Holly L. Malone the Kent County Department Heads Have Selected HOLLY L

Page Kent Connections Aug. 2014

A Newsletter Published by Kent County Levy Court for its Employees August 2014 Employee of the Month: Holly L. Malone The Kent County department heads have selected HOLLY L. MALONE from the Recorder of Deeds Office as the August 2014 Employee of the Month. Holly has been a Kent County employee since January 2009 and holds the position of Deputy Recorder of Deeds. She is responsible for administering the office and performing the official duties of the position in the absence of the Recorder of Deeds. Her primary duties include supervising staff, reconciling cash receipts, preparation of month end reports for realty transfer taxes due the State and municipalities, approving invoices for the office, and working through routine software errors with the vendor. As Deputy, Holly has championed a streamlined and user friendly document recording process. She was instrumental in helping make Kent County the first county in Delaware to offer e-recording. The process has reduced the amount of paper physically handled by staff and signif- icantly improved the document error rate. During her tenure, the number of Deeds office employees has been reduced by one half and she has endeavored to maintain that number by implementing operational efficiencies, technology solutions, INSIDE and cross training. Holly has helped achieve these work goals while fo- 8 - Birthdays cused on providing excellent customer service. 10 - Calendar According to Kent County Recorder of Deeds BETTY LOU McKEN- 12 - Employee Council 10 - EMS/9-1-1 Stats NA, “Holly has been on the forefront of technology in this office. She de- 7 - From The Stacks serves the credit for making e-recording a reality in Kent County. She has 4 - On The Move helped transform the staff into a cohesive work unit with a personal com- 14 - Q’s & A’s mitment to provide excellent customer service with each and every trans- 9 - Tech Talk action. She is greatly deserving of this honor.” 4 - Work Life! Congratulations Holly on a job well done! Treatment plant upgrade on the horizon By James Newton, P.E., Environmental Program Manager Many residents are unaware that what they flush down the toilet ends up at the Kent County Re- gional Wastewater Treatment Facility near Frederica. All the municipal sewage collection systems and most of what is generated in the unincorporated areas of the County is treated at the facility and dis- charged into the Murderkill River, including pumped septic tank waste. The treatment plant’s design capacity is 16.3 million gallons per day. Current flows have occa- sionally exceeded the 80% mark, so federal Clean Kent Connections is published for the employees and Water Act regulations require upgrade of the facility retirees of Kent County Levy Court using Microsoft in anticipation of future growth. Planning for the Publisher® & Microsoft PowerPoint®. Information contained herein is accurate to the best of our upgrade began months ago with the submission of knowledge, but should not be relied upon as the sole federal and state funding applications that are in- source. Comments, suggestions and story ideas tended to boost treatment capacity to 20 MGD at a should be sent to: Kent County Personnel Office, 555 total cost of $21 million. Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901, or call (302) 744-2310. (Continued on Next Page)

Page 2 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 $21M plant upgrade to increase capacity (Continued from Page 1) innovative Severn Trent Microdynamics® ultra- The upgrade will involve the construc- violet disinfection system. The projects reduced tion of two more clarifiers in addition to the ex- effective greenhouse gas emissions at the facility isting four vessels that help separate the fine sol- by 60% and energy usage by 20% from 2009 ids from liquids, conversion of an unused chlo- levels. rine contact chamber to a third Severn Trent Ul- Other projects are currently in various traviolet disinfection system, and the addition of planning stages and will have a major impact on a tertiary filtration system to further reduce bio- the energy usage of the facility. For example, logical oxygen demand and phosphorus levels in replacement of five 20-year-old aeration blowers the treated wastewater. Construction of a mean- with newer technology more energy efficient dering modified wetland outflow discharge models, the replacement of the air diffusers in channel flowing into the Murderkill River may the basins which provide oxygen to the microlife be added if funding is available. (bacteria) that cleans the wastewater, a new A major part of the upgrade is the result source of renewable energy using anaerobic di- of a multi-year, multimillion dollar research ef- gestion, as well as other energy sharing projects fort of the tidal Murderkill River basin undertak- that could result in the facility becoming a zero en by Kent County, DNREC, the University of Delaware, other universi- ties and consultants evalu- ating the impact of nutri- Site Plan Sketch of ents such as nitrogen and Proposed Up- grades at Kent phosphorous flowing in County Regional and out of the tidal Wastewater Treat- marshes. Nitrogen and ment Facility phosphorous provide food for the algae that can have a negative impact on the marine life in lakes and clear streams. The research study found that the impact of nutrients especially nitrogen on dis- solved oxygen levels is insignificant in the highly turbulent, light limited tidal Murderkill River. net energy facility. Energy (electrical and natu- The planned upgrades will allow the ral gas) is one of the most expensive and unpre- treatment plant to meet its National Pollutant dictable expenses associated with operating a Discharge Elimination System permit obligations wastewater treatment facility. These type pro- with regards to oxygen demand reduction and jects will help to keep sewer rates lower over a also improve the effectiveness of the UV system. long period of time. These enhancements are in addition to “These projects will position Kent County those constructed between 2010 and 2012 for orderly growth for the next 20 years,” com- which made the facility more sustainable and mented Public Works Director HANS MEDLARZ. “green” by adding over 6,000 solar panels “The users have made a substantial financial in- providing 1.1 MW of electricity, three green- vestment in this facility over the years and Levy houses to dry the biosolids via solar energy, and Court’s support for these upgrades is visionary to switching from chlorine gas disinfection to the say the least.”

