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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitySlick_February_2012The cities of Bloomington, Edina and Richfield, along with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross), have banded together on a collaborative initiative called “do.town” to improve the health of these communities by encouraging healthy eating and active living choices. Beginning in February and running through the spring of 2013, the City of Edina will participate in a “do.town” work site coalition project. This project is designed to help the City build and enhance its existing wellness program. Blue Cross is hoping to recruit 15 employers within each city to participate. Employers, like the City of Edina, will participate in a series of by David Katz, Communications Intern Roger Fahrenkrug, one of six golf professionals on staff at Braemar Golf Course, recently joined a very select group of Minnesota pros. The state chapter of the Professional Golf Association (PGA) honored him with its 2011 “Teacher of the Year” award. In addition to providing him a commemorative plaque, the organization also took a moment to acknowledge Fahrenkrug’s career achievements at its October chapter meeting in Coon Rapids, Minn. Joe Greupner, Braemar’s head professional, submitted Fahrenkrug’s name for consideration. Drawing from both his own observations and from the praise of patrons, Greupner and fellow professional Don Berry then wrote letters of recommendation on Fahrenkrug’s behalf. Fahrenkrug conducts both group and private lessons, and also lends a hand with junior programs and club fittings on demo days. His past students of note include Don Berry, a past PGA – Minnesota “Player of the Year” award recipient and winner of multiple golf tournaments throughout the country. Although PGA – Minnesota added “Teacher of the Year” to its list of annual awards in 1987, repeat winners are relatively common. As a result, Fahrenkrug is actually only the 17th teacher in the state to be honored with this distinction. Minnesota is one of 41 PGA sectional divisions. Its purpose is to promote the sport and acknowledge achievements made on the local level. “This award says a lot about Roger’s talent as both player and teacher,” said Braemar Golf General Manager Todd Anderson, “and also says something about Braemar.” The course gives more golf lessons than any other course in Minnesota and its pro teachers have been nominated for the “Teacher of the Year” award several times in the past. A newsletter for the City Council and employees of the City of Edina CITYSLICK p1 Volume 15.5 2|3|2012 INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2 Around The Water Cooler 3 Techy Tidbits 4 Job Evaluation Project 4 My First Job 5 Braemar Opens In January 6 Letter Bag 6 Staff Notes Continued on Page 6... Feb. 3, Andy, Fire Feb. 3, Marty, Fire Feb. 5, Vicki, Finance Feb. 6, Doug, Park Maintenance Feb. 10, Elissa, Police Feb. 10, Jay, Public Works Feb. 11, Shawn, Public Works Feb. 11, Wally, Fire Feb. 11, Keith, Police Feb. 13, Janet, Parks & Recreation Feb. 14, Jim, Police Feb. 18, Sean, Police Feb. 29, Tom, Public Works Braemar Golf Course pro named ‘Teacher of the Year’ City to be part of do.town Worksite Coalition Project New! “Techy Tidbits” Page 3 CITYSLICK p2 Braemar Arena Braemar Arena has a new identity! A logo was recently developed for the Arena and is now in place. Recently, Braemar introduced a new developmental hockey program during early morning open ice time. In the program, players and coaches work one-on-one on skill development. Adult Open Hockey is held 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays. It’s a deal for just $5 per session! Edina Art Center The Edina Art Center is offering free media workshops to the public as part of an effort to encourage preservation of memories important to families. The last workshop in the series will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4. The one-hour workshop will cover identification of older media, methods for prioritizing and sorting, resources for digital preservation and step-by-step planning. Art Center staff will demonstrate several typical transfer processes available to the public at the Media Studios. Registration is not necessary. Edina Senior Center The Edina Senior Center is collecting rice for VEAP during the month of February. One- pound bags can be dropped off in the big box with the red hearts at the Senior Center. The Senior Advisory Council is bringing “Going Postal” to the Center 10 a.m. Feb. 22. A law enforcement professional from the Postal Service will present information on how to avoid mail fraud. Parks & Recreation As part of the City’s reorganization and to better reflect the number of parks in the community, the department will now be called the “Parks & Recreation Department.” Several other departments helped make Winter Neighborhood Night Out a success: Communications Assistant Kaylin Martin created a new poster and the Communications & Technology Services Department helped get the word out. Forester Tom Horwath got the firewood and Park Maintenance workers Dave Weierke, Jerry Reiter, Dan Johnson and Bob Prestrud helped us to prepare for the event. Edina Police Officers Morgan Piper, Brian Hubbard and Nicole Pesek stopped by the parks to visit with families during the event on Friday, Jan. 20. Summer