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Integrity
Dedication
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May 25, 2023
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Excellence
Honoring One of Our Own!
County offices will be closed on Monday May 29, 2023, in honor of this holiday.
Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Andy Pascual recently was promoted in the Army National Guard to the rank of Lt. Colonel. The event, covered by WSBTV in ATL, served also as a tribute to Andy’s great grandfather who was a prisoner of the Japanese during the Bataan Death March in WWII. We think you might find the story interesting, so click the link below to view it: WSBTV Story Link
History of Memorial Day Originally called Decoration Day, from the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags, Memorial Day is a day for remembrance of those who have died in service to our country. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers. During that first national commemoration, former Union Gen. and sitting Ohio Congressman James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who were buried there. This national event galvanized efforts to honor and remember fallen soldiers that began with local observances at burial grounds in several towns throughout the United States following the end of the Civil War, such as the May 1, 1865 gathering in Charleston, South Carolina organized by freed slaves to pay tribute and give proper burial to Union troops. In 1873, New York was the first state to designate Memorial Day as a legal holiday. By the late 1800s, many more cities and communities observed Memorial Day, and several states had declared it a legal holiday. After World War I, it became an occasion for honoring those who died in all of America’s wars and was then more widely established as a national holiday throughout the United States. In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and established that Memorial Day was to be commemorated on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is commemorated at Arlington National Cemetery each year with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Traditionally, the President or Vice President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
SUMMER BEACH BLAST Get ready for Summer Beach Blast on June 3 at Evans Towne Center Park! Dance the night away to the sounds of The Catalinas, while enjoying delicious food and refreshing drinks from our amazing vendors. VIP tickets are on currently discounted for Columbia County Employees (using coupon code EmployeeSBB). VIP tickets include access to VIP parking, the VIP area with seating, a private bar, private restrooms, two beverage tickets, and light hors d'oeuvres served from 6:00pm-7:00pm. VIP requires a ticket for all ages. Gates open at 5pm, and live music by The Catalinas begins at 7pm. NO outside food or drinks allowed. Get your VIP tickets now (bit.ly/SBBVIP23) for an exclusive experience! Don't miss out on the beach party of the year! PURCHASE VIP TICKETS HERE: https://bit.ly/SBBVIP23 Do not forget to enter coupon code EmployeeSBB at checkout.
Open
HOUSE
Larry McClure Roads & Bridges 43 Years
Beverly LeRoy Human Resources 35 Years
June Anniversaries
Patricia Champion Sean McArdle Sheriff’s Office Information Technology 33 Years 33 Years
Andy Shedd Sheriff’s Office 34 Years
John Phillips Fire Rescue 34 Years
Nicole Anderson Raymond Childress Detention Center Sheriff’s Office 28 Years 27 Years
9 Years 3 Years Angela Russell, Finance Brenda Clark, 311 Customer Service Joshua Hancock, Engineering Services Alysha Morales, 911 Dispatch Nicholas Williamson, Detention Center Hakeim Odom, Water Utility Elease Williams, Facility Maintenance Dylan James Detention Center Sandra Hand, Facility Maintenance Tanner Williamson, Roads & Bridges Mary Morse, Facility Maintenance Fred Ingram, Stormwater Utility Sally Fowler, Parks & Recreation Michael Kerr, Detention Center Cynthia Williams, Facility Maintenance Darlene Lui, Tax Assessors Office 8 Years Alejandro Marin, Fleet Services Ashley Swain, CCCVB Nicholas Dukes, Roads & Bridges 21 Years Sandra Moore, Public Transit 2 Years Vickie Guay, Building Standards Joe Jackson, Facility Maintenance Tammy Martin, Tax Commissioner’s Office 19 Years Melissa Ewest, Detention Center Steven Mason, Detention Center Mary Scruggs, 911 Dispatch 7 Years Ronald Genewick, Parks & Recreation 18 Years Lynda Shackelford, Tax Commissioner’s Office Vadis Pond, Stormwater Maintenance Gary Dempsey, Water Utility Leann Ekvall, Library Janda Reeves, Water Utility 16 Years Bradford