https://thorntonco.cvlcollections.org/files/original/c07825658a6a205b9edcb275bf33ab3e.pdf 66baf1d8f9283bc4acae6e6ad5945301 PDF Text Text MONTHLY NEWS FOR THORNTON CITY EMPLOYEES Vol. 12 No. 1 January 31, 1983 THORNT0N··w_1Ns··su1r·Or Does District Court Judge Philip Roan ruled January 20th that Northglenn had breached its contractural obligation to Thornton, regarding the Utilities Severance Agreement between the two cities. To date, Northglenn owes Thornton approximately $1.3 million in back payments. In the same decision, Judge Roan ruled against Thornton for $.5 million it owes Northglenn as shared costs for the construction of a raw water supply pipe line, which conveys untreated water to both cities• treatment facilities from Standley Lake Reservoir. Thornton filed a $68 million lawsuit against Northglenn last summer after Northglenn unilaterally reduced payments to the City for its purchase of the Northglenn system. Northglenn was to have paid Thornton $145,833 per month until 1988; however, in June of last year, it reduced payments to $90,215 per month. Northglenn was al so bound by contract to pay a 1 ump sum of $1,019,025 annually for ten years for the purchase of facilities. Judge Roan in his ruling, gave the two cities 15 days in which to file motions of appea 1 • Should an appea 1 be filed, the case could remain before the courts for another 2 - 3 years. The long term budgetary effect on the Utilities Department because of Judge It ? 1 Roan s ruling against Northglenn is not yet known for certain. Whether or not Northglenn resumes required payments or appeals the decision, the Utilities Department wi 11 be faced with cutting its budget and may possibly have to raise water rates. On January 13, the Utilities Administrative staff presented informamati on to the Utilities Board on the possible impact of the lossI of revenues resulting from Northglenn s breach of contract. As a result of that preimmedi ate hiring freeze, which affected several operational and planning positions, which are currently vacant, and d+rec ted staff to find, within the operational and capital budgets, means of making up a potential $1.3 million deficit by 1984. At a January 25 Executive Session of the Utilities Board and City Council, several computer-model scenarios were presented showing effects of various budget-cutting proposals on operational, contractural and capital budgets through 1985. Alternatives were considered to cut up to $1.6 million dollars from the 1983 budget. Decisions about the actual cuts may be made at the February 3 Utilities Board meeting. �January 31, 1983 CITY CHATTER New Faces -- JOHN BLISH has joined the staff as City Attorney. He earned his law degreeaf George Washington University and, prior to coming to Thornton, was in private practice in Eagle County, where he also served as a member of the Avon Town Council. He replaces Kit Coolidge, who resigned in November because of pregnancy. John has been assured that this condition is neither contagious nor job-related. -- TED COKER has been appointed to the newly-created position of Assistant Water Resources Engineer. During 1982, he worked under contract for Utilities Design Engineering, completing a major computersimulated water di stri but ion study. Ted is also a recognized authority on importing seafood and has been designated as official lobster party organizer for the Annex. -- LAVERNE ROTELLO is the new Personnel Secretary, replacing several previous secretaries with whom you probably were not acquainted because the CITY CHATTER has not been published the last few months. Laverne previously worked for the City of Northglenn. A few years before that she worked for the Thornton Police Department. Welcome Back! -- DENISE WOOD started on January 28 as the afternoon Word Processor. She comes to the City after having worked as a secretary for Union Pacific. The only difficulty she has experienced so far has been in transcribing dictation from an Albanian gentleman in Public Works. HANK ROBERT On January 3, the City Council passed a resolution extending sympathy to the family of Hank Robert, who died in December after a long illness. The resolution honored Hank for his 11 years of outstanding service as Utilities employee. PAGE 2 Getting Better RUTH McCULLAH (Finance) is recovering nicely from major surgery for Hodgkin's Disease, a cancer which attacks the spleen and lymp nodes. She has begun follow-up chemotherapy treatments. Ruth has asked that everyone be thanked for all the beautiful things done for her during her hospitalization. -- LIBBY LEOPARD (Utilities Engineering) is recuperating from surgery done last week for cataracts. Meters to Millions On January 12th, the Utilities Admi ni strati ve staff and dozens of co-workers attended a dinner at Gal a Gardens Restaurant to honor Alex Lopez on his retirement. Alex, who has been Utilities Customer Service Representative for the past ten years, retired January 7th, after nearly 20 years of service to the City. Alex, joined the City in May 