History buffs help visitorstime-travel at DeBary Hall

RetireesPage 2

Be a lean, greengifting machine

this holiday seasonPage 3

Karen Yarisescorts veterans to

Washington, D.C.Page 3

In the spotlight:Jeffery Bumb

Page 5

Sheriff’s OfficePage 7

Movers andshakersPage 8

Tiny fish are newest weaponin mosquito control

Page 6

Happy holidays andnew year!

Page 2

November/December 2011

BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE – Amber Patterson andHeather Hohman have developed creative solutions toincreasing attendance at DeBary Hall.

DeBary Hall Historic Site is acharming historical treasure tuckedaway in a quiet residential neigh-borhood of DeBary, far from thecrowds of Volusia County’s beachesand Orlando’s attractions.

The hunting estate was built in1871 by Frederick deBary, a NewYork champagne importer whowanted a hunting retreat in thewilds of central Florida. Today,the site is listed on the NationalRegister of Historic Places. It’sowned by the state and managedby the county’s Parks, Recreationand Culture Division.

About 2,500 visitors take paidtours of DeBary Hall each year, buttwo history-loving employees – SiteManager Amber Patterson andEducation Coordinator HeatherHohman – wanted more. They puttheir heads together and developeda variety of fun and educationalprograms that have drawn thou-sands to the historic site in recentyears.

The new programs include:• Lemonade Lectures, a free

lecture series that offers infor-mation about local history,culture and destinations

(See DeBary Hall, page 5)

Employees get 3.5 percentwage adjustment

Page 4

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Straight talk

COUNTY COUNCIL

Jim DinneenCounty Manager

The County Line, published monthly by Volusia CountyGovernment, an EEO/AA employer, is dedicated to countyemployees and things that affect county employees.News items or correspondence should be addressed to:The County Line, Community Information, Volusia CountyGovernment, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand, FL 32720-4612.

Printed on recycled paper

Frank T. Bruno Jr. — County ChairPat Northey — Vice Chair, District 5

Joyce M. Cusack — At-largeAndy Kelly — District 1

Joshua J. Wagner — District 2Joie Alexander — District 3Carl G. Persis — District 4

James T. Dinneen, County ManagerDavid F. Byron, EditorPat Kuehn, Co-editor

Paul Radetsky, Graphic DesignerJeff M. Crumbley, Photographer

Happy holidays, and happy new year!

AugustViola Pearce, Revenue – 17 years

SeptemberLinda Autry, Solid Waste – 20 years

Donald Downing, Road and Bridge – 16 yearsCarl Williams, Corrections – 23 years

Kathy Seaman, Property Appraiser's Office – 13 yearsTheodore Edgerton, Sheriff's Office – 26 years

OctoberDean Hall, Sheriff's Office – 25 years

Andrea Henkle, Corrections – 22 yearsSteve Jones, Coastal – 37 years

Pamela Merrill, Accounting – 35 yearsKaren O’Steen, Road and Bridge – 13 years

The holidays are a time of giving, sharing and spendingquality time with loved ones. It’s also a time of buying gifts,spending money, testing your time management skills, andbattling crowds of people who are out to do the same.Luckily, there are certain measures you can take to makeyour holiday a little less hectic and a little more eco-friendly.

Shop online: The Internet makes shopping simple andtakes much of the stress away from going out to a crowdedmall. It is easily accessible at home or at your local library,which saves time, energy and gas. It also cuts down on yourcarbon footprint. Shopping online saves a trip to the postoffice since you can ship items online when you buy them.Often there’s a much larger selection of products online, ver-sus going to a store that has a limited variety of merchan-dise! If you shop online, please be cautious and only shop onsecure sites that have a VeriSign checkmark at the bottom or“https” in the URL (the “s” stands for “secure”).

Get crafty: Instead of buying commercial brand products,why not give your loved ones gifts made from the heart?Create goodie bags or gift baskets full of foods made fromyour family’s favorite recipes, or build scrapbooks using recy-cled materials and up-cycled family treasures that were oncestored away in memory boxes. Your loved ones will appreci-ate the sentiment and hard work put into handmade gifts.

