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T H E W A T E R C O N N E C T I O N News For Clayton County Water Authority Employees & Retirees
May 2015
Shoal Creek WRF Wins
Wastewater Plant of the Year Award
Get Ready to Catch the Wave During Our 60th Celebration Cookout
CCWA’s Shoal Creek Water Reclamation Facility earned another Wastewater
Plant of the Year Award for the Advanced Treatment 3 MGD - 5. 9 MGD
Category during the Georgia Association of Water Professionals’ (GAWP)
Spring Conference held in April.
Shown above, Pelletizing Chief Operator Tony Somerville, GAWP President
Danny Ingram, Plant Operator Robert Cloud, Plant Supervisor Jim Hill and
Water Reclamation Manager Chris Hamilton at the awards luncheon.
Celebrating 60 Years of Service
Jim Hill Named
‘Top Op’ for District 3
Shoal Creek WRF Plant Supervi-
sor Jim Hill has a new feather in
his career cap after being named
Top Wastewater Operator for
District 3.
Jim is one of an elite group of
operators ‘who have imparted
knowledge that helps in the
operation of water and wastewater
municipalities across the state.’
It is time to celebrate CCWA’s 60th Anniversary and a team of employees has planned two celebrations to mark this
milestone – An Employee Cookout and an Open House in our HQ Community Use Room.
The employee cookout takes place on Wednesday, May 6th
from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. CCWA chefs from D&C, Water
Reclamation, Water Production and Stormwater will be grilling chicken, burgers and hot dogs to go with some tasty side
dishes and desserts. We will have a big tent set up in the parking lot behind the fence between D&C and Meter Services
so employees can enjoy lunch and catch up with folks from other departments. Along with lunch, our CCWA Brand
Champions will have a short program at 11:30 and 12:30 and will reveal three potential new logo concepts! Every
employee will get to vote on their favorite logo concept and take home one of three commemorative gifts.
On Tuesday, May 12th, we are hosting an Open House in the HQ Community Use Room from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. for
elected officials and community leaders. We will have a short program and history stations set up with some cool
artifacts from our past. Employees will be manning these stations to talk to guests about the different time periods.
Employees and our retirees are invited to visit the Open House and history stations on Wednesday, May 13th. The
Community Use Room will be open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Employees will be manning the stations between 10 a.m.
– 2 p.m. We hope you will stop by and take a walk down CCWA memory lane.
A lot of work has taken place over the past few months planning these events. Now it is time to celebrate!
2
Keith Lowry
Recognized for
15 Years of Service
Hooper Water Production Class 1
Plant Operator Keith Lowry
celebrated 15 years of service with
CCWA on March 24, 2015.
Keith is shown above with Assistant
GM Bernard Franks and
GM Mike Thomas.
Joey Martin
Recognized for
15 Years of Service
D&C Utility Service Foreman
Joey Martin celebrated 15 years
of service with CCWA on March 20,
2015.
Joey is shown above with
Assistant GM Bernard Franks
and D&C Manager Jeff Jones.
From General Manager Mike Thomas
May 1st marks the beginning a new budget year, and our Board of Directors
recently approved our fiscal year 2015-2016 budget request. The 2014-2015
budget year was one of our most financially successful
in the last 10 years. There are many reasons for this
success. It was the first year in the last 15 years that
water sales were greater than the previous year. The
local economy has been improving, and we are finally
beginning to see some new development come to
Clayton County, along with many of the vacant homes
and lots becoming occupied.
We have seen some expansion of our major industrial
users, along with the purchase of water by the City of
College Park. On the expense side, we have all done a great job in managing
the costs of our business and working more efficiently.
When we can demonstrate this kind of success to our Board, it gives them
trust in us as a team and they are more willing to accept increases in spend-
ing that are necessary to move our company forward. The good news for us
as employees is that the budget includes a 2% cost of living increase that will
be effective with the first full pay period in May. You will also be eligible for up
to a 3% merit increase at the time of your annual review. However, as we
have previously communicated, there will be an increase in your contribution
to the pension on July 1st of 1.5 or 2%; we are still awaiting a final decision by
the Clayton County Board of Commissioners on this issue. This increase is
offset by our efforts to prevent your health insurance from increasing by going
to a plan called “self-insurance” in which we budget our own funds to cover
your health care costs. Being self-insured will allow us to have more control
over changes to the plan. You should not notice any significant change as we
will continue to utilize Blue Cross/Blue Shield to manage the plan.