1963, when the City purchased Northwest Utilities Company for which he worked. Alex will be missed by friends, colleagues and staff. Rumor has it that after 20 years in the Utilities business, Alex has gone on to bigger things in real estate. In the first week after having left the City, he had already sold one home and had shown five others. We, along with many other City employees (especially those who knew him) wish Alex all the best in his retirement and extend our appreciation for his many years of invaluable service and friendship. Sympathy is extended to SIMON HERMOSILLO (Building Maintenance), whose brother died recently, and to DON ROHRBAUGH (Data Processing), whose mother died. �CITY CHATTER January 31, 1983 FROM THE CITY The City of Thornton es tab 1 i shed a Service Awards Program several years ago to recognize those emp 1 oyees who, through their dedication and longevity with the City, have brought about the consistency and stability necessary to any organization. The program itself and the quality of the awards has improved over the years, but the manner in which the awards have been presented has always been left up to the department head or supervisor involved. After discussions with the Employee Council, an Administrative Directive to forma 1 i ze the po 1 icy throughout the City was drafted and reviewed for comment by employee · representatives at a recent meeting. The Directive has been revised to include suggested changes and is now in effect. Monica Excels At its January 13 meeting, the Uti 1 i ti es Boa rd adopted a reso 1 ut ion recogn1z1ng Monica Vidmar, Utilities Accountant as an "Outstanding Employee." Monica received the award and recognition for her contributions during the recentlycompleted Northglenn lawsuit trial. Monica provided a variety of help to the Utilities Department during the preparation for the trial and served as an "expert witness" during the proceedings. Monica's help included working on pretrial interrogatories from the City of Northglenn and providing a pre-trial deposition for Northglenn1s attorneys about her role as Utilities Accountant and her work with several consulting firms in providing mode 1 s of future fi nanci a 1 conditions of various Utilities funds. Monica's participation during the course of the proceedings made a major contribution to the final outcome of the trial. Congratulations and thanks, Monica, for a job wel 1 done. PAGE 3 MANAGER The one-year award, an engraved pen, wi 11 be presented to the employee by the department head. The five-year award, to be chosen by the employee from selected items, will also be presented by the department head at a dinner or some other social occasion. All ten, fifteen, twenty, and special twenty-five year and retirement awards, al so chosen by the emp 1 oyee from selected items, will be presented at a dinner or other ceremonial function by the Appointing Authority. For this purpose, an annual employee recognition function will be scheduled, which may take place in conjunction with another function or at a special Awards Dinner sponsored by the City. --Jerry Hagman Fleet Changes In an effort to keep up with the management of both a growing fleet of vehicles and a soon-to-be increase in the number of City buildings, the Administrative Services Department has separated Building and Fleet Maintenance into two uni ts. Devere King, as Superintendent of Building Maintenance, will be concentrating his efforts on maintenance of existing facilities and preparing for the move to the new Civic Center, the remodeling of the present Police Department facility into a Senior Center, and the planning of the proposed new City Shops Complex. Charlie Stanford has assumed the responsibility for all aspects of Fleet Maintenance. (So, stop bothering Devere and Bev with your car problems, and start bothering Charlie and Pat.) Devere had been in charge of Fleet Maintenance from its beginning back in January 1972 when there were approxi- �CITY CHATTER PAGE 4 January 31, 1983 imately 48 units in our fleet. At present, there are 216. Devere organized the unit and was responsible for many of the fi rsts" connected with it. II His color and striping design won a national award for the City in 1980 for the most effective use of design for night time visability for vehicles. He also helped start the Rocky Mountain Fleet Managers Association. That organization now includes members from a four-state area and Devere plans to remain active in it. Employee Council A revived and reorganized Employee Council has been meeting with Jerry Hagman and Howard Reedy monthly si nee October. Meetings are currently being held at the Hillcrest Condominium Clubhouse on the third Wednesday of each month from 9:30 to noon. Some i terns which have been discussed and worked on have been obtaining employee comments and preferences prior to changing health and dental insurance carriers and obtaining a quick solution to the problem which arose from TransAmerica s failure to provide insurance i denti fi cation prior to January 1. The Counci 1 is al so working on a comprehensive Employee Awards Program, including longevity, outstanding service, and suggestion awards. In addition, a major topic of concern has been to make certain that the Personnel Department provides adequate, cl ear, accurate, and timely information to which employees are entitled. 