Page 3 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 County hosting blood drive on September 5 By Margo Mangiamele-Orlando, Personnel Technician I 2nd prize $2,000 VISA Gift Card; and 3rd Prize: $1,000 VISA Gift Card. There are also weekly t won’t be the familiar “blood mobile”, but it I prizes for two $50 VISA Gift Cards. will be very convenient for Be sure to complete a Hero Card listing Kent County employees to do- Kent County Levy Court as your employer at the nate blood this year and par- blood drive or the Blood Bank donor center. A ticipate in the 14th Annual blood donation doesn’t cost much - just an hour Summer Blood Challenge of your time deducted from your lunch period. sponsored by the Blood Bank Every day across Delmarva, more than of Delmarva. 350 blood donors are needed to maintain the Never donated blood local blood supply. By participating in the Sum- before? This could be a great mer Blood Challenge, Kent County is helping the opportunity for you to experi- Blood Bank avoid serious blood shortages that ence it for the first time in the comfort of the have hit other areas of the country. Typically, Kent County Complex. The Blood Drive will be during the summer months, fewer donors are held Friday, September 5, 2014 from 9:00 available because of vacations and other sum- a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Administrative Complex mer activities. Room 220. Contact the Personnel Office to regis- Last year Kent County Levy Court re- ter—only 40 slots are available. ceived a total of 51 points for blood donations. Blood Challenge participants will be eli- Let’s see if we can beat that this year. Remem- gible to earn chances to win great prizes, such as ber when donating – everyone wins so “Be a He- st the 1 prize: a $5,000 TD Bank VISA Gift Card; ro.” Volunteering at Library can now pay off By Hilary Welliver, County Librarian helping to defray college expenses including tuition, fees, and books. here are many good reasons to volunteer at T An applicant must be a Delaware resi- Kent County Public Library: the friendly environ- dent from Kent County who is enrolled in the ment, meeting new and interesting people, gain- 2015-2016 school year at a college or university. ing a feeling of accomplishment, polishing job A committee, made up of library staff personnel skills, and learning about the library and all its and Friends of the Kent County Pub- resources. The Friends of Kent Coun- lic Library, may interview applicants ty Public Library have recently add- should there be a need for further ed another great reason to volun- evaluation. All decisions are final. teer: a $1,000 scholarship! The scholarship will be paid The Friends of Kent County to the recipient in June of the appli- Public Library plan to award one cation year. Submissions for the $1,000 scholarship annually. Schol- 2015 scholarship are due on April arship eligibility is restricted to Kent 30, 2015. Please include two refer- County Public Library volunteers ences with the application, along who complete a minimum of 100 with the required essay. hours of community service at Kent County Pub- Scholarship application forms are lic Library between September 2014 and April available upon request at Kent County Public 2015. The scholarship is a one-time grant desig- Library from January through April 2015. nated to encourage higher education study by

Page 4 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 ; Kent county staff on the Move... Promotions Milestones

COLBY HARRINGTON MICHELE LAPINSKI Maintenance Foreman-CTS, Grade 11 25 years from Maint. Mechanic III, Grade 9 Account Specialist II Department of Public Works Department of Community Services Wastewater Facilities Division Parks & Recreation Division 07/01/2014 07/17/1989

STEVEN MULLINS RALPH NEIL Maintenance Foreman-WTP, Grade 10 15 years from Maint. Mechanic III Grade 9 Paramedic II Department of Public Works Department of Public Safety Wastewater Facilities Division Emergency Medical Services Division 07/01/2014 07/03/1999

MARK BARTLETT MICHAEL PETIT de MANGE Maintenance Mechanic I, Grade 6 15 years from Maintenance Worker I, Grade 5 County Administrator Department of Public Works Department of Administration Wastewater Facilities Division County Administrator’s Office 07/27/2014 07/06/1999

ROBERT BROOKS JASON BERRY WWF Plant Operator I, Grade 6 10 years from Maint. Worker I, Grade 5 Planner II Department of Public Works Department of Planning Services Wastewater Facilities Division Planning Division 07/27/2014 07/12/2004

RAFAEL SEFIL THOMAS WILLIAMS Maintenance Worker I, Grade 5 5 years from Custodian, Grade 3 Dispatcher II Department of Public Works Department of Public Safety Wastewater Facilities Division Emergency Communications Division 07/27/2014 07/01/2009

Resignation RICHARD WHITTMORE

SABRINA FITE 5 years GIS Specialist WWF Plant Operator II Grade 10 Department of Public Works Department of Planning Services Wastewater Facilities Division GIS Division 07/27/2009 07/09/2014