Smith, Stormwater Maintenance Emily Newman, Water Utility Daniel Mayne, Animal Services Gregory Smith, Sheriff’s Office Alexis Hart, Probate Court 15 Years Marta Cruz Hoffer, Sheriff’s Office Crystal Schneider, Stormwater Maintenance Stacy Charles, Water Utility 6 Years Walter-William Moore, Roads & Bridges Gary Judy, Facility Maintenance Brian Ashley, Fire Rescue Kenneth Rogers, Fire Rescue Keisha Evans, Library Skyler Anderson, Building Standards Jessica Burden, Tax Commissioner’s Office 14 Years Catherine Anderson, 311 Customer Service 1 Year Chris Adkins, Sheriff’s Office Jody Crabtree, Water Utility Lafayette Butler, Public Transit Mary Lin Maner, Library Rhonda Richardson, Clerk of Court Sabir Qasimi, Detention Center Jonathan Adams, Sheriff’s 5 Years Cale Phillips, Stormwater Utility Jaraid Howard, Magistrate Court Taylor Simpson, Parks & Recreation Todd McCorvey, Parks & Recreation 13 Years Brian Cook, Fleet Services William Chaney, Fire Rescue Jennifer Neal, Risk Management Megan Hattaway, Fleet Services Shaun Graham, Fire Rescue 12 Years Toni Tiedeman, Tax Assessors Office James Buchanan, Roads & Bridges Mark Stevens, Fire Rescue Steven Losgar, Fire Marshal’s Office Grant Chambers, Fire Rescue Ryan King, Sheriff’s Office Luke Urban, Fire Rescue Jonathan Pope, Parks & Recreation 11 Years 4 Years Julian Williams, Fire Rescue Katelyn Hancock, Water Utility Johnny Williams, Parks & Recreation Johannes Van Loenen, Facility Maintenance Ryan Horst, Water Utility Cecilia Besel, 911 Dispatch Jesus Muniz, Sheriff’s Office 10 Years Gulrukh Baig, Library Leann Collins, Detention Center Melissa Reynolds, Detention Center Joseph Easler, Sheriff’s Office Donna Anderson, Water Utility Preston Walker, Stormwater Jayden Pate, 911 Dispatch Maintenance 24 Years Vernon Wilson, Water Utility Russell Loyd. Sheriff’s Office Scott Daniel, Water Utility Dale Partlow, Fire Rescue Roy Wright, Fire Rescue 22 Years Bill Wood, Sheriff’s Office John Sherman, Detention Center Rodney Brown, Juvenile Court
1st Marcus Johnson, Parks & Recreation Lindsay Dukes, Superior Court Cody Rose, Sheriff’s Office 2nd John Maldonado, Water Utility April Keys, District Attorney’s Office Brittany Akins, Water Utility 3rd Vernon Wilson, Water Utility Rico Green, Water Utility Jonathan Freeman, Water Utility Karen Hyatt, Superior Court Gary Morgan, Sheriff’s Office Gary Hewett, Water Utility 4th Todd McCorvey, Parks & Recreation John Sherman, Detention Center Alejandro Alvarez, Magistrate Court Donald McGee, Facility Maintenance Mark Hensley, Fire Rescue 5th William Miller, Parks & Recreation Russell Rainey, Parks & Recreation Fred Jennings, Fire Rescue John Singleton, Fire Rescue Micah Williams, Fire Rescue 7th Sandra Wilkins, Detention Center Richad Luda, Fire Rescue Benjamin Busbee, Parks & Recreation 8th Derek Sanders, Sheriff’s Office Ashley Muller, District Attorney's Office Brandon Golden, Fire Rescue 9th Hazel Bussey, Detention Center Richard Douglas, Sheriff’s Office Verdell Walker, Stormwater Maintenance Willie Germany, Traffic Engineering Tracy Wells, Tax Commissioner’s Office Lewis Stevens, Fire Rescue Jason Hughes, Detention Center Jessica Burden, Tax Commissioner’s Office Brendan Lynn, Water Utility Matthew Coule, Sheriff’s Office 10th Grant Mixon, Tax Assessors Office Michael Glasscock, Water Utility 11th Christopher Railey, Sheriff’s Office CJ Dickenson, Tax Assessors Office William Eubank, Road Construction Nathan McDonald, Water Utility
June Birthdays 12th 21st Ruth Belangia, Sheriff’s Office Kevin Fort, Plan Review Tracey Shoemaker, Stormwater Utility Jason Lutz, Tax Assessors Office Misty Sydnor, Sheriff’s Office Brandon Lowe, Detention Center Cynthia Scott, Clerk of Court Bryan Armstrong, Tax Assessors Office Courtney Goode, Tax Assessors Office Shaun Graham, Fire Rescue Ryan Horst, Water Utility 22nd 13th Dustin Johnson, Sheriff’s Office Samuel Way, Parks & Recreation David Brassell, Sheriff’s Office Bryan Hood, Sheriff’s Office Christopher Hinton, Fire Rescue Angel Ortiz, Stormwater Maintenance 23rd Kyle Wallin, Information Technology Ray Blessing, Fire Rescue Allen Melcher, Water Utility William Wright, Fire Rescue 14th Kimberly Bryan, Sheriff’s Office William Holberton, Fire Rescue 24th Leslie Barron, Tax Commissioner’s Office Elizabeth McBurney, Human Resources Andrew Widmann, Stormwater Utility John Boyd, Fire Rescue 15th Courtney Clark, Fire Rescue Helen Munari, Library 25th Michael Barrett, Detention Center John Chambers, Fire Rescue Ryan Woodard, Fire Rescue Austin Cowart, Code Compliance Nicholas Gilliam, Sheriff’s Office Mary Chambers, 911 Dispatch Anna