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I INSIDE TRACK Holiday Issue 2016 A newsletter by the employees, about the employees, for the employees Ogden City is collecting non- perishable food items for the Ton of Love food drive. The goal is to collect 2,000 pounds of food by Dec. 15. Collection bins are located in the Municipal, Public Safety, Public Services, and Community Services buildings. Donate today, and help the city give a Ton of Love. Remember “maintain, don’t gain!” There’s only one month left! Remember, the goal is to lose or maintain your weight throughout the 10-week holiday season ending Jan. 3. Help yourself stay on track by attending the weekly weigh ins—you’re entered to win a prize for that, too! Heidi Olmedo — HR Shop in Ogden this holiday season This holiday season the Ogden City Council and Mayor Caldwell invite you to purchase your holiday gifts, food, entertainment, etc. in Ogden. Check out The Junction, the Newgate Mall, Historic 25th Street, 12th Street, Washington Blvd., and Harrison Blvd, just to name a few. Don’t forget the great flight deals you can find through allegiantair.com and flyogden.com. Keep all of your dollars working for you; shop in Ogden. Kelsy Thompson — Marketing Beards for charity Ogden Police and the Ogden Police Benefit Association (OPBA) partnered up to spread some holiday cheer! Throughout the month of November, Ogden police officers grew out their beards to raise money for Cops, Kids, and Christmas. In conjunction with this fundraiser, Ogden City elementary schools participated in a beard-drawing contest. Kids drew an officer with an “awesome beard” doing an act of kindness. Kids at Taylor Canyon Elementary judged the best officer beard and received a donut and hot chocolate party! The Police and OPBA are still accepting donations to help those in need this holiday season. Donate or spread the word here. Diana Lopez — Police In this Issue • How to Avoid Holiday Phishing Scams • Employee Spotlights • A Diverse Holiday Breakdown • Christmas Village: Past & Present • and more! 2016 Ton of Love Food Drive Utah Section PGA Announces 2016 Award Winners Ogden City’s own Todd Brenkman was honored with the 2016 Bill Strausbaugh Award and was one of three finalists for the Utah PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award. According to the PGA website, “The Bill Strausbaugh Award is presented to PGA professionals who, by their day-to-day efforts, have distinguished themselves by mentoring their fellow PGA professionals in improving their employment situations and through service to the community. One of the highest honors the PGA can bestow, candidates of the PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award must possess outstanding qualities of leadership, strong moral character, and a substantial record of service to the Association and the game of golf.” Congratulations, Todd! Cami Orr — Marketing Leesa Brinkerhoff — Public Servcives ---PAGE BREAK--- Tech Tip: Holiday Shopping and Phishing Scams Phishing is a scam in which you receive a fraudulent e-mail intended to steal your identity or personal information. These e-mails may say that your account has been compromised or that one of your accounts was charged incorrectly. The e-mail may even threaten to disable your account if you don’t reply. Here are a few things that may help you to avoid these scams: • Don’t click on any links in emails that look suspicious. They can contain a virus that can harm your computer. • Don’t reply to the e-mail itself. Instead forward the e-mail to the Federal Trade Commission at [EMAIL REDACTED]. • If you believe that the e-mail is valid, contact the company using the phone numbers listed on your statements, on the company’s website, or in the phone book. • Legitimate companies never ask for your password or account number via e-mail. If you clicked on any links in the phishing e-mail or replied with the requested personal information, contact the company directly to let them know about the email and ask to have fraud alerts placed on your accounts, have new credit cards issued, or set new passwords. Report Cyber Crime • The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) • EConsumer.gov • The Department of Justice (DOJ) Jennifer Deachin — IT Congrats to Ruston Monson Ogden City’s Risk Management would like to thank Water Production Supervisor Ruston Monson for his continuous improvement in safety in the workplace at the Water Treatment Plant. Ruston has been recognized during recent inspections conducted by our third party insurance broker, Moreton, for going above and beyond while completing the safety suggestions that were provided by them. Ruston has established daily inspections to all eyewash stations and immediately finding that not all the data sheets were available, he researched and found them for all chemicals housed at the Water Treatment Plant. In addition, he has requested updated safety training for all his employees. Ogden City applauds Ruston and his crew for demonstrating such a high level of attention to detail and a commitment to excellence with regards to safety in the workplace and would like to congratulate Ruston and award him a $50 gift card to Longhorn Steakhouse for his continuous safety improvements. Great job Ruston! Heather Briskey — Risk Management Health Tip One of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others