From an operational perspective, you will notice a lot of emphasis on
rehabilitating our pipeline assets. With over 3,000 miles of water, sewer and
stormwater pipe to maintain, we should be replacing about one percent of that
pipe each year which is equal to 30 miles of pipe. We have not been able to
reach that pace of replacement so our management team is working on a plan
to accelerate this work with a combination of our staff and outside contractors.
The CCWA Board of Directors will also consider approval of our 2015
Mid-term Strategic Master Plan update at the May Board meeting. This plan is
also very focused on pipeline asset management, but also on other aspects of
our business such as improving our IT resources, customer service and the
quality of our water products.
Thanks for all your help in this process. I am proud to work for one of the
finest utilities in the country and obviously one of the greatest teams of
employees!
3
Congratulations to the
following winners from our
April drawing:
Darlene Tuggle (IT)
Coty Davidson (General Services)
Renzer Ham (Meter Services)
Jenny Morris (Customer Accounts)
Chris Clinton (Meter Services)
Pay Check Stubs Going Paperless
Stan Court
Recognized for
15 Years of Service
Construction Inspector II
Stan Court celebrated 15 years of
service with CCWA on April 4, 2015.
Stan is shown above with Civil
Engineer Cliff Beroset, GM Mike
Thomas and Program Mgmt./
Engineering Manager Kelly Taylor.
Carol Lambert
Recognized for
20 Years of Service
Senior Conservationist Carol
Lambert celebrated 20 years of
service with CCWA on April 10, 2015.
Carol is shown above with GM Mike
Thomas and Water Production
Manager Kendra Stanciel.
As of the May 8th payroll, pay advices/check stubs will no longer be printed and
distributed. Instead this information will be accessed through the Employee
Self Service portal.
Until certain system updates are installed, employees will not be able to access
the portal outside of CCWA networks at our work locations. In the interim,
workplace computers or the HQ Computer Lab may be used to access your
information. Finance will notify employees once the option is available. Actual
(live) checks will continue to be processed and distributed for those without
direct deposit. These actual checks will need to be picked up by Managers or
their assigned designee each pay date as normal.
If any one needs assistance, Scott Whitlock will be in the Computer Lab on
Thursday, May 7, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. The Computer Lab will also be available all
day on May 8th. Carol Cameron will be available in her office Thursday, May 7,
7 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Friday, May 8, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased from the front counter Customer Service Representatives at the HQ building.
Six Flags Over Georgia – 1-Day Admission tickets $40.27 each
Six Flags White Water – 1-Day Admission tickets $36.03 each
2015 Two-Park Season Pass (SFOG & SFWW) $63.59 each
For park hours, specials, or event schedules, you can visit their websites listed below:
https://www.sixflags.com/overgeorgia
https://www.sixflags.com/whitewater
Tickets may be purchased by check or money order made payable to CCWA or by cash.
Discounted Six Flags and White Water
Baby News
Orlando Ward (Meter Services) and
his wife Camishia welcomed son,
Cameron (8 lbs. 14oz), who was
born on April 11, 2015.
4
CCWA Ambassadors Out and About
Kenny Davis Comes to Teen’s Aid
Ed Durham
Recognized for
15 Years of Service
Human Resources Director
Ed Durham celebrated 15 years of
service with CCWA on April 24,
2015. Ed is shown above with
GM Mike Thomas and Assistant
GM Jim Poff.
