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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitySlick_November_2013CITYSLICK p1 A newsletter for the City Council and employees of the City of Edina INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2 Around The Water Cooler 3 Staff Notes 6 Techy Tidbits 6 Letter Bag 11|8|2013 Nov. 10, Amy, Braemar Golf Course Nov. 11, Jeff, Engineering Nov. 13, Terry, Public Works Nov. 19, Jeff, Police Nov. 19, Bruce, Public Works Nov. 22, Courtney, Administration Nov. 26, Gina, Braemar Golf Course Nov. 27, Marc, Police Nov. 29, Susan, Administration Nov. 29, Patrick, Fire-Rescue & Building Inspections Nov. 30, Jerry, Public Works Nov. 30, Donna, Senior Center by Michael McGivern, Communications Intern With jobs, duties and volunteer work as varied as the seasons, Executive Assistant Susan Howl will retire as Executive Assistant in the Administration Department on Nov. 27 after nearly 30 years of service with the City of Edina. Howl graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., with a bach- elor’s degree in Psy- chology and a minor in Executive Secre- tarial, and previously worked as an Ex- ecutive Secretary at IBM and as a physical fitness instructor. On July 2, 1984, Howl began as a Secretary for then-City Manager Ken Rosland. What is most remarkable about Howl’s time with the City are all the different hats she has worn. In October 1987, she was promoted to Administrative Assistant. She was promoted again in September 1997 as Human Services Coordinator. Her title was changed to Executive Assistant in 2012 after the most recent classification study was com- pleted. Throughout her career she has per- formed many duties, including bookkeeping – with a ledger and pencil! – for Mayor Jim Van Valkenburg, directing calls from an old- style switchboard, coordinating City auctions for unclaimed and claimed property from the Police Department and serving on the Edina Historical Society Board that planned an annual antique show at Edinborough Park. She was a major part of the City’s Centennial Commission in 1988, which planned a year’s worth of events for the 100th anni- versary of Edina’s founding. With events going on each month to celebrate, Howl was in charge of the Cen- tennial 10K Run where hundreds of locals ran to celebrate the City’s historic anniversary. “It was a big deal for us to celebrate for a full year. It was meaningful for [all Edina residents],” said Howl. “Susan has been a pinch hitter for a variety of duties in the Administration De- partment,” said Assistant City Manager Karen Kurt. “Whatever the task was, she ap- proached it with enthusiasm. We will miss her care and warmth in how she ap- proached her work, her coworkers and our residents”. Her fondest memories about the first half of her run with the City included the annual trip to former Appraiser Diane Koole’s lake cabin with many of the other women from City Hall. “We’d do a scavenger hunt with teams. We’d have to stop at places like bars and libraries. It was so much fun, the camaraderie,” said Howl. Retirement Nears for Executive Assistant Continued on Page 2 ... 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. Fire-Rescue & Inspections Edina Fire Marshal Jeff Siems will join a group of fire- fighters from across the country on Nov. 11 for an 11-day mission trip to Liberia to help rebuild Monrovia, its capital city’s fire service. Siems is travelling with the Fire Rescue Alliance, which is sending waves of teams over a three-week span to teach fire rescue classes, assess the needs for future growth and coordinate the donation of fire gear, equipment, an ambulance and a fire truck. The city of more than 1 million is still recovering from the effects of two successive civil wars. Police For the second consecutive year, the Edina Police Department took first place in Memorial Blood Center’s Battle of the Badges blood drive competition. In August, police and fire de- partments from the greater metropolitan area battled it out in a friendly race to save and sustain lives through blood donations. The Edina Police Department received 64 votes from the community and collected 59 units of blood, beating Rogers Police and Fire departments by four votes. Third place went to Hennepin County EMS, which finished with 49 votes. The next City of Edina blood drive will be held 9 a.m. Dec. 9 at Edina City Hall. Make sure you sign up to save lives! “For two years, we had City teams that competed at the annual Anoka Halloween 5K. We won the costume contest one year dressed as a box of crayons. We didn’t win the other year, but we were dressed as a school of fish!” “I worked with Susan for probably [25 years] and what I re- member most about her is how kind and compassionate she always was,” said former City Manager Gordon Hughes. “She always had great empathy for everyone and was always there willing to help.” Howl believes a new chapter of her career began in 2004 when the new City Hall opened. “It was really a slick deal moving from old City Hall to our new home in 2004. I’m grateful for the new