February 2025 Caboose

MID-FEBRUARY 2025

CITY AND PARTNERS BREAK GROUND ON VETERANS’ HOMES PROJECT Curious to see how you are making a difference around the city?

Enjoy the latest City Manager's Report

Excitement was in the air at the Feb. 1 groundbreaking ceremony for the Veterans Community Project (VCP) of Glendale, which will feature 50 transitional housing units or “cottages” for veterans experiencing homelessness.

Each cottage will be 240 to 360 square feet in the community just west of 63rd Avenue and north of Orangewood Avenue. The hard work of our Mayor Jerry Weiers and City Council, combined with a partnership with the nonprofit Veterans Community Project, and aid from Maricopa County, the state of Arizona and local private sector leaders have made this project possible.

An estimated 857 Arizona veterans are homeless, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Speakers at the event said they are passionate about helping veterans because they have sacrificed for the country and often suffered from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition to Weiers, U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, Gov. Katie Hobbs, state Sen. Analise Ortiz, Maricopa County Supervisor Debbie Lesko, Brig. Gen. David J. Berkland, Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, and officials from Veterans Community Project and the Arizona Diamondbacks gave speeches. VFW Post 1433 Commander Jeff Eiler served as emcee at the event. Weiers said he was inspired to pursue this project after visiting a similar community in Kansas City with three of our City Councilmembers.

Our Video Team captured great footage of the groundbreaking. And check out media coverage of the event below.

Mid-February 2025

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LEARNING AND GROWTH IN GLENDALE READ BOOKS, TAKE A SWING AT CHANCE TO WIN BASEBALL TICKETS FEB. 24

Slide into one of the city’s libraries and get ready to hit a home run with reading!

The Glendale Public Library is once again teaming up with Camelback Ranch-Glendale Stadium to offer chances to win FREE tickets to a Dodgers or White Sox Spring Training baseball game.

Just read or listen to a book of your choice, then visit any Glendale Public Library location through Feb. 24 to complete an entry for weekly game ticket drawings. You also can attend a library program or event to earn a weekly drawing entry. Winning entries were drawn yesterday and will be drawn again on Feb. 25.

Participants will also be eligible to win a drawing for a grand prize bundle that includes: • Four (4) Dugout Box Tickets to the Season Finale • Two (2) Autographed Items • One (1) Ceremonial First Pitch at the Season Finale The grand prize winner will be drawn on Feb. 28. Greg Kinder, Branch Manager for the Velma Teague Library, will field any questions. Contact him at ext. 3441.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR Get ready for the annual City Manager’s Informational Meeting! Find out what our city accomplished in 2024 and where we’re headed. Learn about the budget and the citywide employee survey while hearing from city leaders.

Get your questions answered. Details of this event are below.

CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS Don’t delay!

Complete your self-appraisal today!

Remember to finish your selfappraisal by March 1.

To enter your self-appraisal, go to the GRID, then visit App Central, then click on NEOGOV and visit the Dashboard. From the Dashboard, click under the heading “Performance Rating.”

Have questions? Contact your supervisor or Nancy Rodriguez in Human Resources at ext. 2978 or Shannon Rodriguez-Yaeggi, in Human Resources, at ext.

2271.

Mid-February 2025

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MORE GREAT EVENTS IN GLENDALE SHARE PHOTOS OF MEANINGFUL MOMENTS FOR BENEFITS GUIDE MARCH 14

Our Benefits Team in Human Resources needs your help showcasing how our city’s benefits make a difference in your life for the 2025/2026 Benefits Enrollment Guide!

Whether they are photos showing a special family moment, active lifestyle or how you use your benefits, the team wants to feature YOU!

The team is asking city employees to send photos of their weddings, bonding with their newborn babies and other family milestones, as well as working out at the gym, hiking or doing other exercises and buying glasses and/or other examples of utilizing benefits. Or send ANY photos of any other meaningful or fun life moment!

Email your photos to: contest@cogaz.onmicrosoft.com The deadline to submit the photos is March 14 and please include a brief description of the pictures, including your name and department.

The photos that best represent our benefits and wellness offerings will be chosen. By submitting pictures, you agree to allow your photos to be used in the Benefits Enrollment Guide.

REGISTER TODAY FOR SPRING BREAK CAMPS AT THREE CITY CENTERS MARCH 17-21

Don’t forget about the fun, safe and educational opportunities for your children to stay active during the Glendale Elementary School District spring break right here in the city!