New Hire
Mt. Zion Primary Career Day
Gerald Fuller and Sean Ware (D&C)
Jamar Durden and Kawanis Howell (Customer Service)
Morrow Civic Women’s Club
Lesley Rathburn (Water Quality Lab)
East Clayton Elementary School Career Day
Chasten Burns and Robert Kimball (Stormwater)
Daniel Dover and Kevin Chapman (D&C)
Reynolds Nature Preserve’s Wild Azalea Festival
Tim Allen and Hilda Flores (Call Center), Erin Brooks (D&C) and
Joe Williams (General Services)
Jackson Elementary Career Day
Melissa Hammond (Water Quality Lab)
Brittani Smith
Call Center CSR
Part-Time
Hire Date: 4/6/15
Lance Kelly
Recognized for
15 Years of Service
D&C Conveyance System
Repair Foreman Lance Kelly
celebrated 15 years of service with
CCWA on April 17, 2015. Lance is
shown above with Assistant GM
Bernard Franks, Conveyance
Supervisor Billy VonDenBosch and
GM Mike Thomas.
Meter Services Account Service Rep. Kenny Davis’ natural instincts took
over on April 27 when he saw a 16 year old boy with a puppy being attacked by
two pit bulls. The pit bulls were after the puppy and the boy was being attacked
in the process. Kenny jumped out of his truck and sprayed pesticide on the two
dogs. This distracted them for a moment, but they continued after the boy and
puppy. The boy eventually dropped the puppy and the dogs proceeded to
attack it. Kenny tried to help the puppy by getting his shovel and hitting one
of the dogs and swinging at the other. This allowed the boy to pick up the
puppy. Kenny took the boy and his puppy home. The boy had bites on his arms
and scratches on his back. He was treated and released and is doing
ok. Unfortunately, the puppy had to be put to sleep. This story has another
CCWA connection because the teen is the grandson of Smith Water
Production Plant Operator Chuck Jones. Chuck’s grandson certainly
could have been hurt a lot worse if it had not been for Kenny’s heroic actions.
5
All CCWA Offices will be closed on Monday, May 25 in
observance of Memorial Day.
More Than 400 Residents Participate in Amnesty Day A big Thank You goes out to the CCWA employees who didn’t let the threat of rain keep them from volunteering at this
year’s Household Hazardous Waste Amnesty Day event on Saturday, April 25.
The day started off raining, but cleared up pretty quickly. We had 424 vehicles come through the event. As always, the
customers who brought waste were very appreciative of the annual event. Volunteers included: Jay Patel, Tim Allen,
Linda Allen, Hilda Flores, Kendra Stanciel, Karen Riser, Cornell Sims, John Patterson, Donyel Patton, Mike Holt,
Chris Hamilton, Marcus McLester, Chris Bond, Suzanne Brown, Shayla Nealy, Kevin Osbey and retiree Randy
Thamer. General Services staff included: Willie Sims, Tony Head, Leonard Moore, and Earnest Duffey.
Marcus McLester’s (SW) son,
Jamar, received a $2,000 H2Oppor-
tunity Undergraduate Scholarship
from the Georgia Association of Water
Professionals (GAWP).
Promotions Willie Moore
D&C Equipment Operator
Khalid Lemaitre Customer Service Specialist
Phillip Danford
Meter Services Account Service Rep.
A Chainsaw For A Water Line Repair?
You don’t typically think of reaching for
a chainsaw when repairing a water
line. Yet D&C’s David Watts, Larry
Eason and Chris Camp had to do
just that while making a repair on
Standby in early April. The roots
actually broke the cast iron pipe. If you
look closely, you can see David Watts
using the chainsaw to remove the roots so the repair could be made.
6
CCWA Rolling Out New Emergency Communication System
Congratulations
to Our 2015
Graduates
Celeste Miller, daughter of Colette
Miller (Meter Services) will graduate
from Morrow High School on May
22, 2015. Celeste will attend Geor-
gia Southern University in the fall.
Brent Taylor (General Services) will
graduate from Mercer University on
May 16, 2015 with a Bachelor of
Applied Science Degree. He is
graduating Summa Cum Laude.
Lee Dixon (D&C) and his family
on the loss of his grandmother, Ms.
Louise Carmon, who passed away
on April 2, 2015.
Alaine Mort (HR) and her family
on the loss of her father, Mr. Carl
Gilgore, who passed away on
April 5, 2015.
Our Condolences Please keep the following employees
and their families in your thoughts
and prayers:
Warehouse Supervisor Mandy
Lindow and HR Training Specialist
Alaine Mort completed the Dirty
Girl 5K Mud Run on April 25 at
Atlanta Motor Speedway.