Page 5 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 Free shot in the arm can prevent effects of influenza

By Margo Mangiamele-Orlando, Personnel Technician I protect you from the anticipated manifestations Remember last year when you were nauseous, of this year’s normal flu virus. Employees/retirees may sign up for the achy, and down right miserable? Avoid that sick- vaccination by calling or emailing MARGO MAN- ening feeling and spare your co- GIAMELE-ORLANDO in the Person- workers from the effects, by getting a nel Office at 744-2310 by Friday Sep- yearly flu vaccination. tember 26, 2014. Those employees Once again, the County will working in close contact with the offer no cost vaccinations to employ- public will receive priority. A limited ees on Friday, October 3, 2014. The number of shots may be available for schedule is as follows: Administrative family members. Complex, 8:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.; Emergency Ser- While free to employees, the vaccination vices Building, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.; and will cost $20.00 each for family members. Wastewater Treatment Plant, 2:00 p.m.–4:00 BayHealth will be administering the shots this p.m. This vaccination will help alleviate or even year. Tuition assistance can help advance career

By Allan Kujala, Personnel Director bursed upon submission of receipts and report card. To be eligible to participate and receive popular County benefit can actually help em- A reimbursement, an employee must continue to ployees advance in their perform satisfactorily in their County job. chosen careers or even As an extra bonus, employees earning a change careers—it is the work related degree are eligible for a pay in- Tuition Assistance Pro- crease under Levy Court Policy 2.15. gram. For more information, contact the Per- The employee sonnel Office at 744-2310. education assistance program provides reim- KENT COUNTY CRUSHERS bursement of up to $750 Softball Schedule - 5:15 p.m. @ DelDOT field per fiscal year for under- graduate classes and May 14 -vs- Del Dot (LOSS 10 - 31) $1,000 for graduate May 21 -vs- Corporations (WIN 21 - 10) courses if the employee June 2 -vs- Lab (LOSS 11 - 20) earns a minimum pass- June 17 -vs- DNREC (LOSS 8 - 15) ing grade of “C”. July 1 -vs- DTI (WIN 20 - 3) Employees inter- July 9 -vs- Chesapeake Utilities (LOSS 11 - 19) ested in the program July 16 -vs- DELDOT (WIN 10 - 5) must complete an appli- July 21 -vs- Corporations (WIN 31 - 19) cation each semester in advance of registering for classes and have it July 29 -vs- OMB double header (L: 9-17, W:14-1) endorsed by his or her department head. The AUG 7 Kent County -vs- Lab application listing the desired courses and cost AUG 13 Kent County -vs- JTVCC double thereof must then be submitted for review by AUG 19 Kent County -vs- DNREC the Personnel Director. SEPT 4 Kent County -vs- DTI If sufficient funds exist, the class(es) will SEPT 11 Kent County -vs- Chesapeake Utilities be approved and the employee will be reim- SEPT 17 Playoffs TBA

Page 6 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 Employee Of the Month—INSIGHT Name: HOLLY MALONE event where our citizens enjoy our beautiful Job: Deputy Recorder of Deeds parklands. Years with the County: 5 years, 7 months Three people (living or dead) I’d invite Education: Degree in Marketing and Merchan- to dinner: My mother and her parents (my dising grandmother and grandfather Prettyman), none My role as a County employee: Is to super- living at this time. vise staff, reconciling cash receipts, preparation I’m most proud of: The men my sons have of month end reports for reality transfer taxes become. due to the State of Delaware and municipalities, Pet peeve: Negative people. approving invoices for the office, and working If I’ve learned one thing in life, it’s: To be through routine software errors with the ven- yourself. dor. I am also responsible for adminis- Life goals and values important tering the office and performing official to me: My goal is to share happiness duties of the position in the absence of and value life itself. the Recorder of Deeds. Characteristics and values im- What keeps my job interesting: portant to me: To work hard, be Working with the public every day and kind to others and try to always smile. helping them resolve an issue they may Who has had the most impact on have. my life: My mother, my sons and my What gives me a sense of accom- granddaughter. plishment on the job: To know at Personal goals I have accom- the end of the day I have done my very plished or would like to accom- best. plish: Someday I would like to live full time at Professional advice I would like to offer the beach. to other County employees: Be honest, If I could have been in any profession of work hard and treat others as you would like to my choosing, I would have been a/an: If be treated. Also, I would encourage everyone to I knew what I know now I would have gone into read the works of Maya Angelou. the medical profession. Family: Husband- Bill, son- Gavin, son- Cody, If I could have two wishes, they would daughter-in-law-Danielle, granddaughter-Chloe be: That all illness in the world would go away Marie and that my children live safe and happy lives. Civic involvement: I served on many local You’d be surprised to learn that I: Owned and state boards and commissions, raised funds my own business in 1988 and provided respite to build the Dover Police Station, Schutte Park care for disabled children to give their parents an and helped relocate Dover Little League to the opportunity to go to dinner, a movie, a holiday Schutte park location. party, etc. I became certified through the State of After work I enjoy: The beach and spending Delaware to administrator medication to them time with family and friends. while they were in my care. Favorite new movie: na The most adventurous thing I’ve ever Favorite old movie: Beaches done is: After trying to learn how to swing Favorite TV show: All Medical Shows dance on a cruise ship, falling and tearing my Favorite sport: Men’s Lacrosse ACL,MCL and meniscus in my right knee and Favorite music: 60’s Motown and Top 40 then having to go to the hospital in Cozumel Favorite Kent County restaurant: Roma Mexico with an escort from the ship and not be- Favorite Kent County event: Any outdoor ing able to speak Spanish.