is keeping our hands clean. When should you wash your hands? • Before and after caring for someone who is sick • Before and after treating a cut or wound • After using the toilet • After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing • After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste • After touching garbage Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Heidi Olmedo — HR Benefits Corner Teladoc: Quality care for free Teladoc gives you 24/7/365 access to board-certified doctors by web, phone or mobile app. Within minutes, you’ll talk to a doctor who will listen, diagnose and even write a prescription, if medically necessary. It’s as simple as that. teladoc.com 1-800-teladoc (835-2362) Facebook.com/teladoc Teladoc.com/mobile Heidi Olmedo — HR ---PAGE BREAK--- Employee Spotlight Where were you born and raised? Roy, Utah. Tell us about your family. My husband is Brad. We have two daughters, Madisen is 16 and McCaberie is 14. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? A professional hunter, so I could actually get paid for all of our hunting! What are some of the things you like about Ogden? I love that anything and everything you would want to do is right here! What is your dream vacation? Bora Bora or Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort to see the Northern Lights. What is the most memorable thing that has happened to you? One day while I was at work minding my own business, I pushed myself in my chair up to the front of the helpdesk. Next thing I knew there was a card board box over my head, my arms and legs were duct taped to my chair and I was pushed to the elevator and sent to the 9th floor. Godfrey was just voted in as the new Mayor and luckily he nor anyone else was up there, but I did have to ride the elevator until someone finally pushed me out once we made it back to the 4th floor. Only one of the culprits still work here... What characteristic do you most admire? Kindness. What was the last magazine or book you read? Reading??? What are your favorite foods? Fresh wild game, Mexican, and Italian. Who is your hero? My dad and my husband. Tell us something very few people know about you. I play the piano. What is your favorite holiday or your best time of year? Christmas. What is your favorite dessert? My mom’s homemade strawberry pie and my mother-in-law’s apple crisp. What is your favorite smell? Pine tree and the woods during fall. What is your favorite movie or TV show? Movie: Anything that has fantastic “one-liners.” TV show: Grey’s Anatomy Ashley Wilson — IT Employee Spotlight Brittany Griffin — Council Where were you born and raised? I was born in Montana. Our house blew up when I was 12 days old; fortunately, we weren’t home because it was Easter Sunday. My family moved to Idaho Falls a few months later when my dad finished school and got a job working for the Idaho National Laboratory. While the house explosion helped expedite the move out of Montana and to Idaho, I was still really fortunate to get to experience Montana life as a child. I spent many summers and weekends on my grandparents’ ranch in Southwestern Montana and eventually moved back to Montana for a few years after high school. Tell us about your family. My husband, Cooper, and I have been married for 3 years. I have three younger sisters, a niece, and a nephew. My family is spread throughout Montana, Idaho, and Washington (state). My husband comes from a large family based out of the Ogden Valley. He has 9 younger siblings (7 boys, 2 girls). His youngest brother is 1. It’s a lot of fun to be surrounded by kids, even though we don’t have any ourselves. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? I have been fortunate to have been able to experience so many different kinds of work in my fields, and I can say without a doubt that I have never been happier than I am working for the City Council. I have the job I want! I get to do what I love in a remarkable place surrounded by incredible people. Ultimately, I would like to continue working in government, while also pursuing some of my research interests. I’m hoping to turn some of my research into a book or at least publish it in academic journals. What was the last magazine or book you read? I recently finished re-reading the books Man, the State, and War; Why Nations Fail; and Competitive Authoritarianism. What are some of the things you like about Ogden? There are too many to list. The people are what I love most about Ogden; the outdoor paradise and Ogden’s unique history are nice bonuses. What characteristic do you most admire? Determination, honesty and loyalty. Who is your hero? Margaret Thatcher, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary Wollstonecraft What do you think when you wake up in the morning? Lately, I’ve been wishing my cat would let me sleep for a few more hours. My Savannah cat, Waldo, is very talkative and decides that he wants to play fetch very early in the morning. He yells and drops balls of paper on my face until I agree. What is your favorite smell? Freshly baked pie What is your favorite movie or TV show? Madame Secretary ---PAGE BREAK--- Spread the holiday cheer! Viviana Felix — Diversity Affairs Christmas Village: Past and Present Kelsy Thompson — Marketing For one month every winter, the municipal park in Ogden’s downtown historic district becomes a storybook village