the connections - fairfax water · continued on page 2 each june for the past 20 years, fairfax...

JUNE 30, 2015

The Connections

Our volunteers don brightly colored, coordinated shirts and hats, and draw water from the water bar taps as fast as they can to keep up with demand from the steady stream of thirsty “customers.” Having served on the wa-ter bar crew myself, I can attest to how much fun it is to give these folks something so simple, yet so appreciated, as a cold cup of water on a warm summer’s day. Even our Board Chairman, Phil Allin, volunteers regularly to work the water bar!

Continued on page 2

Each June for the past 20 years, Fairfax Water has sponsored arguably the most important and popular booth at Fairfax County’s annual sum-mertime event known as Celebrate Fairfax!

Managed for the past three years by recently retired Glenna Cortinas, our employee-volunteers prepare for many months, then set up our booth and now-famous water bar at the County Government Center. We bring in enough ice and reusable Fairfax Water logo cups to serve thousands of people a refreshing cup of ice water during the three-day event. The hot and thirsty fairgoers have come to know and appre-ciate the efforts of our volunteers and seek out our booth to slake their thirst, often repeatedly!

Fairfax Water: “A Vocation of Distinction”

Inside this issue:

GM Message (continued)

2

In the News 2

Annual Service

Awards

3

Wellness 4

Spotlight - Rodeo

5

Top Ops Team 6

KUDOS 6

Welcome, New Employees

7

A Message from the General Manager—

Fairfax Water Makes a Splash at Celebrate Fairfax!

Employee and

Retiree BBQ

Griffith Aug. 6

Merrifield. Aug. 11

Gordon Rd. Aug 14

Newington Aug. 21

Corbalis Aug. 26

Chantilly Aug. 27

JUNE 30, 2015

Message from the General Manager (continued)

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova

enjoys a nice, cold cup of Fairfax water.

Fairfax Water volunteers served up some 27,000 cups of ice water at this year’s fair. Fairfax Water has been recognized repeatedly by fair organizers and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for providing this service. It’s a great way to promote our “vocation of distinction” and build community recognition and support for what we do each day. My thanks to all of you who make us look good year after year at Celebrate Fairfax!

Our Own Jeanne Bennett-Bailey in the News!

As many have already heard, Jeanne Bennett-Bailey, Fairfax Water’s Public Affairs Officer, recently became President-Elect of the American Water Works Association. Jeanne will take the reins as AWWA’s president in June 2016. This is an extraordinary honor bestowed on Jeanne by her peers in the water utility community. Jeanne has contributed greatly to the success of AWWA in several roles, most recently as the chairperson of the AWWA Public Affairs Council. We are proud to have Jeanne at Fairfax Water and to know that others in the drinking water community recognize and value her experience and knowledge. We know she will do a great job during her time of leadership at AWWA.

To all Fairfax Water Employees

Thank you for doing your part to make Fairfax Water one of the most respected water utili-ties in the nation. - Charles M. Murray, General Manager

May 23, 2015

During the last several weeks, Fairfax Water has been installing a new water line

on Anson Court which services all of the homes on this cul-de-sac.

Mr. Troy Summers was the supervisor in charge of the entire operation, and I

am writing this letter to bring to your attention the professionalism and manage-

ment skills which Mr. Summers demonstrated throughout the entire operation.

He ensured all residents were well aware of service disruptions and also was

careful not to block our comings and goings during the course of several days.

I was most impressed with his leadership as he directed the crew members.

I hope that this letter can be made part of Mr. Summers’ personal record for ap-

propriate recognition at his next performance review. He is definitely an asset to

your organization.

Annual Service Awards Recap

Mr. Murray and Chairman Allin present Rob Vance with a certificate for his 30 years of service.

Merit Award Recipients

Warren Denny, Sr., Kenneth Chung, Stephen King, Uma Sivarapatna, Scott Wong, Donn Ehrreich, Bao Nguyen, Michelle Young, Takhliq Khan, and Don Gardner.

On May 21, 2015, the Annual Employee Service Awards Ceremony was held at the Fairview Park Marriott. We honored those who retired during the past year for their outstanding service to Fairfax Water, as well as employees who have achieved 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years of service. Ten employees received Special Merit Awards for Outstanding Service or Sustained Performance.

Annual Service Awards Recap, cont.

Rob Vance, Mike Statzer, Todd Ferguson, Jim Adams, Melissa Billman, Jmes Cromwell, and Som Hodge.

Bill Harrison, Brandon Fisher, Wayne Barr, Brian Carter, Kenneth Chung, Maurita Graves, Premo Jagdeo, Lou Jarvis, Henry Mogilevich, and Bob Santiago.

