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INSIDETRACK Newsletter December 2015 I By employees, for employees, about employees Social Media Safety Tips 1. Use caution when clicking links within messages from your friends. 2. Be selective about who you accept as a friend on social media. Identity thieves create fake profiles, and hackers can break into accounts and send messages that look like they’re from your friends, but aren’t. 3. Assume everything you put on social media is permanent. Only post things you want the public to see or know. 4. Avoid adding your location on a page, especially if you are traveling. This could lead to break-ins at your home. 5. Check your privacy settings regularly, and be mindful of any new updates that claim to be updating or changing features. 6. Create unique passwords that combine symbols, numbers, and capitalization, and keep them private. Keep Colds Away ‘Tis the season for the common cold, but you don’t have to let the sniffles spoil your fun. Adding a little sweat to your day may help keep colds away. A new study shows that a 45-minute workout each day, five days a week, lowers the risk of catching a cold. And the longer you stick with a regular exercise program, the better the benefits. So dust off your walking shoes and start building up your immunity. Source: www.Realage.com TECH TIME HEALTH TIP Heidi Olmedo — Human Resources Jennifer Deachin — IT Shop local this holiday season This holiday season the Ogden City Council and Mayor Caldwell invite you to do your holiday shopping in Ogden. Keep all of your dollars working for you; shop in Ogden. Enter the 2015 Shop Ogden Contest for a chance to win an iPad! Collect five receipts from gifts purchased at five different Ogden City merchants or organizations during the holidays, and enter to win an iPad! Receipts must be dated 11/20/15 through 12/31/15. Download the Shop Ogden Contest entry form (PDF) and submit with original or copied receipts to: Ogden City Municipal Building Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or at the Christmas Village Concessions Stand at the Ogden Amphitheater Tuesday through Saturday 6 to 9 p.m. Contest ends 1/8/16. For more information, visit shopogden.ogdencity.com. Cami Orr — Marketing Shop local at the El Monte or Mt. Ogden golf courses. Golf gift cards make great presents for the links lover on your holiday list. Call [PHONE REDACTED] or visit the courses to purchase your gift cards. Behind the scenes at Christmas Village Stacey Olsen — Public Services Recognized as one of the Top 10 Towns in the U.S. for Christmas Lights by Fodor’s Travel, Christmas Village is alight and bustling every night after 5 p.m., but did you ever wonder what kind of work is required to make that spectacular event happen year after year? The committee started planning this year’s festivities in February. They met on average once a month, sometimes more, and discussed new cottages, decorations, lights, donations, entertainment, programs, and more. During December, you will find the committee members volunteering their time in the store. The structural maintenance and forestry crews were involved in the setup of the Christmas Village beginning in early October. They spent countless hours unwinding thousands of strands of lights, replacing broken bulbs, digging trenches for cords, and climbing trees. The crew also placed 62 cottages this year, which required them to jack up and remove the transportation tires from each cottage and place them on blocks. From there, they had to nail lattice around the bottoms to hide the axels. That cosmetic touch alone took about two weeks to complete. To learn more about the cottages and displays featured at Christmas Village, visit christmasvillagemap. ogdencity.com. Help Ogden City donate ‘a ton of love’ Leesa Brinkerhoff — Public Services The annual City food drive is collecting donations through December 15. All departments are challenged to collectively help raise two thousand pounds of non-perishable food items for Catholic Community Services. We have a long way to go and a short time to get there—please donate today! ---PAGE BREAK--- Monte Stewart Public Services Where did you work before you came to work for the City? Self employed. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? College professor. Tell us about your family: I have an awesome wife and three crazy sons ages ten, seven, and five. We live in Huntsville with our dog that I really don’t like, but my kids love. What are some of the things you like about Ogden City? The people. What is your dream vacation? Heli-skiing. Tell us something very few people know about you. I can walk on my hands. Where did you go to school? The University of Utah. What was the last magazine or book you read? The River of Doubt— a chronicle of Teddy Roosevelt’s expedition to discover and map the River of Doubt in the Amazon. Where is your favorite place to shop? Recreation Outlet. What is your favorite restaurant? Tona. What characteristic do you most admire? Honesty. What is your least favorite household