with 63 snow- covered cottages and over half a million lights. Each playhouse-size structure is decorated with a festive scene replicating the North Pole. Lighted trees and stationary displays fill the spaces between the quaint cottages. Complete with street signs and its own honorary mayor, the Christmas Village is a tribute to community spirit. Recognized as one of the Top 10 Towns in the U.S. for Christmas Lights in 2014. Christmas Village is the heart of what has become an ever-more-elaborate holiday festival that kicks off the Saturday after Thanksgiving with an evening full of festivities. Beginning in the late afternoon, hundreds of runners in Santa suits race up and down Washington Boulevard, and as the sun sets, the Electric Light Parade lights the street with 50 different floats. Following the parade, visitors can enjoy the official Christmas Village opening gala at the amphitheater. The gala features live entertainment, parade awards, and a firework show, culminating with Santa flipping the magical switch to illuminate the Village. The magnificent holiday displays and lights will continue to glow through Jan. 1. During the holiday season, Santa can be found in his castle located in front of the amphitheater visiting with children six nights a week. After visiting Santa, children can take a ride through a magical, glow-in-the-dark tunnel on the Mini Polar Express. During the day, Mrs. Claus guides groups of school-age children through the Village, telling Christmas stories and singing carols. Local choirs and dance groups perform on stage Tuesdays through Fridays. Santa’s reindeer also stop by for a visit the weekend before Christmas Day so children can get up close before the reindeer take Santa back to the North Pole. Admission to the Village and entertainment is free. Although the emphasis is on the wonder and magic of the season, the event also acknowledges many charitable aspects. The Breakfast Exchange Club sells hot chocolate to raise money for Shoes for Tots, and all monies earned through concessions go back into the Village for maintenance and the purchase of new attractions. Christmas Village stands as an annual gift to Ogden City residents. Now in its fifty-third year, this holiday event was built on years of hard work and a desire to bring the Christmas spirit to Ogden. Christmas Village: A History It was a crisp December day in 1961. Jerry and Maxine Green stood with their five-year-old son Tommy in the perfect spot to watch the big Christmas parade. Warmed by their growing anticipation, they eagerly looked down the street for the parade to arrive. Then, suddenly, it began with the screaming sirens of the police cars. A big flatbed truck rushed by, and perched on top of it, Santa Claus waved to the hundreds of children who had come to see him. The season of giving has arrived! As you think about all the gifts you want to give this year, think about being inclusive of holidays not celebrated by you or your family in your wishes to others. “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy New Year!” are not aspirations that apply to everyone. A more respectful way to wish someone all the joy in the world during this season would be, “Happy Holidays!” or “Season Greetings!” Take a look at some of the holidays celebrated in our community: Bodhi Day, celebrated on Dec. 8, is a special holiday for the Buddhist community as it is the day Buddha attained enlightenment sitting under the Bodhi tree and established the principles of modern Buddhism. One way of celebrating Bodhi Day is decorating a fiscus tree with lights, beads, and the Three Jewels – The Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Hanukkah is an eight-day festival that begins on the eve of the 25 in the Jewish month of Kislev in celebration of the triumph of light over darkness, purity over adulteration, and spirituality over materialism. It is customary to eat fried foods like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts), give gifts to children, and play Hebrew games. Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration – from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1– that honors African heritage. During this time, seven principles and symbols are celebrated—all of which represent values of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement. Households celebrate with displays of art, colorful African clothing, and ceremonies that may include drumming and music. Pancha Ganapati is a modern, five-day Hindu festival celebrated from Dec. 21– 25 in the U.S. in honor of Lord Ganesha, the Patron of Arts and Guardian of Culture. Each day has a theme and families are to focus on spiritual discipline. Celebration occurs through love and harmony in the shape of amending relationships or heartfelt gifts. Las Posadas is a Mexican Catholic tradition that begins Dec. 16 and ends Dec. 24 during which there are processions that re-create the Holy Pilgrimage of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus on their way to Bethlehem. Everyone gathers and splits into two groups – one acting as the shelter seekers and the other as various inn keepers. After the reenactment, everyone celebrates with treats, food, music, and warm drinks. ---PAGE BREAK--- As quickly as it began, the Christmas parade was over. Tommy’s disappointment was overwhelming, and Jerry knew something had to be done, but