building and new technology. I couldn’t make a [computer] mouse work when I started,” recalled Howl. “It’s hard to conjure up, but that was the most exciting time for me, moving from the old building to the new one.” If her dedicated work in the Administration Department wasn’t enough, Howl has done even more work for the City, serving as staff liaison to the Human Rights & Relations Commission and the Human Services Funding Task Force. She has also headed the City’s charitable giving campaign, which raised upwards of $10,000 annually for local charities like the United Way and the Edina Community Foundation. She thoroughly enjoyed giving City Hall tours to thousands of elementary school students each year, teaching them about Edina’s City government. With her last day coming right as the Thanksgiving holiday begins, Howl sees it as the right time to leave. A recent knee replacement surgery, and possibly a second, helped her to make the decision to move on. Increased involvement in her seven grandchildren’s lives as well as her weekly bible study sessions have given Howl new challenges to tackle. Howl reflects: “For 29.5 years, I have had the privilege of working in two unique city halls. What has been most mean- ingful to me are the relationships I’ve developed here with such wonderful people. I will be watching from the sidelines and cheering for [everyone’s] successes!” Howl’s Retirement – Continued from Page 1 ... CITYSLICK p2 AROUND THE WATER COOLER Senior Planner Joyce Repya and Susan Howl in 1994. Su b m i t t e d P h o t o STAFF NOTES Chad Anderson began work as a Police Officer on Oct. 14. Anderson comes to Edina from the City of Moorhead, where he was a Police Officer since 2008. Prior to that, he was a Security Officer for St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. He is a graduate of Fond Du Lac Tribal and Com- munity College, where he received an as- sociate degree in Law Enforcement. On Dec. 2, 2013, the City of Edina will take over the City of Richfield’s dispatch services. Current Richfield Dispatchers Katie Danielson and Patty Knights began their training with the City of Edina in October and will become full- time dispatchers when the transition takes place in December. Danielson worked for the City of Richfield since 2012. She holds an associate degree in Law En- forcement from Normandale Com- munity College. Knights has more than 24 years of dispatching experience with the City of Richfield. Joseph Feriancek began work on Nov. 4 as a part-time Traffic Safety Coordinator for the Engineering Department. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from University of North Dakota. He pre- viously worked as an Engineer/Public Works Intern for the City of Coon Rapids. Director of Engineering Wayne Houle re- signed from the City of Edina. His last day with the City was Oct. 31. Houle began working for the City in 1996 as Assistant City Engineer. In 2000, the duties of As- sistant Public Works Director were added to his position. He was promoted to Di- rector of Public Works/City Engineering in 2002 and named Director of Engineering in January after a city-wide reorganization. Nathan Springer began work on Oct. 30 as a part-time 9-1-1 Dispatcher. Springer worked as a Senior Security Officer at Canterbury Park since 2010 and has an associate degree in Law Enforcement from Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Ge- ography/Political Science and Communication from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. EMPLOYEE MILESTONES Tom Anderson, Edina Liquor – Southdale, 20 years. (Nov. 1, 1993) Todd Anderson, Braemar Golf Course, 25 years. (Nov. 1, 1988) Doug Shiro, Public Works – Park Maintenance, 25 years. (Nov. 29. 1988) MY FIRST JOB Mark Nolan What was your first job? My first “real” job was working food service at Santa’s Village (in the Chicago ‘burbs) the summer after my sophomore year in high school. It was a local Santa/North Pole- themed amusement park, where I flipped burgers and ran the register at a couple of loud restaurants. Do you remember how much you were paid? I don’t, but it couldn’t have been much more than $7 an hour. If you could do it all over again, would you still take that job? Definitely. Not only did it teach me some responsi- bility, but also it was the place for teenagers to work and was a lot of fun. What did you learn on the job that you have carried with you into your career? Customer service. When you’re taking orders from haggard parents and screaming kids, you learn pretty quickly that empathy and a simple smile can go a long way. Mark Nolan is Transportation Planner in the Engineering Department. “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. by Michael McGivern, Communications Intern After 24 years as a Patrol Officer with the Edina Police Department (EPD), Joy Fragodt is retiring on her 24th anniversary with the force Nov. 28. Fragodt grew up in northeast Minnesota in a military and police family and long dreamed of working in law enforcement. Her father recom- mended the military as a path she could pursue that would lead