1 The City Manager has been very receptive to the Council Is suggestions and to addressing specific concerns of the City employees representatives. Such responsiveness should become more well-rounded now that the Utilities Director has begun to attend the meetings. Basic changes from the previous Employee Council are that the organization has been formalized through a joint City/ Utilities Administrative Directive; a representative and an alternate have been elected by employees to represent each of twelve groups; and both Career Service and exempt employees are represented. The next meeting of the Employee Council is scheduled for February 16. The main item to be discussed will be setting out the time-table, process, and issues for the 1984 Pay Plan. One issue which will be included will be a general sick leave policy which will address employee concerns about the manner in which the use of sick leave is treated by some divisions in the employee evaluation process. Last November the Council adopted a statement of purpose setting out specific areas in which it would serve as a forum for communicating information and concerns of both the emp 1 oyees and the admi ni s tr at ion. These areas include conferring on salaries and benefits and on policies and procedures, increasing quality performance by employees and managers and communi cating and solving general problems. Copies of the statement of purpose, as wel 1 as the Administrative Directive were distributed to all employees. To keep employees informed about the Council, a summary of each meeting is distributed to all employees. In addition, Council agendas will be posted on employee bul let tn boards a week prior to meetings. It's important that all employees read the summaries and agendas and that they communicate their ideas, suggestions, and concerns to their representatives. If employees want their views to be considered, they have a responsibility to make them known. �CITY CHATTER January 31, 1983 L-T-C Review According to the Personnel Department, the Labor, Trades, and Crafts classification review, initiated in May of 1982, is still in progress. Job description audit; ng of the 36 Labor, Trades and Crafts cl assi fi cations has been completed. Some 10-15 "on site" job audits remain to be done. They are currently scheduled for completion in mid-to-late February. Once completed, the job audit reports will be used to revise current job descriptions, if necessary, and wi 11 be sent to the affected employees and their immediate Supervisors for review. During the second quarter of this year, recommendations for grades for each classification within this group wili be reviewed by Personnel and by the Reclassification Review Committee, prior to being submitted to the Career Service Board in June or July. The Career Service Board will review the results of the study and forward recommendations to City Council, possibly by September 30th. Each employee within the Labor, Trades, and Crafts Group (about 70 employees) has the right to appeal a decision resulting from the survey, both to the Reclassification Committee and the Career Service Board. PAGE 5 New Development -- Dennis Muck and Bruce Ferrell, partners in Gold Rush Investments, have obtained a franchise for a Sheraton Hotel in Thornton. The City Council has authorized the issuance of $5.5 million in Industrial Development Revenue Bonds for the project. The proposed hotel wi 11 be built northeast of I-25 and 120th Avenue, in Washington Square, and will consist of 150 rooms, convention facilities, pool, restaurant lounge, and a two-level entertainment center. Gold Rush plans to begin construction in March and to complete the project in September. Fischer Imaging Corporation has finalized its plans to relocate its corporate headquarters and U.S. -based manufacturing facilities from Illinois to Washington Square in Thornton. Fischer wi 11 occupy the former Frost1 i ne building at that location. Relocation should be completed by this spring. Fischer manufacturers and markets diagnostic medical x-ray and ultra-sound equipment. It pl ans to employ an initial work force of 150 people. The most noticeable difference in the revised Personnel Ordinance adopted by City Council on January 24 is that two "floating" holidays have been substituted for Lincoln1s Birthday and the Friday after Thanksgiving. City facilities will stay open those days. Employees may take their "floating" holidays on some other work day under guidelines set up by each Department. -- In the process of forming the Grant Street Special Improvement District, the City has recently obtained rightof-way for the project from 88th to 96th Avenues