Page 7 Kent Connections Aug. 2014

FROMBy Hilary Welliver, County Librarian THE STACKS Chill in your hammock with a book ronica Roth. Fans of the Divergent series will Time to grab your iced tea and head for the tear through the short stories in this hammock with these sure to please reads. book that are each between fifty They’ll help you stretch out these long, lazy last and seventy-five pages long, told days of summer. from Tobias’ point of view. Each of Gone with the Wind, 75th Anniversary Edi- these stories has been previously re- tion by Margaret Mitchell. Sum- leased as singles, but this volume mer is a great time to revisit the collects four in one place. modern classics. Since its original One Plus One by Jojo Moyes. Jess’ publication in 1936, Gone with the life is a shambles. Her husband left Wind, winner of the Pulitzer Prize her. Her son is being bullied, and and one of the bestselling novels of her math genius daughter has a once all time, has been identified by -in-a-lifetime opportunity that she readers everywhere as The Great can’t pay for. Then Jess’ boss, an American Novel. It is often remembered for its obnoxious tech millionaire, offers to epic film version. A superb piece of storytelling, help (in his first unselfish act ever). it vividly depicts the drama of the Civil War and On the road trip to the math Olym- Reconstruction from the perspective of Scarlett piad, it becomes clear that opposites attract. O’Hara, the daughter of a wealthy plantation The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. owner, who is just entering adulthood in time to Enid Lambert wants to bring her see the Civil War forever change her way of life. family together for one last Christ- Not up to GWTW’s 1000+ page story? mas at home but her family is Look for lighter fare in The Viscount breaking down. Her husband is Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn. Part losing his sanity to Parkinson’s dis- of the seductive Bridgerton series, ease, their children have flown the in this story the notorious rake, family nest to the catastrophes of Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, pur- their own lives. Darkly humorous, sues the beautiful Edwina Shef- sympathetic and realistic, Jonathan Franzen has field, but is secretly falling for her been described as one the “most brilliant inter- meddlesome sister, Kate. The tale preters of American society and the American is told with humor and intense soul.” chemistry. Landline by Rainbow Rowell. Just days The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the before they’re supposed to visit her Red Planet and Why We Must by husband’s family in Omaha for the Robert Zubrin. Mars has always holidays, Georgie tells Neal she fascinated humans. Now leading can’t go. Something’s come up at space exploration authority Robert work and she has to stay in Los An- Zubrin has crafted a daring new geles. When Neal packs up the blueprint that explains step-by-step kids and goes to Nebraska without how we can use present-day tech- her, Georgie discovers a way to nology to send humans to Mars change the past. The question is, within ten years. should she fix her marriage before it starts, or Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Ve- (Continued on Next Page)