to police work. She was on active duty and served four years in the Air Force where she worked as a Police Officer, moving up eventually to Staff Sergeant. Before serving two years at the Wright-Patterson base in Dayton, Ohio, Fragodt was stationed at Hessisch Ol- dendorf Air Station in north- central Germany. After being discharged from the Air Force, Fragodt spent her entire career with the EPD, joining the staff in November 1989 after an internship with the Minnesota State Patrol. “Officer Fragodt and I both started in 1989. From the very beginning, she has understood how important it was to be kind to those in need,” said Police Chief Jeff Long. Being one of the first females to serve on the EPD’s force, Fragodt feels she never felt much resistance to her presence other than the occasional call to help with a senior, “we’d sometimes go to a call and someone would look at me and ask ‘is backup coming?’” said Fragodt. “I would usually reply that I can assist and yes, backup is coming.” “She always went beyond the basics of the job and truly cared about the people she was sworn to ‘protect and serve,’” said Long, “This is a very tough job; human behavior is unpredictable. While I was still on patrol, she had my back, lit- erally. Joy and I were dispatched to a call at a [teen dance]. However, on that night there was a large fight amongst gang members from Indiana and Chicago. As I was addressing one issue, someone was charging me from behind and Joy was able to restrain the individual and saved me from getting jumped.” Memorable experiences wearing the badge are the friendships, mentors and training she’s been a part of, whether it be medical, equipment or communi- cations lessons. She also feels that providing service in both difficult situations and happier duties like reading to kids at schools provided her with the drive to keep working with the EPD all these years. Fragodt said her fa- vorite time was her years spent working the night shift, but she also liked working outside during the day. The contrast solidifies her love of the job and that “two days were never the same.” With her free time, Fragodt wants to take ad- vantage of cooking classes as well as vol- unteer work. She also wants to spend as much time with her family as possible and travel to places like Ireland and take a cross-country trip throughout the United States to visit Air Force friends. JOY FRAGODT RETIRES FROM THE FORCE “From the very beginning, she has understood how important it was to be kind to those in need...” CITYSLICK p4 EPD Honors Commitment ‘To Serve’ by Michael McGivern, Communications Intern The Edina Police Department (EPD) is a civic leader when it comes to community volunteer efforts and education. Every man and woman that dons the badge has two duties: to protect and serve. As civilians, we see the protection half of that creed on a daily basis. Cops working the beat and overseeing public events constantly help keep the peace, but often not enough is made of the EPD’s charitable work. Each year, the EPD takes part in campaigns, drives, fun- runs, events and even facial hair growing to raise money and awareness for Feed My Starving Children, multiple myeloma, breast cancer, the Special Olympics and men’s health issues. Police Chief Jeff Long has put an added emphasis on community service since be- coming the head of the EPD four years ago. Last month, the EPD spent time raising awareness of breast cancer by wearing the recognizable pink ribbon pin. This month, staff is growing out facial hair for men’s health awareness as part of “Movember.” The EPD also collects candy for the St. Joe’s Home for Children and delivers it in person and last year raised money for St. Joe’s by singing Christmas carols at City Hall. They plan to do the same again this year at local nursing homes. “[Volunteerism] builds camaraderie,” said Long. “It’s an op- portunity to support one another. Most of us will deal with cancer, but maybe we can be a healthier and more educated department.” Long encourages routine physicals and shares information and statistics on breast or prostate cancer with his de- partment, and also allows participation in Movember so that if a resident were to ask a male officer this month why they have a “scruffy” look – typically a department no-no – they can take an opportunity to enlighten. On Sept. 29, department members took part in Multiple Myeloma Research Fund’s Race for Research 5K Run/Walk. The EPD got involved after Officer Steve Stroh lost his battle with the disease in August 2012. This year’s “Team Steve” was captained by Stroh’s widow, Caroline, and had 55 members. Other fulfilling work the department takes a part of is multiple events with the Minnesota Special Olympics. As Minnesota Law Enforcement’s primary charity, Edina takes part in both the annual Torch Run and Polar Plunge. Held each June, the Torch Run is a symbolic run akin to Olympic’s “passing of the torch” throughout the globe. Eden Prairie’s department hands off the torch to the EPD at Braemar Arena and a representative takes it all the way to Richfield. EPD