Retirees

5 Years of Service


Ricky Carter Don Cass John Kingsbury Dean Mikula Libby Murray Scott Powers

10 Years of Service

Chris Cashioli, Ron Derrickson, Manny Cadiz, Cynthia Rydzak, Eva Catlin, Joe Mills, Rodney Collins, Chris Finney, Don Gardner, Simon Jones, Tom Montgomery, Sourasin Phonemany, Reginald Vaval, Huntley Beecher, and Kenny Evans.

15 Years of Service


Joe Yorke, Marshall Clatterbuck, John Godby, Robert Hill, Matthew Jacobi, Jeff Bland, Russ Sawyers, and Barbara Williams.

20 Years of Service 20 Years of Service

25 Years of Service

Warren Denny, Sr., Todd Ferguson, Jamie Bain Hedges, Arturo Sanjines, Jeff Smith, Fred Stuart,

Randy Thornton, Mary Pennington, and Melanie Tillotson.

Spotlight – 2015 Water Utility Rodeo

Each year Fairfax Water competes in the Utility Rodeo as part of the annual Water Distribution Seminar sponsored by Virginia section of the American Water Works Association (VA AWWA). This year we participated in the following event categories: Buried Treasure, Meter Madness, Rapid Tappin’, and Splish Splash.

Buried Treasure – Kevin Horan represented Fairfax Water in this competition. Contestants trace a buried cable with conventional locating equipment. The competition area consists of a hub and a series of strings arranged in a 30-foot diameter "wheel spoke" pattern. The buried wire may cross some or all of the strings and may cross a string more than once. Contestants have five minutes to set up and locate and record their results. Contestants are required to mark the location of the wire at each string crossing, using a flag, and to measure the distance from the hub to each flag. The contestant with the lowest total difference plus any penalties wins. Meter Madness – Anthony Pomilla, Sawyer Buel, and Yonas Tekle represented Fairfax Water in this event. Contestants assemble a 5/8" meter from a bucket of parts, which will also contain unrelated items. Once assembled, the meter is tested for leaks and proper functioning. The meter is then taken apart to make sure all parts have been used correctly. Each competitor is allowed two runs, using a new meter. Penalties for leaks or improper assembly add to overall time to com-plete the event, and best time wins. Rapid Tappin’ – Fairfax Water’s team included Kevin Horan, Austyn Maddox, Sawyer Buel, and Jacob McCray. They garnered third place in this contest of skill, dexterity, and speed. Teams make a pressurized main tap and service connection. Each team consists of a Captain, Copper Person, Crank Person, and Star Person. Penalties for leaks or safety violations add to overall time to complete the event, and best time wins. Splish Splash – Herman Hevia and Greg Klein represented Fairfax Water in this exciting event that simulates a field repair where the water cannot be shut off. Contestants repair a 3/4" copper service line under pressure. Penalties for leaks add to overall time to complete the event, and best time wins.

Mr. Murray with rodeo

participants —

Kevin Horan

Herman Hevia

Yonas Tekle

Anthony Pomilla

Sawyer Buel

Jacob McCray

Austyn Maddox

Greg Klein

Top Ops Team

Distribution Operator Skip Thompson and Treatment Plant Lead Operators Scott Martin and Mike Lamb flew to Anaheim, California, to compete against 18 teams from around the nation in a challenging contest that tests the everyday know-how of water treatment operators in a "college bowl" or Jeopardy-like format.

Spotlight – 2015 Water Utility Rodeo, cont.

Rapid Tappin’ Team

(details on previous page)

Welcome, New Employees!

David Harris Technology

Instrumentation Technician I Joined FW on April 6

John Ryan Transmission & Distribution

Water Utility Worker I Joined FW on April 20

Marcus Wilson Transmission & Distribution


Inmer Salmeron Garcia Transmission & Distribution


Kenric Ferguson Transmission & Distribution


Dana Christian Planning & Engineering

GIS Analyst I Joined FW on April 20

Stephen Sullivan Transmission & Distribution


Wayne Fleming Transmission & Distribution


Michael Shipman Planning & Engineering Engineering Inspector I

Joined FW on May 4

Jennifer Phillips OGM—Laboratory

Laboratory Analyst I Joined FW on May 4

James Faulkner Finance

Meter Reader I—Temp Joined FW on May 19

Patrick Cripps Production

Industrial Painter I Joined FW on June 1

Allison Miller Finance

Customer Service Representative I

Joined FW on June 1

Brett Smith Finance

Service Technician Joined FW on June 8

Publication Team:

Susan Hack/Editor-in-Chief

Barbara Stewart/Editor

Diana Cerami Production

Administrative Assistant IV Joined FW on June 15

the connections - fairfax water · continued on page 2 each june for the past 20 years, fairfax...

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