chore? Feeding the dog that I love so much. What is your favorite sound? My boys’ laughter. What do you think of when you wake up in the morning? Food. Who are your heroes? My dad and mom, and certainly my wife. Employee Spotlight It’s that time of year again and I don’t mean jingle bells and sleigh rides. I’m talking about records! It’s time to inventory documents and project files and prepare them for storage in the Records Center. There are a number of divisions that already take advantage of this service and we look forward to assisting them again this year. For those of you who do not have records checked into the Records Center, this is a great time to get on board. If you have inactive records taking up precious space in your cabinets or desks, consider cleaning out your drawers to make room for 2016. In our division, for example, only the current and previous years’ official documents are kept in the office. At the end of 2015, all 2014 official documents will be inventoried and filed in the Records Center. Any 2015 official documents will remain in our office until the end of 2016 and so on. There is no need for us to keep these records immediately available any longer than that so we store them in the Records Center to keep them safe and secure. This reduces clutter and makes room for the following year. If you would like to learn more about options for storing your records in the Records Center please contact me at x8152. End of year records help Julia LaSeure — Recorders Office 20 Years Teresa Smullin — Police 15 Years Jon Hill — Police Cameron Stiver — Police Jacob Sube — Police Heidi Olmedo — HR Amber Lindquist — Police 5 Years Glenn Symes — Council Cory Duffin — Fleet CAREER SERVICES Police team up with Key Bank to keep kids warm Diana Lopez — Police Thursday, December 3, the Ogden Police Department gave one item of warm clothing to every student at Horace Mann Elementary School. Key Bank reached out to the OPD in November to organize a warm clothing drive. The OPD coordinated the drive, and Key Bank brought in the majority of the donations, collecting gloves, scarves, coats, and hats for children in need. All of the items were donated by the Ogden community and money donated to the cause was used to purchase more clothes. ---PAGE BREAK--- The Ogden City Fire Department would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday. To remain safe this holiday season, follow these tips: • Make sure your fireplace is fire safe. • Buy only safe toys. • Choose a fresh tree with no shedding needles. • Trim 2” off the bottom of the trunk & put immediately into water. • Give your space heaters space! • Don’t piggyback extension cords. • Always turn off your Christmas lights before leaving or retiring for the night. • Take extra care with candles—don’t leave them unattended and keep them away from combustible objects, high-traffic areas, and children. • Check out your lights carefully. • Don’t forget to keep your smoke/CO detectors up-to-date. Have a fire-safe holiday Lisa Bromley—Fire Ryan Perkins — Emergency Management How to Winterize Your Vehicle • Keep battery terminals clean, and carry a spare if your battery is older. • Check antifreeze levels, windshield wipers, and wiper fluid levels. • Keep your wiper fluid full and use a fluid rated for freezing temperatures. • Check lights. • Consider snow tires and your current tread depth on all-season tires. • Create a car survival kit. Check out utah.gov/beready for more info. • If trapped in your vehicle during a storm, stay calm and remain in the vehicle, it’s much safer. Turn on your hazard lights, and contact 911 if needed. Find graffiti; be entered to win a reward Leesa Brinkerhoff—Public Services In our ongoing effort to wipe out graffiti, the City encourages its employees to report sightings of graffiti vandalism within Ogden. Here’s how it works: • Call the Graffiti Task Force at [PHONE REDACTED] or email [EMAIL REDACTED] to report the address or location of the graffiti. Be sure to include your name to be eligible for the contest. • The employee who reports the most graffiti within a calendar month receives a $50 local restaurant gift card and a $25 MegaPlex Theater gift card. According to a National Sleep Foundation poll, more than half of Americans admit to having driven while drowsy. Safety Tip: Stop drowsy driving Heather Briskey — Risk Management Don’t be a statistic—follow these tips to prevent drowsy driving: • Get adequate sleep—most adults need 7 to 9 hours to maintain proper alertness during the day. • Schedule breaks every 100 miles or 2 hours during long trips. • Arrange for a travel companion. • Avoid alcohol and sedating medications. Source: Utah Safety Council Ogden City is now offering dual sensor smoke detectors along with carbon monoxide detectors to City employees. Smoke detectors should be replaced every ten years and carbon monoxide every 5-7 years. The smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors $10 each and be purchased from the City Cashier at 2549 Washington Blvd. Proof of Ogden City employment is required.