Think before you wrap: Before you run to the store for holi-day wrapping paper, look for materials you have around thehouse that could be used as a substitute. Paper bags, thecomics section of the newspaper, and recycling old wrappingpaper are popular alternatives. Reusable bags and basketsare great options as well. Some people even up-cycle oldclothing by turning it into new material for wrapping gifts,which also helps to save a few trees along the way!

Getting gifts ready for the holidays doesn’t have to be a

hassle, especially when you strive to stay green. Thinking out-side the typical holiday box is a good place to start, and itcan help you to save money this season and better the envi-ronment for the upcoming year!

At its Nov. 3 meeting, the VolusiaCounty Council praised employees fortheir efficiency and fortitude duringtough economic times and rewardedthem with a 3.5 percent wage adjust-ment.

County Manager Jim Dinneen, whocalled the adjustment justified and sus-tainable, noted the adjustment is beingfunded without increasing taxes. Hecredited employees for taking on extraduties and finding ways to do their jobsmore efficiently.

“We appreciate our employees,” said

Volusia County Chair Frank Bruno Jr.“They’ve taken on additional responsi-bilities and given suggestions on howwe can save money in their depart-ments. Our employees have reallyworked hard to save money and provideservices with less money coming in.”

The adjustment is for regular full-timeand part-time nonbargaining employeeswho were on the payroll as of Sept. 30,are eligible for county health insurance,and are meeting expected standards ofperformance. The increase is retroac-tive to Oct. 1.

The county council alsoapproved a one-timeannual personal leaveredemption for eligiblenonbargaining employ-ees. Employees must complete theleave redemption form athttp://enn.co.volusia.fl.us/personneland return it to Personnel by Jan. 9.

On Dec. 1, the county councilapproved a 3.5 percent increase formembers of Teamsters Local 385, theunit representing deputies, corporalsand sergeants at the Sheriff’s Office.

For your benefitCounty Council gives employees praise, raise

Be a lean, green gifting machine this holiday season

HONOR AIR – Karen Yaris and her husband, Jerry (stand-ing left), took part in the Volusia Honor Air program Sept.24, escorting World War II veterans Bob Whiteman (seat-ed) and Bill Krech to Washington, D.C. The ongoing pro-gram is coordinated by the county’s Rotary clubs to honorveterans by treating them to a day-long tour of thenation’s capital. “It was a wonderful experience, full oflaughter, tears, and wonderful stories shared by many vet-erans,” Yaris said. “We met such heroes, both men andwomen. This was a day to be remembered, and weare signing on for anotherflight in 2012.”

3

Early mornings find Bill Greening tending to his young – feed-ing them, testing their water, and checking their hiding places.

Greening’s “young” are 300 gambusia fish that occupy four150-gallon tanks inside a small greenhouse at Volusia County’sMosquito Control headquarters in New Smyrna Beach.

Commonly known as mosquito fish, gambusia are a memberof the guppy family. Because of their rapid reproduction, abilityto thrive in stagnant water, and voracious appetite for mosquitolarvae, they are effective mosquito control agents. In fact, onefemale can eat up to 100 mosquito larvae in a day.

“Gambusia are prolific breeders with each female capable ofproducing 100 to 150 fry every four to six weeks,” saidGreening, an environmental specialist with the MosquitoControl Division. “They tolerate water temperatures from the low30s to over 100 degrees, but fail to reproduce at temperaturesbelow 65. We built the greenhouse so we can control the watertemperature year-round and harvest gambusia.”

The greenhouse and hatchery are a team effort.Administrative Coordinator Debbie Sapp purchased the

greenhouse, pumps, electrical hook-ups and materials.Greening designed the facility and installed the plumbing, whilePublic Works Service Supervisor Bob Brown provided construc-tion and electrical advice, and a shop crew assembled thegreenhouse.

Greening harvested the breeding stock this summer andadded floating plants to the breeding tanks so the newbornscan hide from the adult males, which may eat them.

As the gambusia populationgrows, Mosquito Control staff

Around the CountyTiny fish are newest weapon in mosquito control

4

FISH FARM – Environmental Specialist Bill Greening in Mosquito Control’s gambusia hatchery.