program registration is under way and Janet Canton and Vera Norine are very busy! Registration for Edina Summer programs began Feb. 1. Programs can be found online at www.EdinaParks.com or www.CityofEdina.com/store. Human Resources BCBS Online Care Anywhere Now that things have settled down with open enrollment, we want to remind employees about the free service Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota offers. Employees and their families can consult with a health care provider by computer, allowing you to avoid traffic and waiting rooms for many common concerns. You do not need to be a Blue Cross member to use this service – just remember to type in the coupon code “LOGISFREE” at the time of each visit. Finding out about typical concerns such as cold and flu symptoms, aches and pains, infections, children’s health issues, allergies and medication advice is as easy as going online to connect to the Online Care Anywhere system. The provider can answer your questions and even write prescriptions, if necessary. To register, visit OnlineCareAnywhereMN.com, click on “Register” in the “See a Doctor Now” section and follow the instructions. Enter “LOGIS” in the Employer ID field. Once you’ve registered, you will be ready to begin your online session. Just click on “See a Doctor Now,” fill in your user name and password and click “sign in.” Choose the health care provider you want to see, complete the requested information AROUND THE WATER COOLER Following is a summary of some of the projects of some departments, divisions and facilities. Other areas of the City will be featured in upcoming issues. CITYSLICK p3 to begin your conversation and be sure to enter the coupon code “LOGISFREE” in the payment details so you will not be charged. If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources staff for more details. FSA and HRA/VEBA With the changes in insurance companies, it’s been confusing for some of you to know where to submit your claims for expenses incurred. Following is a summary that should help: FSA (Medical Flex/Daycare Reimbursement) • If your claim was incurred during 2011, submit the claim to Acclaim Benefits/ TASC. Visit www.acclaimbenefits.com/ EmployeeResources or call Human Resources to receive a form to fax. All expenses must be submitted to Acclaim/ TASC by March 15, 2012, or the money in the account will be forfeited. • For expenses incurred in calendar year 2012, any claims run through the Blue Cross system will be automatically submitted and reimbursed through Select Account, www.selectaccount.com, unless you went online and selected to opt-out using the “crossover feature.” You should have received a letter from Select Account verifying the amount you elected along with your ID number. If you did not receive it or cannot find it, please call their customer service number, 651-662- 5065, and request a new ID. Non-Blue Cross medical claims (e.g., dental, vision, or sent through spouse’s insurance) will need to be submitted online. HRA/VEBA ACCOUNT HRA plans are not “use it or lose it,” but claims must be submitted within one year of the date they were incurred in order to be reimbursed. We’ve run into a delay with the transfer of VEBA funds from Alerus/Acclaim to Select Account due to a discrepancy in the fund’s amount. This is why it’s taking longer than anticipated for your balance to appear. This is being worked on and should be corrected soon. We apologize for any confusion during the transition period. Please contact Human Resources staff if you have any questions. TECHY TIDBITS by Katie Bisek, Network Support Specialist This month, we encourage you to give the outside of your computer a spa day of sorts. When was the last time you looked at your keyboard, mouse, monitor or phone? I mean really looked at it. Can you read the letters on the keyboard or are they a little covered? Is there a hand outline on the handset of your phone? Here are some suggestions on the best way to clean these devices. You will first want to shutdown your computer. LCD Monitor: For the screen, take a soft damp cloth, such as a microfiber towel, and wipe the screen. It is not recommended to use a disinfecting wipe on the screen. Using one around the outside is fine. Keyboard: Flip the keyboard over and tap a little to dislodge any particles from the keys. You may even want to find the nearest vacuum with a hose or use canned air to get out any leftovers. Use a disinfecting wipe or a wet paper towel to clean the keys and the rest of the keyboard. Mouse: Use a disinfecting wipe or a wet paper towel to remove any buildup. Don’t forget to clean the bottom and the wheel. Phone: You may unplug your phone to do this. Otherwise, just wipe carefully. Use a disinfecting wipe or a wet paper towel to remove any buildup. Make sure to clean the handset, too. If you have a wireless headset, give that a once over as well. Improve your relationship with your computer, enhance productivity and smile more often! Each month, IT staff will highlight in “Techy Tidbits” some commonly asked technical questions they receive from staff around the City. If you have any questions you’d like answered in Techy Tidbits, send an email to EDInformationTechnology@ci.edina.mn.us or leave a message at 952-903-5711. CITYSLICK p4 City Begins Job Evaluation Project by Lisa Schaefer, Human Resources Director Last year, the City hired