Page 8 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 vestigate the kidnapping of four- year-old Brian Arlington two dec- ades earlier, in hopes of writing a STACKS(Continued from Page 7) true crime style book. Hadley’s would Georgie and Neal be better off if their arrival sets the cat amongst the marriage never happened? pigeons, stirring up old memories A Soldier of the Great War by Mark and causing cracks within the Helprin. Told from the vantage family circle to re-open. point of old age, this bittersweet Uncharted: Story for a tale recalls the narrator’s life, Shipwright by J.B. Chicoine. When an odd loves, and escape from the mad- young woman appears at the ness of war. One reviewer stated, Wesley House Bed and Breakfast “Once you pick it up you can’t put with a battered suitcase and far- it down and once you pick it up fetched tales of shipwrecks and you will need to talk about it with survivals, Sam Wesley isn’t sure if everyone you know.” she is imaginative or delusional. Stranger on the Shore by Josh Lanyon. He is soon enchanted by Marlena Invited by Jarrett Arlington, the patriarch of the but must compete for her heart Arlington Empire, Griffin Neptune Hadley is a with his best friend and a man young investigative journalist who comes to in- from her past. **1815*** **9372** KENT COUNTY BIRTHDAYS A U G U S T 04 Gilberto Ruiz, Administration-IT 02 Sandy Martin, Community Services/Libraries 04 Andrew Riggi, Public Works/Engineering 04 Cynthia Laird, Community Services/Libraries 07 Michele Lapinski, Comm. Srvs/Parks & Rec. 07 Melanie Patnaude, Public Safety/EMS 08 Mary Karol, Finance-Accounting 07 Darin Jones, Comm. Services/Parks & Rec 09 Leslie Vasquez, Finance- Assessment 08 Donna Barnes, Administration-IT 10 Michael Berry, Public Works/WWF 10 Cathleen McLean, Administration-Personnel 10 Shelby Burd, Finance-Accounting 11 Jerry Johnston, Public Works/Engineering 10 Kevin Imhof, Public Safety/EMS 12 David Whitney, Public Works/WWF 11 Robert Bloodsworth, Pub. Safety/Emer. Com. 13 Mary Eisenbrey, Finance-Assessment 11 Kim Crouch, Administration-IT 13 Pat Uhey, Wills Office 11 Nicole Vautard, Public Safety/Emer. Mgmt. 19 Michael Clarke, Public Safety/EMS 13 Benjamin Sackey, Administration-IT 19 Scott Vautard, Planning Services/Insp. & Enf. 13 Eric Buckson, Levy Court Commissioner 19 Vince Parsons, Public Works/WWF 15 Allan Kujala, Administration-Personnel 21 Mark Kuykendall, Public Works/WWF 16 Jack Schulties, Public Works/WWF 21 Michael Weyant, Plan. Services/Insp. & Enf. 18 Christian White, Deputy Sheriff 22 Diana Golt, Public Works/Engineering 20 Margo Mangiamele-Orlando, Admin.-Pers. 23 Sherry Barker, Public Works/Engineering 24 Dylan Carrar, Public Safety/Emer.Comm. 23 Richard Whittmore, Public Works/WWF 25 Richard Allen, Public Safety/EMS 24 Angel Short, Community Services 25 Jennifer Graham, Public Safety 26 James Machado Nunes, Public Works/WWF 26 Janelle Cornwell, Planning Services/Planning 27 Debbie Elders, Finance-Accounting 27 Patricia Orona, Deeds Office 28 Robert Probst, Comm. Services/Parks & Rec 27 Harold Neal, Public Safety/EMS SEPTEMBER 28 Allan Thomas, Public Works/WWF 29 Evelyn Jopp, Administration 04 Wayne Richards, Public Works/WWF 29 Vaughn McCall, Public Works/WWF

Page 9 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 Freeware makes ripping DVDs easy By Mark Kennedy, Media Systems Coordinator For PC users: WinX DVD Ripper is a free DVD rip- edia companies today have argued that you M ping software which is specially designed for can't legally copy or convert commercial DVD’s Windows users, and it's fully compatible with Windows 7. This free ripper is able to rip your DVDs to MP4, WMV, FLV, MOV, MPEG, MP3; any formats that’s played on your iPod, iPhone, PSP, Zune, Archos, Creative Zen, Walk- man, BlackBerry, Cell phone, etc. But what makes WinX surpass other software is this DVD ripper can easily remove almost all DVD protections automatically. What's more, built-in with it is an intuitive user interface al- lowing a much simpler ripping operation on for any reason. Even so, many people still copy Windows 7 platform. This DVD Ripper also al- their DVD’s as most think it's legal to do so for lows you to personalize your videos by cropping, personal use. And there are a variety of DVD rip- trimming and adding watermarks. pers on the market which are available to help Step 1. Load/Download the ripping soft- you do this job, including free ones and paid ware from the web or disc, and then install it in ones. your Windows computer. Launch this software So, why do you need to rip DVD’s? when the installation is completed. You mainly have two reasons for DVD Step 2. Insert the DVD you want to copy Ripping. For one, DVDs can be easily damaged if into your disc drive, click the Load DVD button they are used frequently or for a long time. Rip- to start uploading files. ping a DVD enables you to have more than one Step 3. Choose Output Format and Out- copy of the DVD’s contents. You can easily watch put Folder. the DVD on your computer, without any wear or Step 4. Simply press the Start / Encode tear on the DVD itself. button to rip the DVD. It will take you from a The other reason for ripping DVD’s is few minutes to a half hour to rip a DVD, depend- that it allows you to convert the DVD to various ing on the quality and duration of the movie. video and audio formats so that you can easily For Mac users: play it on a lot of mobile devices like your iPod, Step 1. Load/Download the ripping soft- iPhone, PSP, Zune, Archos, Creative Zen, Walk- ware from the web or disc, and then install it in man, BlackBerry, Cell phone, etc. This is helpful your Mac computer. Launch this software when if you want to watch your DVD on a mobile de- the installation is completed. vice during a long trip. Step 2. Click "Add File(s)" button or se- How to rip your DVD? lect "File> Add File(s)" on the main menu to Ripping a DVD is relatively easy job, but load DVD. you will need some DVD rippers to make the Step 3. Select target files and select the process possible. There is a ton of DVD ripping output format, and then specify output folder for software available on the market. And they all saving output files. do the job very well. However the differences Step 4. Check the selected files in the file lay in how many different formats a particular list and the click "Burn Checked Item(s)" button DVD can be converted to. First, you would need to do the job. to choose a program than can perform the types Even though this software is not free of conversions you require. Once, you’ve deter- DVD Ripper Ultimate for Mac offers one of the mined your needs you purchase the software in best ways to rip any DVD to AVI, MPEG, WMV, stores but most can be downloaded online. (Continued on Next Page)

