Employee of the Quarter - From Homeless to Hired to Honored    We enjoy recognizing the hard work and dedication of our employees, especially those who give a little extra and are standouts.  Every three months one employee is selected to be recognized as the Employee of the Quarter.  And, this time our Employee of the Quarter, Wes Byington, has an especially compelling story. 

Wes and his tremendous work ethic were discovered by City staff when he was homeless and participating in the Street Teams -- a homeless program for those looking to get off the streets and find employment.  The City funds the program which offers work experience in the form of landscaping and litter collection, while The Salvation Army provides meals, shelter, and a path to finding a job and housing.

While doing City landscaping with the Street Teams, Wes' motivation impressed the Public Works crew immediately -- so much that when a full time position opened he was encouraged to apply.  That was two years ago.

Since being hired in 2013, Wes has earned two professional certifications and has been promoted twice.  He no longer is a landscaper.  Now, he oversees the maintenance of all the facilities in the City's 49 parks.

Wes is quite handy and creative and is regularly able to make plumbing and other repairs himself, saving the City thousands of dollars.

He's a true example that sometimes a person just needs a hand up.  Wes will be honored by the City Commission Monday night (Dec. 7) at 6 p.m.

You can learn more about Wes' story and the Street Teams program by watching this brief video produced by Senior Communications Manager Jan Thornburg:

Wes Byington: Employee of the Quarter

City Hall - Elevator & Fire Alarm Upgrades    You may encounter some maintenance and construction crews at City Hall over the next few weeks as we undergo some necessary upgrades.

First, the elevator in the main building is being brought into the 21st century.  It will be wider to accommodate wheelchairs, braille will be provided next to the buttons and the interior will receive a makeover. During the work, the elevator will be out of service. For those who need to conduct business on the second floor with our Purchasing Division, and are unable to use the stairs, a telephone and employee directory have been installed adjacent to the elevator.  Once contacted, the employee will meet you down in the lobby. The heavy construction work is being scheduled on the weekends.  The new elevator is expected to be up and running by the end of January.

Also, you may see crews on ladders working in the ceiling at City Hall.  The fire alarm systems at City Hall and the Annex are being upgraded, and crews are working on the electrical system.  Heat detectors are being added as well as emergency horn strobes, plus additional smoke detectors and fire alarm pull stations.

Like most construction projects, these are a bit inconvenient.  But, the final results will help make City Hall a safer place to work and conduct business.  We appreciate your patience.

Neighborhood News - Arlington Park Bridge    For those who visit Arlington Park frequently and may have noticed a lull recently with the construction on the new pedestrian bridge, we have an update.  The company building the bridge for the City encountered some manufacturing difficulties, which are being corrected at this writing.  The good news is...this temporary delay is not expected to impact the completion date.  The new bridge is still expected to open to the public by mid-January.

Downtown Holiday Parade - Dec. 5     We will help kick off the holiday season this weekend with one of the biggest and most popular events in Sarasota:  the Downtown Holiday Parade!  This is the 20th year for the holiday parade, and it will be held tomorrow (Sat., December 5) at 7 p.m. on Main Street, starting at  U.S. 301 and ending at Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park at Gulfstream Ave. 

Make sure you arrive early.  The parade attracts as many as 20,000 spectators who enjoy taking in all the festive floats, marching bands, of course, jolly 'ol St. Nicholas!  Also, keep in mind that temporary street closures will begin at noon.  For a comprehensive list of closures click here.

Bobby Jones Golf Club -  Busy Holiday Week     Our historic municipal golf course, Bobby Jones Golf Club, was very busy this past holiday week with a brand new tournament being hosted in addition to a popular holiday golf outing.

John Vaccaro & Ray Wenck holding the first place trophy for the inaugural Men's Senior Better Ball Championship.

First, the inaugural Men's Senior Better Ball Championship was held over two days with more than 70 players participating.  The grand champions are John Vaccaro and Ray Wenck with an impressive 14 under par  -- congratulations!   It was a tight battle for second and third place.  Taking second:  Joe Branconi and Randy Spring at 6 under par.  And, one stroke behind, in third place, were Jimmy Smith and Rich Kyllonen at 5 under par.  Bravo to all the competitors!  And, a big thank you to our staff at Bobby Jones for making this new tournament a reality after listening to suggestions from our regular senior golfers.
Several days later, almost 100 golfers gobbled up the opportunity to shoot 18 during the 7th Annual 'Turkey Shoot' on Thanksgiving Day.  This fun event has become a tradition for many who enjoy hitting the links before settling in for Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends.  Thanks again to our staff at Bobby Jones for making the holiday extra special for many of our residents and visitors.

Next up at Bobby Jones:  Reindeer Games on Christmas Day.
   

Silkies Hike - Employee Participation    We're proud that many of our employees volunteer their time during their off hours to bring awareness to a variety of worthwhile causes in the community.  Recently, Doug Logan, our

Doug just before the start of the Silkies Hike.

Director on Special Initiatives on Chronic Homelessness participated in something called the Silkies Hike.  The Silkies Hike was an enthusiastic and challenging walk by military veterans to draw attention to veteran suicides.  We're told that, on average, 22 veterans take their own life each day.  To raise awareness, veterans walked 22 kilometers (approximately 14.6 miles) carrying 22 kilograms (approximately 49 pounds).  A decorated Vietnam veteran, Doug understands the emotional difficulties veterans can experience as they assimilate into civilian life.  So, when he heard about the hike he was all in.

As Doug spearheads our current efforts with a Housing First initiative, we remain committed to helping homeless veterans.  Along with many community partners, we have helped get 80 veterans off the streets and into housing over the past 15 months. We appreciate everyone for their help and Doug for continuing to draw attention to these veterans who need assistance.