Our Parks and Recreation Department will provide a Spring Break Youth Program for those ages 6 to 14 from 7 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at Glendale Community Center, O’Neil Recreation Center and Rose Lane Community Center, as space permits.

Children and teens will play sports, as well as engage in arts and crafts projects and participate in other activities. Visit the link below to register.

SPRING BREAK

LEARN SKILLS TO RENDER AID IN EMERGENCIES IN FREE CLASS MARCH 25

City employees can learn Compression-Only CPR and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) training skills in this class from 10:15 to 11 a.m. at the Glendale Regional public Safety Training Center (GRPSTC).

While this class does not lead to CPR certification, it provides participants with the knowledge and hands-on experience to administer Your CPR to people experiencing medical emergencies until first paragraph text responders arrive.

This class is FREE. Register at the link below.

CPR/AED CLASS Mid-February 2025

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SET A COURSE FOR FUN AND LEARNING EMBARK ON OUTDOOR ANIMAL ADVENTURE AT REDUCED PRICES Enjoy an “un-fur-gettable” safari-style adventure at discounted prices from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park in Litchfield Park on March 29, thanks to our Glendale Employee Engagement Committee (GEEC).

City employees can pay these “pawsome” prices that day: $30 for Adults (Regular price is $48) $15 for Children ages 3 to 12 (Regular price is $27) Kids ages 2 and Under are Free Free onion ring appetizer in Dillon’s KC BBQ with every purchase City employees also can take advantage of deals in the cafe and gift shop this day.

Show your city ID card to obtain the discounts.

Learn more about the “apesolutely” awesome attractions at this park via the link below.

WILDLIFE PARK

GAIN KEY TOOLS TO EFFECTIVELY DOCUMENT EMPLOYEES’ WORK MARCH 25

It’s important for managers/supervisors to learn the best ways to document their employees’ work and luckily NEOGOV offers just the class to help them do just that.

A Documentation for Leaders-1 class will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. this day at the Glendale Adult Center in room 104. The goal of providing good documentation is to create a record of employees’ performance.

In this class, managers/supervisors will learn what and how to document employees’ performance and the importance of excellent documentation. It is important to document employees’ work to try to ensure there is clear communication, employees are treated fairly and expectations for their jobs are clearly outlined, as well as to keep track of areas where employees need to improve and what they have accomplished.

To register for the class, visit the link below that is in NEOGOV.

DOCUMENTATION Mid-February 2025

APPLICATIONS AND SOFTWARE

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GOOD NEWS IN GLENDALE

CITY SPREADS LOVE WITH COMMUNITY EVENTS, SERVICES

Employees in several city departments have hosted and produced heartfelt events, activities and services to help residents share their love with the special people in their lives and make new connections. The festivities and offerings warmed the hearts of the community ahead of and on Valentine’s Day.

Our Parks and Recreation Department created Valentine’s Day magic with the Senior Prom held on Feb. 14 at the Community Center. Energy was high as residents ages 55 and older, dressed to the nines in red, pink and festive ties, danced with each other and city employees, played games, ate meals and mingled while cherished oldies music was played. A prom king and queen - Johnny Gonzales and Eleanor Valenzuela - were crowned.

The pair, pictured on the left, knew each other in high school and have rekindled their bond.

Our Video Team created a fun video of 5 Things You Can Do For Valentine's Day at The Glendale Library to help people celebrate the day. Dawn Ferro, our Deputy Director of Library Services, starred in the video where she revealed romantic music and movies that can be checked out from libraries or downloaded through the Hoopla and Freegal music apps.

She also shared how residents can obtain seed from the libraries to plant flowers, as well as enjoy Culture Passes that offer free tickets to museums, plays, dance performances, a botanical gardens and other attractions for date nights or days. Our libraries also helped people get into the Valentine’s Day spirit with a printmaking class to create cards and a trivia night, among other events.

Our Parks and Recreation Department also organized a Galentine’s Hike at Thunderbird Conservation Park on Feb. 15 and our Video Team captured footage of this fun, fitness-friendly gathering to celebrate women. Hikers were able to enjoy views of wildlife and three mountains, as well as State Farm Stadium, and capture photos with their gal pals at photo booths along the route.

Great job to all the city employees for sharing your love of serving the community this month and year-round!