2015 Mini Conference Highlights
CCWA is implementing a new, comprehensive emergency notification system
called PREPARIS. The system is designed to help notify, prepare and protect
YOU in the event of an unexpected emergency.
One of the benefits of Preparis is that you control your contact information and
keep your profile up to date. Your home phone number, company cell phone
number or the cell phone number for which you receive a CCWA
cell phone allowance, are required. An emergency can happen any time
day or night. We strongly encourage you to include your personal cellphone
number as well so that we can get emergency information to you quickly.
You should have already received a registration e-mail entitled, “Welcome to
Preparis!” This e-mail contains your username and a system-generated
password along with a link to complete the registration process. When you
click on the link, you will be prompted to accept the Terms of Use and will then
be directed to the login page. Please bookmark this page and/or take note of
the URL in the web browser to ensure you can access the portal quickly in the
future. During registration, you will be taken to the profile page. Here, you can
change your password and update/complete your information. If you have not
already registered, you need to do so as soon as possible.
We are in the process of testing the new system. If you receive a test
message, it is very important that you respond as quickly as possible. In the
event of a true emergency, Preparis may be used to verify that employees are
safe. If you have any questions, contact Walter Barber at 770.960.5245.
We had another successful Mini Conference on April
22 with 67 employees in attendance.
CCWA presenters: Jay Patel, Jimmy Powell, Brent
Taylor, Donyel Patton, Bob Martin, Rob Rhew,
Justin Tucker, Doug Thomas, Melissa Hammond,
Walter Barber, Jonathan “Bo” Smith, Jeremy
Storm, Anthony Butler, Derrick Stroud and
Brandon Powell did a great job providing
informative sessions.
If you are interested in being a speaker next year,
contact Alaine Mort at x 5720 or 770.960.3720.
7
CCWA Ambassadors’ Appreciation Luncheon
CCWA’s Ambassadors enjoyed lunch from Shane’s BBQ on March 31 in appreciation
of their work at school events, community events, facility tours and CCWA sponsored
events.
From December 2013 - February 2015, 96 Ambassadors reached 7,971 members of
our community during 49 outreach events. The Ambassadors also received new
CCWA Ambassador shirts to wear while representing the Authority at these events.
During the luncheon at the Shamrock CUB, Cornell Sims (Stormwater) was
recognized as the Outstanding Ambassador for participating in five school events,
the Southern Children’s Water Festival and volunteering for Amnesty Day and River’s
Alive. To learn more about becoming an Ambassador, contact Suzanne Brown at
770.960.6972.
Cornell Sims was recognized
by GM Mike Thomas and SW
Manager Kevin Osbey as the
Outstanding Ambassador.
8
YOS
Zoe Bernal 5/1 9
Jeff Jones 5/1 26
Adam La Pierre 5/3 11
Guy Long 5/3 11
Jr Thompson 5/3 16
Mike Long 5/4 17
Mark Brown 5/6 30
Debbie Byrd 5/6 19
Tim Hampton 5/10 31
Walt Bobo 5/13 30
Anthony Butler 5/14 8
Benedict Tawiah 5/14 1
Tyrone Brooks 5/15 9
Mark Goss 5/17 11
Mandy Lindow 5/17 14
Mike Crews 5/19 12
Matt Bilz 5/22 15
Steven Kite 5/22 9
Marcus McLester 5/26 17
Brian Gibbs 5/27 12
John Landers 5/27 7
Kristen Tyson 5/27 1
Charles Carter 5/30 27
Bill Goddard 5/30 15
Garfield Cousins 5/31 4
Mike Newton 5/3
Mike Crews 5/5
Justin Donham 5/8
Bernard Franks 5/8
Allison Halron 5/10
Brandon Thomison 5/10
Dan Doss 5/14
Heather Downing 5/14
Miller Jordan 5/14
Henry Gleaton 5/16
Danny Haynes 5/16
Doug Lamb 5/16
Rob Rhew 5/16
Beverly Steward 5/19
Tommy Stephens 5/20
Tony Somerville 5/22
Rhonda Coots 5/26
Brent Lorentzen 5/26
Keith Lowry 5/26
Chris Cannon 5/27
Bill Goddard 5/28
Ed Johnson 5/31