Page 10 Kent Connections Aug. 2014

HOW TO BE EXCEPTIONAL FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY—e. Solicit ideas from all staff in order to maximize efficiency. (Continued from Page 9) IMPACT/INFLUENCE—a. Have your ideas and eMP4, DivX, H.264/AVC, MOV, 3GP, etc. videos opinions published; b. Acceptability of your and MP3, WAV, WMA, AC3, M4A audios with point of view is unquestioned; c. Acceptance of High-Definition video support, which enables your ideas and proposals is supported you watch DVD’s on your portable devices, such throughout organization due to high credibil- as iPod, iPhone, PSP, and so on. Also, it assists ity and confidence in work... you in capturing movie scenes as static pictures. G.A.U.G.E.—Kent Co.’s performance assessment tool MARK YOUR Kent Co. Employee Obsessions Take a minute to visit the display case on the first CALENDAR floor of the Kent County August 1 - 15, 2014 - $250 Back to School Administrative Complex Raffle sponsored by Employee Council. featuring hand carved August 7, 2014 - Blood Pressure Checks at fish decoys by Technolo- Wastewater Treatment Plant 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. gy Administrator DORO- THY CHEATHAM’s brother Jim Doyle. He has been - Kent County property tax August 7, 2014 carving decoys for over 30 years. bills mailed. County/School District taxes are Got an interesting hobby or like to collect due on September 30. limited edition baubles? Contact Personnel at 744 August 13, 2014 - Blood Pressure Checks at -2310. **1812** **7857** **3190** the County Library at 9:00 a.m. and at the Ad- ministrative Complex, Room 213, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. August 13, 2014 - L&W Insurance repre- sentative from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Administrative Complex, Room 213. August 13, 2014 - Milk Shake and Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich Day. Sponsored by Em- ployee Council. Monthly statistics from Kent County Department of Public Safety September 1, 2014 - Labor Day holiday. 2014 JUNE MAY ‘14 YTD County offices closed. September 5, 2014 - Blood Drive in Admin- 9-1-1 calls 8,024 7,491 42,523 istrative Complex Room 220 from 9:00 a.m.— # calls by Cell Phone 6,731 6,169 34,717 4:00 p.m. Pre-register with the Personnel Office Fire incidents 545 466 3,052 by calling 744-2310. Be sure to get your desired time slot approved by your supervisor. Ambulance incidents 2,279 2,117 12,449 Paramedic incidents 1,054 1,034 6,188 High Praise n # Patients to hospital 603 613 3,672 Congratulations to Accounting Supervisor DEBBIE # Patient DOA 21 23 99 ELDERS and Account Analyst DONNA ZERHUSEN # Patient refuses care 32 33 211 for recently earning their Master of Business Ad- ministration degrees from Wilmington University. # Patient release/BLS 53 67 409 Applause, Applause!! # Response cancelled 236 229 1,385

Page 11 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 Complex garden producing fruit

By Jim Waddington, Economic Development Director open to any interested parties. County employees have weeded and harvested on their lunch othing is quite as good as produce picked N hours and after work and other Kent County res- fresh from your own garden, and idents have pitched in to help or just wandered this year the Levy Court by to see what’s going on. To date harvested helped make that possible produce includes squash, tomatoes, peppers, let- by for County employees by tuce and herbs with more still to come including establishing a community melons, lima beans and onions. garden in the park area Several people have asked me about har- adjacent to the County Complex. vesting the onions. Green onions can be pulled The garden (with a total growing when the stalks get about 6” tall, and they can area of approximately 500 square feet) was con- continue to be pulled after that. To harvest full structed using donated materials to create raised sized onions for storage it is best to wait 10 to beds. Five beds were built using straw bales as 14 days after the tops die back to allow the on- perimeters and two beds were constructed from ions to fully mature. Pull the onions in the morn- donated pallets. Two additional beds were dug ing on a hot, sunny and dry day, leaving the tops at ground level for pole lima beans. intact. Set them in the sun until afternoon. The creation of the garden was a com- Then, cure the onions in a dry, shady and airy munity effort. Materials were donated by Dela- location for up to 3 weeks before cutting off the ware State News, Teal Construction, Chesapeake tops and storing the onions. Utilities, Sherwin Williams, City of Dover, Chuck As crops are harvested and sections of Hurd, Dover Pools, and the Employee Council. the garden become available, we will be plant- Labor for construction of the garden was ing additional brassica and greens crop for fall organized by the Employee Council, and addi- production and harvest. tional support came from the Greater Kent Com- If you are interested in participating in mittee which convened a “Community Garden future work parties contact MARTI STANSBURY Steering Committee” that has provided organiza- at 744-2440. **6948*** **1300** **4900** tional support and procured needed materials and services for over 20 community gardens throughout Kent County. GARDEN The Levy Court community garden is REPORT Number|Hunt By Marti Stansbury, Zoning Inspector II Plant Type Number Status—July 2014 tay informed and earn the chance to win a free S BEANS (Lima) 27 Slowly growing movie ticket compliments of Employee Council by CUCUMBERS 20 Harvesting reading Kent Connections every month. Look for EGGPLANT 6 Ready in mid-Aug? the last four digits of your Social Security number LETTUCE 8 Done for season somewhere in the current newsletter and be the ONIONS 100 12 inches—ready first or second to contact the Personnel Office at PEPPERS 17 Harvesting 744-2310. NICOLE VAUTARD from the Emergency Management Division and SHAUN WELLWOOD SQUASH 18 Not doing great from the Wastewater Facilities Division were the TOMATOES 25 Plentiful & harvesting first to spot their numbers, call in, and win last WATERMELON 6 Fair month. ZUCCHINI 10 Slow growing It is easy to win, just read your employee HERBS 3+ Ready for cutting newsletter each and every month. **9913** WEEDS Moderate **9902**