TURNBULL BAY BRIDGE REOPENS – Road andBridge employees Terry Cash, left, and Jeffrie Dennisopen the Turnbull Bay Bridge for traffic following aribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 4. County staff, led byCounty Engineer Jerry Brinton, oversaw temporaryrepairs to the 44-year-old bridge in record time.

will transport them to freshwater ponds, canals and marshes,where they will begin their community service and start chowingdown on mosquito larvae.

Greening, who has worked for Volusia County for six years,noted that gambusia are an effective biological control of themosquito population. They will be one more part of the county’sintegrated pest management approach, which also includesstocking ponds with minnows, managing breeding sites on tidalwetlands, and spraying with trucks and helicopters.— Pat Kuehn, Community Information

Around the County

Name: Jeffery Bumb

Job: Senior VeteransServices Counselor

Number of years with thecounty: Three

Hometown: He grew up inDaytona Beach and graduatedfrom Spruce Creek High Schoolin 1987.

What you might not know: Jeffretired as a sergeant first class

after 20 years with the U.S. Army. He spent more thanhalf of his Army career with the 101st and 82nd AirborneDivisions. He’s a jumpmaster qualified senior parachutistand deployed to the first Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq.

How he spends his spare time: Jeff enjoys inlandand deep-sea fishing, hunting, gardening, playingguitar, and working on motorcycles and anything elsemechanical. He’s active in several national veteransorganizations and holds leadership positions in each.

5

• Learn and Tour Lessons, which offer creative classroomlessons based on the historic site

• Summer camps that educate children about DeBaryHall’s history

• Specialty tours that focus on architecture, ecology andtea-tasting

• Special events for Halloween and ChristmasPatterson and Hohman also have put their hearts and souls

into enhancing existing programs, including ECHO Rangers, ahands-on program aimed at educating young people aboutthe county’s environmental, cultural, heritage and outdoorassets.

They’ve beefed up the site’s rental opportunities andincreased the number of weddings on site. They even attract-ed a Hollywood movie, “Tooth Fairy 2,” earlier this year.Running barefoot through the Louvre

Patterson, whose father was in the Air Force, spent most ofher childhood overseas.

“My parents made sure we saw every historic site, museumand university so we could learn about the countries we were

DeBary Hall (Continued from page 1)in,” she said. “Not many people can say they’ve run barefootthrough the Louvre!”

After her father retired and moved the family to the UnitedStates, she earned a bachelor’s degree from StetsonUniversity and continued to travel, studying art and history.Before coming to DeBary Hall, she worked at the Museum ofArts & History in Daytona Beach and the Florida Museum ofArt in DeLand.

“I love the perceived isolation and peace at DeBary Hall,”Patterson said. “You really have an opportunity to suspendtime and imagine what life was like before you, your parentsand grandparents were born. You can get a feel for what drewearly visitors and settlers to this area.”Riding horses on Civil War trails

Hohman, who has a master’s degree in historic preservationfrom the University of West Florida, also was introduced to his-tory at a young age.

“I spent my summers in Virginia with my grandfather, whotook me to presidents’ homes and Civil War re-enactments,”she recalled. “We rode horses on remnants of Civil War trails.”

(See DeBary Hall, page 6)

toward the cost of a particular benefit. For example, a planmight require a $20 co-pay for each doctor's office visit.

A deductible is the dollar amount you pay before certainbenefits are payable from the plan.Precertification

Certain procedures require precertification. Check thesummary plan description to see if precertification is neededbefore having the procedure or service performed. Proceduresthat are not precertified will not be covered by the plan.Who should you call?

If you have questions about coverage, eligibility, benefitsor claims, call First Service Administrator Inc. (FSAI) at800-767-2378 or visit https://www.myfsai.com/Members/MemHome.asp.

If you have questions about precertification or diseasemanagement, call KEPRO at 888-522-7742.

If you have questions about network providers, call:• Volusia Health Network at 386-425-4846 and choose

option 3 or visit myvhn.com; or• Florida Memorial Health Network at 386-615-4398 or

888-839-7430 or visit fmhn.org.If you need additional assistance, please call the Personnel

Division at 386-736-5951. — Angela Slaydon, Personnel

Around the CountyMaximize benefits from your health plan

To maximize your health benefits, read your 2012 summaryplan description to understand what the county’s plan coversand what costs are associated.