and is currently negoti ating for right-of-way between 96th and 104th Avenues. Initial construction should begin this summer and will consist of the first two lanes of the street. When completed, Grant Street will be a four-lane divided roadway with a landscaped median. The project is being financed from District assessments and City funds. Other changes in the Ordinance are difficult to find without a guidebook. Although some parts of it have been made more intelligible, others still seem to have been badly translated from Hungarian. The project is expected to open up new development possibilities in the area and will provide additional access to the new Civic Center and future 94th Avenue Interchange. Ordinance Revisions �CITY CHATTER January 31, 1983 PAGE 6 Believe It Or · Not Work on the new Civic Center seems to be proceeding on schedule. Expectations are that it will be completed in May. All window glass, except for that of the atrium, has been installed. Framing for the atrium glass is being put up now and that area should be completed shortly. Much of the electrical, lighting, dry wa 11 , and ceiling work has been done in both the Council Chamber and the Admi ni strati on areas. Wall studs are currently being installed in the Public Safety areas. The contract for the new telephone system has been awarded and the system design phase will begin in February. A decision will be made shortly on the relocation of the Building Inspection and Parks and Recreation Divisions. Their relocation was necessitated by City Council s decision to lease a portion of the second-floor administrative area. 1 For Youth, Beauty In a campaign to raise funds for youth recreation programs and to increase community beautification, the Parks and Recreation Division is selling bare-root trees until February 11. Orders can be placed with Parks and Recreation at either the Annex or the Recreation Center. The trees sell for only $3.00 each, plus tax. ALL PURCHASES ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. There is a wide selection of trees from which to choose. The Honey Locust, Silver Maple, Green Ash, and White Birch trees are 6 to 8 feet tall; Green Aspen and Spruce trees are 8 to 10-i nch seed1 i ngs; and the Norway Maple, Red Maple and Poplars are 3 to 5 feet tall. The trees wi 11 arrive on April 2nd and can be picked up between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Sears parking lot in the Northglenn Mall. Remember, that all purchases are tax deductible and the money s for a good cause. The Parks and Recreation staff wi 11 be glad to answer any questions at 289-2225. I Thornton Strikes Gold The Park~ and Recreation Division has a great discount for City employees interested in basketbal 1. In conjunction with the Denver Nuggets, they are offering ticket discounts to three home games during the next two months. Tickets can be purchased at the Thornton Recreation Center, 2211 Eppinger Blvd., by cash or check. Checks should be made payable to The Denver Nuggets". 11 Ticket prices range from $8.80 to $11.00. There are only thirty tickets available for each game. Tickets are sold on a "first come, first served" basis, so you should reserve your seat(s) early. Seating for these games is in the loge section, which is, as basketball fans know, an excellent location to catch all the action. The games offered under this discount plan are: 1 Philadelphia 76 ers on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 at 7:30 p.m. Portland Trailblazer's on SUNDAY, MARCH 20 at 2:05 p.m. Los Angeles Lakers on THURSDAY, MARCH 31 at $:10 p.m. Call the Recreation Center at 287-5569 or ext. 265 for details. But call soon, tickets are limited. HEALTH INSURANCE OPEN ENROLLMENT BEGINS FEBRUARY. CALL PERSONNEL FOR DETAILS. �PAGE 7 January 31, 1983 CITY CHATTER Cheap Thrills Each month the Parks and Recreation Department offers special programs. February is no exception and has an added bonus - a way to take off some of those unwanted holiday pounds. Remember roller skating? Well, we've all done it at one time or another; and after a few precarious trys, maybe even a few falls, we can learn to enjoy it again. Treat the family to a night of special fun together at the Roll-a-Rama Skate Center on February 2nd from 6:30 to 8:30 p ,m. There will be open skating, as· well as games and contests. For only $1.50 per person, you can rekindle old memories and create some new memorable moments. Bring a camera - as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words (or 1 aughs). The skate center is located at 8370 York Street. Children under eight years of age must be accompanied by an adult. skills to help? Now, there's something you can do about that and, possibly, become a factor in preserving a 1 i fe that would otherwise be lost. The City of Thornton Fire Department offers a CPR (Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation) course. CPR is a basic 1 i fe-savi ng procedure. The course teaches a technique necessary to saving life in an emergency situation. Courses are usually held in one of the four fire stations in the City. However, a course may be arranged for presentation at a place of business or of any recognized group. Courses are offered on a "request for service" basis and require eight or more participants. Each course consists of two four-hour sessions. 