Page 12 Kent Connections Aug. 2014

By Beverly Hay, Employee Council Secretary INSIGHT INTO THAT OTHER DEPT/DIV/OFFICE Well another summer month is gone and the countdown has begun! Planning Division BTS….Yes!! Back To School!!! So, to Mission: The development and implementa- help out with those BTS items or just for the fun tion of the Kent County Comprehensive Plan of it, we are holding a $200 CASH RAFFLE. The and administration of the Zoning and Subdivi- drawing will be held on Friday, August 15. Tick- sion & Land Development Ordinances. ets are 1 for $3, 3 for $5, and 10 for $10. Location: Administrative Complex, Room 117 So if you need some extra $$$ for school Department: Planning Services get tickets for a chance to win!!! Levy Court Committee Chair: Commission- August 13 – Get ready for some er ERIC L. BUCKSON milkshakes!!! AND ice cream cookie sandwich- Division Manager: MARY ELLEN GRAY es!!! Can’t get any better than that! So dig out # of Positions: 14 the milkshake mug that was purchased years Major Tasks: Analysis, processing and report- (3?) ago and has been hidden away in the cor- ing on a variety of land development applica- ner, blow off the dust, and be ready! Be on the tions and proposals; zoning code administration lookout for the flyer coming your way! & compliance; development & implementation Trivia time: With Milkshakes in mind… of a comprehensive planning program; CDGB who invented the electric blender/drink mixer in and related Federal Housing programs admin- 1922?~~~~AND~~~~Where was a popular istration and outreach; special area studies; establishment in the 1950s to drink a tracking population trends and data; serve as milkshake? staff for the Board of Adjustment (BOA), Re- Those were so easy I think you can you gional Planning Commission (RPC); etc. handle one more? Busiest Time: Rainy days & warmer weather What did they call the person who tossed Work Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. the ice cream into the steel mixing cups to make Budgeted Income: $76,400 plus $969,500 a milkshake? for CDBG and related federal housing programs Hurry! The first correct answer received Where it comes from: Land use application via email to [email protected] wins an fees; zoning application fees; planning docu- arm’s length of 50/50 tickets for the August 15 ment fees; planning map fees; copy fees; gen- drawing!!!!! eral fund; and federal grants for CDBG/housing Your Employee Council includes: Presi- Budgeted Expenses: $1,341,200 plus dent DANIELLE LAMBORN, Vice-President DA- $969,500 for CDBG & federal housing prog. VID WHITNEY, Secretary BEVERLY HAY, Treas- Where does it go: Personnel; indirect costs; urer PAT ORONA, members MARGO ORLANDO, legal/contract services; insurance; office sup- MARTI STANSBURY, and NANCY THOMPSON. plies; vehicle maintenance; CDBG housing rehab Interesting Facts: We assisted with the Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan this year. Also, 14 High Praise n foreclosed and abandoned houses were pur- Give a Gold Star to Planner II JASON BERRY for a chased, rehabbed and sold to moderate income constituent e-mail sent to his Department Head prais- families using federal grants in partnership with ing him for his “outstanding attitude and customer the Diamond State Community Land Trust. service” as well as his helpfulness. Outstanding!!