You can access the summary plan description and providerdirectory at vvoolluussiiaa..oorrgg//ppeerrssoonnnneell//bbeenneeffiittss. In-network vs. out-of-network

The county’s health plan network is composed of physicians,hospitals, qualified practitioners and health care facilities thathave agreements to provide health care services for partici-pants.

In-network providers and health care facilities are part of thehealth plan’s network. Insured persons usually pay less whenusing an in-network provider. In-network physicians are listed inyour provider directory.

Out-of-network providers are not part of the health plan'snetwork. Insured persons usually pay more when using an out-of-network provider. Seeking services out-of-network often isthe source of denials or increased share of costs (co-insur-ance) paid by you.Co-payments and co-insurance

Co-insurance is the percentage of covered expenses aninsured person pays. For example, in an 80/20 plan, the mem-ber's co-insurance is 20 percent.

A co-payment is the amount an insured person must pay

DeBary Hall (Continued from page 5)As an undergraduate at the University of West Florida, she

studied underwater archaeology and worked as a researchassistant in the history department. During graduate school,NOAA granted her a fellowship to study shipwrecks in LakeHuron and public education in Alpena, Mich.

Her favorite activities at DeBary Hall are working with visit-ing school groups, showing them artifacts and teaching themgames children played in the past.

“DeBary Hall is a wonderful place to explore history,”Hohman said. “It offers an opportunity to understand whypeople visited Florida long before the theme parks, spaceshuttles and beach resorts.” Take a trip to Florida’s past

DeBary Hall Historic Site is at 210 Sunrise Blvd., DeBary.Tours are available from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday throughSaturday and from noon - 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission pricesare $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for children ages 3 - 12,and free for children 2 and younger.

For information, visit debaryhall.com. — Pat Kuehn, Community Information

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BEACH PATROL PROMOTION – Beach SafetyDirector Kevin Sweat, right, congratulates Ryan Farrellon his promotion to officer. Farrell has worked for theBeach Patrol for four years.

Sheriff’s Office

The Sheriff’s Office recently bid farewell to one of its longest-serving commanders, paving the way for the promotion of theagency’s newest major.

Sheriff Ben Johnson promoted Rocky Norris to the rank ofmajor, where he heads one of the agency’s three operatingdivisions. Other promotions include three agency veterans whomoved up the career ladder – Brian Bosco to the rank of cap-tain, Tim Morgan to the rank of lieutenant and Kurt Schoepsto the rank of sergeant.

The moves came as the Sheriff’s Office bid farewell to MajorTerry Sanders, who stepped down after having worked underthree sheriffs during his 32-year career. Sanders didn’t go far.He took a position as the new EVAC director.

“I’ve been blessed to have been a part of this agency,”Major Sanders said during a recent ceremony in front of 75family members, friends and coworkers.

Major Norris, 59, has assumed command of the SupportServices Division. In his new role, Norris oversees training,communications, evidence, fleet services and information sys-tems. It’s a big job, and Sheriff Johnson said he’s confidentNorris is up to the task.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure to present you with yourmajor’s badge,” Sheriff Johnson told Norris. “You’ve workedhard, you’ve earned it, and you deserve it.”

Norris began his career with the Sheriff’s Office in 1986. Heserved as commander of the SWAT Team, was the agency’sfirst homeland security coordinator, was an assistant districtcommander in the Sheriff’s Office’s Holly Hill law enforcementheadquarters, and commanded the Special Services Section.Norris’ most recent assignment was as head of the CivilSection. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science fromthe University of Florida and is a graduate of the SouthernPolice Institute’s Command Officers Development Course.

Meanwhile, the Civil Section was taken over by the Sheriff’sOffice’s newest captain. Bosco, 36, has been with the Sheriff’sOffice for more than 13 years. He’s a certified bomb techni-cian and commander of the Bomb Disposal Unit. He previouslyserved in patrol and training, and his most recent assignmentwas as assistant commander in the New Smyrna Beach lawenforcement headquarters. Bosco’s father also served in theSheriff’s Office, working his way up to the rank of captainbefore retiring in 1999.