Springsted to do a study to get a better idea of how compensation at the City of Edina compares to other cities. This type of study is often called a “market study.” The market study was important to determine how competitive Edina is with other cities. However, the market study is just one piece of the puzzle. Equally important is the City’s “Job Evaluation System,” which is how we evaluate our jobs internally. In other words, how is an Administrative Assistant paid in comparison to a Planner or Communications Specialist? We need highly talented staff to be able to provide excellent services to our customers. We need to make sure our compensation system is designed to attract, retain and reward individuals who can build a successful service-based organization. It has been many years since the City has reviewed its job evaluation system and many organizational changes have taken place since that time. The original philosophy and strategy of our current plan is not clear or well understood within the organization. As a result, we need to refresh our approach and update our internal equity. Human Resources has retained Trusight (formerly Employers Association, Inc.) to help develop a new job evaluation process and compensation structure. The job evaluation study, coupled with the market survey, will help us to determine salary ranges for non-union positions on a go-forward basis. Our objective is to develop a compensation system that allows us to remain competitive in the marketplace, and provide reasonable and objective differences in pay among positions within the City. This project will take the better part of 2012 and we will keep employees informed about the progress. For now, here is what you need to know: • No employee will have his or her current pay reduced as a result of this project. This project will determine how we provide increases to full-time non- union staff on a go-forward basis. • All full-time job descriptions will be updated. We will do this by interviewing employees, drafting initial job descriptions based on the interviews, and getting feedback on the job descriptions from job incumbents and their supervisors. • To develop our system and remain legally compliant with pay equity laws, we will need to evaluate all union and non-union positions. However, the goal of the project is to update our non-union compensation plan. This project will not affect the process we use to negotiate our union contracts. We understand there will be many questions regarding this project. On Thursday, Feb. 9, we will conduct meetings for all employees to more fully explain the project. A meeting will be held at 7 a.m. at the Public Works & Park Maintenance Facility. Meetings will be held at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. All employees are strongly encouraged to attend. MY FIRST JOB Shelagh Stoerzinger What was your first job? My first job was working at the West St. Paul Library. Do you remember the Dewey decimal system and microfiche? I don’t think that computers were at the library when I started. Yes, I’m that old. Do you remember how much you were paid? I think it was around $4.25 per hour – better than babysitting money, which was probably $2 or $3 per hour at that time. If you could do it all over again, would you still take that job? Yes. I really enjoyed working at the library. I read a lot of interesting book covers. What did you learn on the job that you have carried with you into your career? Having a job is important and if you find a job that you enjoy, life is good. Shelagh Stoerzinger began work for the City of Edina June 1 as a full- time Commercial Appraiser in the Assessing Division. Prior to being hired by Edina, Stoerzinger had worked for the City of Brooklyn Park as an Appraiser II. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and she received her masters degree from the University of St. Thomas. • “My First Job” is a feature of City Slick compiled by Lynette Biunno meant to give employees a glimpse of each other’s professional beginnings. CITYSLICK p5 ‘... I don’t think we’ve ever had a day like this in January.’ by David Katz, Communications Intern The City of Edina’s January events schedule is normally defined by seasonal highlights like ice skating at Centennial Lakes Park and snow shoe demonstrations at the Winter Neighborhood Night Out. One thing not typically found on January event schedules in Edina is a round of golf outdoors. However, thanks to a weeks-long stretch of unseasonably warm weather, culminating in a 54-degree high on Tuesday, Jan. 10, Braemar Golf was able to ring in the New Year a bit belatedly by opening up the Executive Course to select groups of area golfers. General Manager Todd Anderson and Braemar staff closely monitored the forecast and waited to make the final determination until late in the afternoon the day before the unexpected opening. Braemar was among a very small group of Twin Cities metro area golf courses to reopen for the day, and the only course in or near Edina to do so. “On a few occasions in the past, we’ve been open in the latter half of December for a day or two, but I don’t think we’ve ever had a day like this in January,” Anderson said. Besides the calendar date, the day differed from Braemar’s normal operations in another aspect as well. To reward subscribers of the course’s 7,000-member strong email club for