Page 13 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 Dental report shows 30% ignore 100% benefit By Allan Kujala, Personnel Director County employees and retirees pay at least a minimal amount for dental benefits (currently ost Kent County employees care about their M $3.10 per month). teeth, according to the annu- Employees with family coverage utilized al utilization report recently their dental benefits at a rate of 71% for spouses Made by A. Angel released by the County’s den- and 76% for children. Utilization by children tal insurance administrator, jumped nearly 7% over 2012. Dependent cover- Delta Dental of Delaware, age currently costs $35 per month. Delta Dental, but a whopping 30% don’t however, found the utilization results to be typi- get regular check-ups, which cal of a group the size of Kent County. are paid at 100% under the dental plan. Delta Dental reported that 56% of the dental claims paid from January 1, 2013 to De- cember 31, 2013 involved preventative or diag- nostic services. The use of these particular services, which are paid at 100% of customary and reasonable costs under the plan, helps prevent tooth decay and reduces the need for more expensive restorative services such as fillings, en- dodontic services like root canals, or periodontic Be proud of the important work you do and high quality service services for gum diseases, which require em- you provide. Our citizens may not always realize it, but we are ployee cost sharing. saving lives, protecting the environment, making this a better The County spent $185,103.53 last cal- place to live, or facilitating those that do. Share the pride of serv- endar year for direct dental services under the ing Kent County each work day... self-insured plan that provides an annual calen- Before coming to Kent County I worked with ITT dar year limit of $1,500 per employee or in- Corporation in Fort Wayne, IN as a sured dependent. Cost savings last year were Lead Programmer Analyst. My func- considered significant by Delta Dental because it tions included supporting the Finan- had avoided about $121,200 in charges through cial and Human Resource Applica- its diligence in cost containment measures as tion on the AS400. I also worked for well as the benefit limitation. Playtex Apparel in Dover, in a simi- One aspect of the report that continues lar position as in ITT. My interest in to be surprising is the fact that only about two- IT started in college around 1974. I thirds of the County’s employee and retiree took a course in programming and it got me think- group visited a dentist last year. About 30% did ing about a career in IT even though I had a de- not take advantage of the plan’s 100% covered gree in Finance. In graduate school my area of preventative services which includes annual x- concentration was in IT. My first job (1978) in rays and cleaning every six-months. This figure Dallas Texas was in Finance but my boss who had is up 2% from 2012, which could be attributed both Finance and IT under him allowed me to to a requirement beginning July 1, 2013 that switch to IT. What I like about working for Kent County is the people I work for, the location of the IN NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE County, and the benefits are great too. The support > What’s the latest on the gymnasium project? we give staff and the constant changes in technology which demand constant studying to be able to > Final push for Summer Blood Challenge! fix some system problems keeps my job very inter- > Go Pink for a Good Cause!! esting.—BEN SACKEY, Systems Analyst Adminis- > What’s a self-insured workers’ compensation pool? trator

Page 14 Kent Connections Aug. 2014 Driving can be an essential job responsibility violations with the MVRs, so be sure to make the Q. A co-worker was warned by our supervisor supervisor notification. recently that another speeding ticket may result in job loss. He got his three speeding tickets out Q. I attended a defensive driving class last of state while on vacation not while driving a year sponsored by the County and received a 3 County vehicle, so why does it apply? point credit. Will that credit be applied against any speeding ticket? A. Driving a County-owned vehicle can be an essential job function and is listed on an employ- A. Yes. The points are credited toward the total ee’s position description as such. In the eyes of au- number of points reported on the MVR, so discipli- to insurance companies, speeding is an indication nary action can be mitigated. Obviously, the three of unsafe driving habits and it does not matter if point credit does not help against driver’s license the behavior manifests itself in a private vehicle or suspension or revocation. employer vehicle. Unsafe driving habits can lead to auto accidents (crashes) which can involve ex- Q. Do I have to inform the County if I receive pensive repairs and injuries. a traffic light photo enforcement violation notification? Q. Can an employee be termi- nated for unsafe driving? And if A. If you are driving a County so, which County policy deter- Q & A vehicle and think you may have mines the disciplinary action? traveled through a red light, it is The purpose of Q & A is to educate best to report it to the Personnel Yes. If an employee has to and encourage work related discourse A. among staff about County policies, Office. When we receive the notice, drive in order to perform his/her work practices, and employee issues. It it will be delivered to you to pay or duties, the loss of a motor vehicle is not intended to promote unproductive dispute. If you are in your personal operator’s license can result in job gossip or speculation about the author vehicle, it is not required. If you are loss. Some positions, especially cler- of a question. Unless otherwise noted, pulled over for it and your position all questions contained herein have ical or administrative types, do not description requires it, then report been crafted by Personnel Office staff normally need to drive in order to and may or may not reflect actual ques- the motor vehicle violation. If you perform their duties, so they do not tions asked. -Personnel Director get a Red Light Enforcement Notice have to report moving violations mailed to your home, I recommend and may not be disciplined for unsafe driving or you promptly pay it, because your license will be loss of driving privileges. County Policy #4-7 on suspended and that can be a big problem. vehicle safety explains how discipline may be applied in various situations. Q. Why are my personal driving habits important to Kent County? Q. How does the County know if I get a speeding ticket or cited for a traffic accident? A. We want you to be safe and we want the citizens of Kent County to be safe. We want to do as A. County policy as well as the position descrip- much as possible to avoid tragedy on our high- tions for certain positions requires employees to ways, so perhaps the possible loss of your job will inform their supervisor of traffic violations. The keep you from drinking and driving or driving supervisor in turn informs the Personnel Office. In recklessly. It is also about money and the County’s addition, the County electronically checks motor potential liability for your actions. The County was vehicle reports for the 229 listed drivers on our able to secure a 9% auto insurance premium re- auto insurance policy at least annually or more duction this year, due in part to our policy enforce- often as needed. We cross reference the reported ment and everyone’ s defensive driving skills.