark III Benefits Counselor onsite

On-Site Mark III Enrollers

*By appointment only

Field Ops: Wed 5/17 - 7am - 4pm & Tue 5/23 - 7am - 4pm

WPC: Wed 5/17 1pm - 4pm & Tue, 5/23 7am - 11am

Coulter: Wed, 5/17 7am - 11am & Tue 5/23 – 1pm - 4pm

Mental Health Awareness Month

Five tips to build good mental health:

Link: mymarkiii.com/wvwa/enrollment

New Website Redesign!

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Take care of your body

Practice healthy thinking

Slow down

Have fun Reach out

On June 1 we will be launching a newly designed Water Authority website!

URLs may change and you may lose some of your bookmarks

External links such as ESS, Munis, Laserfiche, Invoice Cloud, and Open Data GIS will not change

URL shortcuts will remain the same

Departments may need to update website directions in documents that are sent to vendors/customers

Our Mission is Clear

The Core Value for May is:

A Accountability

Jon Maples

Jon demonstrates his accountability through taking great pride in the work he accomplishes at the RRWPCP. He remains focused on going the extra mile to make sure the plant is providing the best treatment possible for our customers and the environment

Nominated by Lacy Burnette

Connor Womack & Crew

Connor and his crew continuously show the initiative to reach monthly goals Connor searches for new projects when he completes tasks early. When investigation is required, I am confident that they will be diligent, thorough, and efficient throughout the process.

Nominated by Chris Hodges

Cameron Preast

Cameron demonstrates Accountability in many ways, but the top three that come to mind are: 1) He is trustworthy and capable to handle projects in a timely manner; 2) he has an eye for what needs to be done and takes the initiative to complete the task before being asked; and 3) he continually looks for ways to improve processes and procedures. His proactive nature is a great benefit to the Authority and to Water Production in particular

Nominated by Nathan Carroll

Definition:

Takes ownership and responsibility for your actions and outcomes to accomplish the Authority’s mission and objectives

Allen Slaydon

Allen is always here and ready to work on time. He arrives and takes the initiative to get things prepared and ready to lead his crew for the day. He is always there to be a supportive team mate and leader He has the willingness to take charge of job sites during work and after work hours

Nominated by Jesus Soria

Lane Cook & Crew

Time and time again, no matter how busy it is, we rely on Lane and his crew to respond to a variety of emergencies. They often assist other crews when needed even when it is not scheduled. They continuously carry a heavy work load and manage it well.

Nominated by Chris Hodges

Lisa Workman, Heather Wray, Robin Snyder, Ian Hall, Zach Darienzo, Janet Wilson, Caroline Blackwell and Brianna Charlton

The Authority must meet VDH and DEQ water and wastewater regulations Our labs are vital to our functionality. They analyze daily samples to determine whether our daily processes are within regulations. The sampling and analyzing process is completed using strict guidelines and goes thru a stringent QC review. Our Wastewater Lab is open seven days a week, which requires some of our personnel to work weekends, holidays and snow days.

Nominated by Cassie Aice

Nathan Carroll

Nathan is incredibly reliable. He is very good about following through on whatever he says he'll do He's a great asset to our team

Nominated by Jamie Morris

Diane Waldron

Diane takes pride in her job and has excellent organizational skills. She keeps the warehouse in order and helps all employees with locating the correct parts which is vital for workflow and efficiency. She has reorganized the warehouse so we can stock more parts and make them easier to find. Diane helps locate hard to find materials that is vital for customers to receive the great service the Authority provides our community.

Nominated by Kevin Thomasson

What are some qualities of someone who embodies Accountability?

Check out this Word Cloud based on your submissions!

Congratulations Devin Williams (Water Operations Supervisor) for obtaining his Class I Wastewater Operator License. Devin also holds a Class I Water Operator License. This is a very rare achievement that takes years of hard work and training!

John Tinsley

Mr. Tinsley has worked at the Carvins Cove reservoir for many years (since 1993) being very accountable for checking in visitors to the boat landing. Many visitors to the Boat Landing comment that it looks like a National Park which is from the staff at the reservoir including John's many years of groundskeeping, maintenance, and keeping our region's main water source safe and

"We wanted to send you all a huge thank you for proving water and volunteers to our fun run!

We appreciate you all so very much! Each volunteer was so great with the kids, and we really appreciate the time and energy!"

-Sierra Nicely WE Cundiff Elementary

Congratulations to Charlie Crush (Construction Inspector II) and Ken Winslow (Construction Inspector II) for completing training on Water Distribution Systems Operation and Maintenance. This 6-month training program was offered by the California State University, Sacramento.

Pictured from left to right: Eric Powers (Wastewater Operator I), David McGhee (WPCP Operations & Training Support Coordinator), Maylia Funk (Northside High School), Christian Lovern (William Byrd High School), Tavarie Robinson (William Fleming High School), Anntoinette Hunter (William Fleming High School) and Mike McEvoy (Executive