their continued interest and patronage, Braemar sent them an email invitation offering them a free round. “We felt these special conditions presented a great opportunity to offer some added value to those members,” Anderson said. “A print out of the email served as their ticket for admission.” Though this member base is the target audience of Braemar’s email updates and specials, messages sometimes trickle out to a larger, secondary audience. When Braemar announced the impromptu event, staff at twincitiesgolf.com, a popular Minnesota golf resource that subscribes to Braemar’s emails, suggested the course expand the invitation to include the paying general public and offered to promote the story on its website. Taking them up on the suggestion, Braemar admitted the general public for $10, down from the normal rate of $14.50. The event was well attended; golfers queued up before the 10:15 a.m. open, and the greens saw steady traffic throughout the day. Business at the Braemar Grill restaurant was also up. Subtle signs of the true season kept participants from taking the rare opportunity for granted. The greens remained close to frozen, causing balls to bounce where they might not have otherwise. Golfers were almost as likely to encounter a few snowbank shots as they were the more traditional bank shots. “Before opening, we even had to take a drill to some of the holes in order to remove remaining ice,” Anderson said. Braemar Golf Course Takes Advantage Of Unseasonably Warm Weather CITYSLICK p6 Selected letters are printed in City Slick each month to let you know what residents and businesses think of your services. “I just wanted you to know how pleased I am with the street repair your Public Works Department completed in front of my home (5705 W. 66th St.). It had been a mess since the late 90s when we had a freeze, thaw, rain and another freeze. Now it looks beautiful! Your workers were there early in the morning and worked hard all day. Two of them, Don and Bruce, came back to repair what I incorrectly assumed was a problem created as a result of the work being done on the street. They repaired the problem (slashed yard irrigation conduit) and explained to me how the problem likely occurred as a result of the in-ground irrigation system being installed too close to a neighbor’s tree. “I don’t know the names of the other ‘worker bees,’ but they were all very cordial, friendly, and as I said before, hard workers. “Thank you so much!” – Mary (Sally) Patnaude “Thanks to everyone for a very successful [Upper Midwest Emmys Gala]. I have heard so many great things about the entire evening! “I want to thank a few of the other behind the scenes folks who deserve a huge pat on the back. [Video Production Coordinator] Scott Denfeld was a champ corralling all of the presenters and student volunteers. His leadership and direction during rehearsals and the show helped the entire gala flow very [smoothly!] I hope he loved it so much he wants to do it again next year! … “It’s an honor to have people willing to take extra time out of their busy lives to help plan, organize and execute a rockin’ event like we had last night. I hope last night’s awards will encourage and energize everyone to make next year’s event even better.” – John (JJ) Murray, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences – Upper Midwest Chapter “Super 6 & 7 and Highland Explorers were my kids’ absolute favorite activities last summer! Your [Parks & Recreation] staff is always fantastic for these programs ... thanks for all you do for our kids and our community!” – Melissa Mendez STAFF NOTES Fire Lt. Jeff Siems recently completed the National Fire Academy’s “Executive Fire Officer Program.” The program, offered by the U.S. Fire Administration, is designed to provide those in leadership roles with an understanding of being proactive, the value of research, the value of lifelong learning and gives knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to lead. The program spans four years with four core courses, each two weeks in length. In addition, an applied research project related to their organization must be completed prior to certification. Assistant City Engineer Jack Sullivan has resigned to accept a position with the City of St. Louis Park. His last day of work for the City will be Feb. 3. Sullivan began work for the Edina Engineering Department in December 2006. “do.town” Continued from Page 1... monthly meetings and receive free consultations from a team of wellness experts to help plan and implement the vision and goals of their wellness programs. “This project will also enable us to look outside of our City buildings for ways to create a healthier community,” said Human Resources Director Lisa Schaefer. “We are looking forward to working with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and all of our coalition partners to make our employees healthier.” “Thank you so much, [Braemar Food & Beverage Manager Gina Komarek and Braemar Clubhouse Manager Amy Smith], for your hospitality extended to our planning consultants working on the GrandView Study. They spent two extremely long days at Braemar, and passed on to me that you both treated them really well! The set up was fantastic. We had to very productive days there! “Thank you for a job very well done! It is very much appreciated!” – Cary Teague, Community Development LETTER BAG