Detective Erik Admundson has been the EPD’s liaison with the Special Olympics for the past nine years. “This is a great partnership that benefits all in- volved,” he said. “Our department comes together and almost everyone participates in one way or another. It is definitely a worthwhile endeavor that will continue in coming years.” Finally, the EPD will be involved this holiday season with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), the local charity that helps the needy through fundraising and packaging and sending food abroad. The City’s Chaplain Corps recom- mended FMSC as a great opportunity to lend a helping hand. With a handful of annual drives, the EPD has “stepped up its game” when it comes to service work, but it isn’t enough for Long and his department. “We hope to have [volunteer opportunities] every month someday. Whether it is painting an elderly person’s home, raking leaves or serving meals. It doesn’t have to be too fancy.” It is clear to see that efforts have been made, but aren’t sat- isfied yet, when it comes to work by the Edina Police De- partment. CITYSLICK p5 EPD Lead Dispatcher Tony Martin regains his breath after participating in the Polar Plunge. Officer Keith Boerger and Lynn Olson package food for Feed My Starving Children. Chief Long carries the torch as part of the Torch Run. LETTER BAG Selected letters are printed in City Slick each month to let you know what residents and businesses think of your services. “ I have been very impressed by the service and selection at Edina Liquor. The main reason is the accessibility to fine scotches, whiskeys and bourbons. Specifically, Tom An- derson keeps me informed of new releases, limited editions and highly rated selections coming into the store. He’s also been a great resource in describing the products character- istics and brand history. It’s allowed me to be very informed, an added benefit considering the thousands of dollars I’ve spent in his store expanding my personal collection (i.e. Ma- callen 18 & 21, Glenfiddich Snow Pheonix, George T Stagg, Glenlivet 18 & 21, Glenmorangie 18, Oban Distillers Edition, Balvenie 17 & 21 … to name a few). “Which brings me to a key differentiator for Edina Liquor– you care about those that enjoy your products. With the holiday season approaching, there are a lot of limited re- leases. In some cases, people are going to great lengths to purchase and resell these items. This is making it in- creasingly difficult for those of us that are buying these products because we appreciate the craft, tradition and/ or want a quality product as a reward to getting through a tough week. Other places (Surdyks, MGM, Eden Prairie Liquor, etc.) don’t care. They just say FCFS or that your name is on a mysterious list. I appreciate that Tom spends a little time to learn more about his customers (plus the crew at the York location) and understands that I “actually drink” these masterpieces. “This value is contagious. I have friends/colleagues that have learned of this Edina Liquor niche and go out of their way to buy products from Edina Liquors. It is our hope, that this movement of inventory will help Tom grow/leverage rela- tionships with distributers to gain access to additional and newer products. We understand that there is fierce compe- tition, most of the revenues are earned with high volume $10-$25 items, and that there are fair-weather consumers at the higher price points. We get it, it’s a business. But I have noticed more and more people standing next to me in front of the display case -- a positive indication that quality is being associated with your brand. “The final point is that I have great respect for Edina Liquor’s integrity. Tom can easily mark up prices and gouge cus- tomers for those extra dollars but he doesn’t. That speaks volumes to the character, stability and confidence that you have in your business principles. I like doing business with those types of people and companies. “I know liquor is a tough industry and good things are often left unsaid. I wanted to make sure that these positive actions are receiving their due recognition. “Cheers.” – Les Hoffman Windows Updates By Nick Lovejoy, I.T. Specialist With all of the malware going around, there can be some confusion about what desktop notifications are safe to click on and what is unsafe. If the pop-up is identical to the image your see here, it means that Windows Updates have been installed on your computer. The window will generally appear in the lower right hand corner, by the clock. If you see something different than this, contact the help desk immediately. We push out updates to protect your computers from malicious software, resolve bugs and provide access to new features/software. When you see this notifi- cation, your computer needs to be restarted. Please do so at your earliest convenience. Putting these updates off could leave your computer vulnerable and cause the updates to stack up as we push out more updates. If you have any questions, please email helpdesk@EdinaMN.gov or call 952-903-5711. CITYSLICK p6 TECHY TIDBITS