what? After many sleepless hours that cold winter night, Jerry came up with an idea, an incredible vision! He pictured a “Christmas Village” that would have all of the toy and candy shops you would find at Santa’s North Pole home as well as a proper Christmas parade. Jerry knew the idea was good, but was worried about how to make it happen. The original cost estimate for this venture was a whopping $25,000. With great trepidation, he approached the town merchants. The response was immediate and enthusiastic. In a matter of weeks, the merchants were out seeking pledges for the village. Utah Power and Light pledged to donate the electricity for the lights, merchants donated materials, and it seemed that everyone in the city was pitching in with the construction of the village. On November 23, 1962 the very first Christmas Village and Parade opened Ogden’s holiday season. There were approximately six cottages with animation. One of the early displays, themed “Christmas on the Prairie,” featured covered wagons with cowboys and Indians. Each night a bonfire was built to keep visitors warm. Christmas Village has always included a nativity scene, and most of the figures still used today are originals. In the early years there were not a lot of mature trees in the park, so residents would donate pine trees from their own yards to the park. Crews would cut twenty to thirty of them down and place them in the park, decorating them with festive lights. Those who helped create the first Christmas Village hoped it would continue on through the generations and bring joy to all those who visited. Christmas Village Today This hope is alive and thriving today, carried on by a dedicated Christmas Village committee, community partners and City crews. The current committee consists of fourteen members who live in Weber County and Ogden City. They meet each month, all year long. The committee sets goals for donors and sponsors, creates a different theme each year, manages the entertainment at the amphitheater, and oversees the performances and makes sure all performers have a coupon for a cup of hot cocoa. The committee also prepares for the arrival and extended stay of Mr. and Mrs. Claus, finds volunteers and materials for cottage repairs and sponsorship, writes grants for donations and prepares bids for sweatshirts and treats. They clean, maintain, and decorate the cottages that are not adopted by families and businesses. The crews of Ogden City begin seeing visions of sugarplums weeks before the stores start stocking for the Christmas season as they unwind thousands of lines of lights, replace broken bulbs, dig trenches for cords, and climb trees. 1,050 new strands of lights and 2,500 replacement bulbs were ordered for this year alone. The Christmas Village crews begin work eight weeks before the Electric Light Parade and Christmas Village illuminate Ogden on Nov. 28. Besides checking for burnt bulbs, crews make sure all the plugs remain dry. Following rain and snow, you can find them on the grounds with heat guns, drying out all the sockets. It takes months of tireless work to ensure the display is breathtaking night after night all through December. While holiday revelers visit Santa, sip on hot cocoa, and stroll down the cobblestone streets of the North Pole, Ogden City crews are behind the scenes spending countless hours each day to make sure Christmas Village remains a memorable and lasting memory for all. ---PAGE BREAK--- Those of you who received destruction authorization forms for boxes in the Records Center or stored at the State Records Center should have returned them by the end of November. If you need additional time to review the list of box contents, please contact Julia at x8152. Anyone else with records that have met their retention may include them in this shred. Records must be boxed and include a completed, signed destruction authorization form. Call x8152 if you need additional information or have questions. This is a great time to clear out bookshelves, filing cabinets, desk drawers and old files to make room for 2017! Julia LaSeure — Recorders Time to say goodbye to records of Auld Lang Syne CAREER SERVICES 20 Years Jeff Glum — Code Services Gordon Sant — Code Services 10 Years Frank Hammond — Engineering Chad Wilson — Fire Retirement Mike Hales — PW&P Lyle Johnson — PW&P 25 Years Tyler Rasley — Fire 15 Years Lorin Herbert — Water Kenny Miller — Fire Rick Nelson — Fleet Jill Smith — Legal 30 Years Will Cragun — Police Stuart Murray — Bldg. Services 5 Years Adam Ab’eyta — PW&P Kendall Iverson — Fire Travis Kearl — Police Trent Nelson — Fleet 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. • Don’t leave candles 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 Emergency Preparedness: Winter safety With all the hustle and bustle this season, it’s important to make sure your family and holiday visitors know who to call and where to meet in case of an emergency, and winterize your vehicles now to travel safely. Travel Safety Tips • Keep battery terminals clean, check your lights, 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. • 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 possible, stay off the road during and after a winter storm. • 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. • Make sure to download FEMA’s emergency preparedness app and Code Red. Ryan Perkins — Emergency Management