Morgan, 43, is filling Bosco’s former post as assistant dis-trict commander in New Smyrna Beach. Morgan started withthe Sheriff’s Office in 2000 and has served in road patrol, theDeltona Street Crimes Unit and Internal Affairs.

Schoeps is the Sheriff’s Office’s newest front-line supervisor.Schoeps, 32, started with the Sheriff’s Office in 2003 and pre-viously worked in the Gang Unit. He’s now a patrol sergeant inDeltona. — Gary Davidson, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office

New major tops list of Sheriff’s Office promotions

MOVING UP – Sheriff Ben Johnson poses with three long-time deputies who have moved up in rank. From left areCapt. Brian Bosco, Sheriff Johnson, Major Rocky Norris andLt. Tim Morgan.

A LITTLE HELP – Kurt Schoeps gets a little help fromhis family with the pinning of his new sergeant’s badge.

MEDAL OF VALOR – Sheriff Johnson, right, presents theMedal of Valor to Deputy James Nunn for his profession-alism, fast actions and bravery in attempting to rescue awoman and her dog from ahouse fire May 1. 7

• Mark Piland is the new deputyfire chief for Volusia County FireServices, overseeing the divi-sion’s management and dailyoperations. Previously, heworked for the Virginia BeachFire Department for 32 years,most recently as shift command-er. As the East Coast Task Forceleader for the Federal Urban Search and Rescue Systemfor many years, he was deployed to the Pentagon after9/11, New Orleans and Mississippi after HurricaneKatrina, Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, and numer-ous hurricanes in the Southeast. Piland has a bachelor’sdegree in psychology from Old Dominion University inNorfolk, Va.; and a master of public health degree fromEastern Virginia Medical School, also in Norfolk.

• Katrina Locke, former manag-er of Lyonia EnvironmentalCenter (LEC), has been promot-ed to natural resources director.She joined the county in 2002as an environmental specialistand helped to plan and open theLEC. In her new job, she over-sees the Manatee ProtectionProgram, Sea Turtle Habitat Conservation Program andGreen Volusia activities. She has a bachelor’s degree inmarine biology from the University of Bangor in Wales anda master’s degree in business administration from theUniversity of Central Florida.

• The Volusia County Councilhas approved Terry Sanders’appointment as interim directorof Emergency Medical Services.Sanders worked for the VolusiaCounty Sheriff’s Office for 32years, starting as a K-9 handlerand rising to the rank of major.In his new position, he overseesthe day-to-day operations of EVAC, which has 233 employ-ees and responds to more than 75,000 calls a year.Sanders has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and amaster’s degree in public administration from theUniversity of Central Florida.

• Property Appraiser MorganGilreath recently gave two pre-sentations to the InternationalProperty Tax Institute's MassAppraisal Valuation Symposiumin Vancouver, British Columbia.He discussed "The search foroperational efficiencies" and"The mass appraisal process: Operational efficiencythrough functional dependency." Gilreath published twoarticles this year in Fair and Equitable, the InternationalAssociation of Assessing Officers’ monthly magazine. Hehas a master’s degree from the University of Georgia andhas been Volusia County’s property appraiser since 1992.

• Environmental SpecialistDanielle Dangleman is VolusiaCounty’s first authorized gophertortoise agent, having received a permit from the Florida Fishand Wildlife ConservationCommission. This means she’sauthorized to conduct gopher tortoise surveys. Danglemanworks for Environmental Permitting and is the county’sprotected species coordinator. She has a bachelor’sdegree in natural resources and environmental sciencefrom the University of Florida.

• County Manager Jim Dinneen has announced a newhierarchy in the Public Protection Department followingDirector Mike Coffin’s announcement that he will returnto the Sheriff’s Office at the end of the year to becomechief deputy. At that time, Public Works Director GeorgeRecktenwald will fill Coffin's position on an interim basis,and John Angiulli will be the interim director of publicworks until Recktenwald returns. Fire Chief Joseph Pozzowill become the deputy public protection director followingJim Ryan’s retirement in December, and Deputy FireChief Mark Piland will be the acting fire chief.

Do you know a mover and shaker?Please contact Pat Kuehn in Community Information atpkuehn@co.volusia.fl.us with the details.