8 Hrs. For a Life Citizens and persons working in Thornton may attend the course sessions free of charge; non-residents pay a $10.00 fee. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be certified for two years. Have you ever been in a life and death situation and had to stand by hel pl es sly because you di dn t possess the For more information or to register for a class, contact Candy Radke at 287-5553, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. I City Oouncll Refuses To Duck Issue The City Council has approved an ordinance permitting ducks to reside in appropriately zoned sections of the City. News of the City's action was hailed by Walt Disney Enterprises as a move necesary to permit future development of a Disney Enterprises' Duck World in the City, which would provide needed employment for the northern metro area's growing duck population. The Thornton Moral Rectitude Association commented in reaction to the City's action that it presumed that the City Council's intention is to provide housing and employment opportunities for local ducks, but that it believes more consideration should have been given to the possibility that the measure will encourage the cohabitation of certain of the more licentious, welldeveloped, and immoral segments of the duck population. "Let's face i t ," Gomer Schmaul tz, Exalted Rectitude of the Association, commented, "the average duck don t wear nary a thing and is pretty well primed up and ready to go. Exalted Rectitude Schmaultz suggested that, at the very least, the City Council might consider amendment of the City's indecent exposure ordinance to include coverage of ducks. I 11 �CITY CHATTER January 31, 1983 February PAGE 8 Birthdays February 1 Paul Schultz Police Department February 2 Jim Karcher Parks February 4 Johnny Gooden Fire Department February 5 February 5 Carl Stanley Max Nicholls Fire Department Thornton Plant February 6 February 6 Richard Martin Paul Turner Police Department Lines Maintenance February 9 February 9 Michelle Campbell Steve Alva Utilities Administration Meter Maintenance February 11 Chuck Maypole Utilities Engineering February 14 Jay Steele Police Department February 15 Paul Koch Parks & Recreation February 17 February l] George Buck Patrick Croghan Fire Department Thornton Plant February 18 Robert Jordan Plant Maintenance Febru~ry 19 )<evin Bauch Fir~ Department February 20 Jim Gindelberger Water Quality February 21 Vicki Brightbill Planning February 22 February 22 Jay Bailey Dave Peak Utilities Administration Recreation Februray 23 Ray Kirby Building Inspection February 24 Jon Bower Fire Department February 25 Amalia Lucero Police Department February 27 February 27 Monica Vidmar Larry Lillo Utilities Administration Recreation February 28 Jack Patton Fire Department CITY CHATTER STAFF: Allen Gerstner, Bob Presley, Debbie Lewis, Bev Lane. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource City Chatter, the Voice of Thornton Employees Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain: <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/</a> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1972-1982 Subject The topic of the resource Municipal officials and employees--Colorado--Thornton Newsletters Description An account of the resource Drafts and published volumes of City Chatter, a newsletter by and for city employees. It was published for roughly a decade from 1972 to 1982 and contains articles relating to local events, developments in city government, and other topics relevant to city employees. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Thornton, Colorado Type The nature or genre of the resource Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource City of Thornton Language A language of the resource eng Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COTA-001 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/</a> Title A name given to the resource The City Chatter vol. 12 no. 1 Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1983-01-31 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource City of Thornton Description An account of the resource Issue of the City Chatter published on January 31, 1983. Volume 12, number 1 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Thornton Subject The topic of the resource Municipal officials and employees Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COTA-001-020 EAD Archive The Encoded Archival Description is a common standard used to describe collections of small pieces and to create hierarchical and structured finding aids. Arrangement Information on how the described materials have been subdivided into smaller units. C:\Users\amilliga\Digital Archive Items