Dyches, Fire Rescue Hunter Smith, Stormwater Maintenance 26th Adam Hamilton, Sheriff’s Office Rachel-Marie Cooper, Detention Center 27th Robin Scharff, Library Shannon Brittingham, Exhibition Center Stacy Bargeron, Plan Review Brett McKinney, Facility Maintenance 16th Thomas Hancock, Roads & Bridges Emily Newman, Water Utility 28th 17th Probate Court Judge Alice Padgett Jacqueline Bolton, Tax Emily Freeman, Community Services Commissioner’s Office 29th Patricia Champion, Sheriff’s Office Joshua Thomas, Roads & Bridges Shawn Stapleton, Water Utility Tess Fulghum, Detention Center 18th 30th Mary Scruggs, 911 Dispatch JA Cloud, Fire Rescue Preston Walker, Stormwater Maintenance Brian Clark, Fire Marshal’s Office Kimberly Dryden, Sheriff’s Office Rebecca Lutz, Parks & Recreation 19th Preston Stewart, Fire Rescue Mike Adams, Sheriff’s Office Charles Williamson, Sheriff’s Office Gary Thurmond, Broadband Utility Corbin Cooney, Emergency John Lopez, Water Utility Management Jennifer St. John, Detention Center Cameron Germany, Roads & Bridges Alec Chavez, Fleet Services Landyn Biggs, Fire Rescue 20th Gregory Boatright, Fire Rescue Christopher Lane, Sheriff’s Office Timothy Johnson, Sheriff’s Office Adam Mason, Stormwater Maintenance James Ewald, Detention Center
Employee Referral Honorees A year ago we began our new employee referral incentive where current employees could earn a day of PTO for referring a new hire. Once the new hire completes one year of service, our current employee is credited with the PTO. Congratulations to the following employees who have earned a day of PTO as of 5/16/23
Dennis Hodges - Community Services Donna Wiley - Tax Assessor CJ Dickenson - Tax Assessor
REFER A FRIEND!
We will continue to recognize our employees each month that earn PTO for new hire referrals. Keep up the great work!
Food Trucks-4-Lunch Last month's food truck day threw all of us a curve ball. The afternoon before, Black Lotus canceled, and then on the Food truck day, Salty tomatoes had to pull out a few hours before lunch started. This left us with one food truck and one coffee truck. We apologize for that happening, but it's out of our control. Hopefully, we will have better luck from this point on. Our next food Trucks 4 Lunch Day is June 8 from 11am-1pm. The vendors are scheduled to be: Fuse Mobile Lobster Dogs Little Mama's Sweets and Treats
Move More Challenge Part II: Fix the Fork Start Date: June 5, 2023
Duration: 6 weeks
Objective: To create better nutrition habits in addition to adding more movement to your lifestyle
Facilitator: Ciara Morris How to Win: To win, you must earn more points than all of the other participants.
The Challenge: When it comes to fitness and overall healthy living, most people think that working out is the hardest part. If you ask, most fitness professionals will tell you that the most challenging part about getting fit is the nutritional aspect. I’m sure you have heard at some point that you can’t out-train a poor diet. It’s very true. What we put into our bodies can hurt us or help us. This challenge will teach you to build the habits that will help you for the rest of your life. This is an individual challenge, so you are responsible for your performance and your results. During the first week of the challenge, I am going to calculate the body fat percentage of everyone that participates. There will be two ways to win: most pounds lost, and highest body fat percentage lost. I want to challenge everyone that participates to be more mindful of the types of foods that they consume. You want to try to eliminate processed foods, fried foods, and added sugar as much as possible. Drink more water, limit alcohol consumption, eat lean meats, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Combine these good nutritional habits with at least 150 minutes of movement each week and you will see change. Rules: To participate you must submit your name, age, height(cm), and weight(lbs) no later than June 7th. Weight must be submitted every Monday. Make an appointment during the first week to have your body fat calculated. No later than June 10th. Earn points each day by completing daily tasks. You will calculate your own points and submit them every Monday during the challenge. You have the whole day to submit your totals. Points do not count if submitted after Monday, so set a reminder. You can earn points every day, but points will be capped at 200 points each day. You cannot earn double points for completing a task twice. For example: you cannot get extra points if you workout twice a day. Download an app to help you calculate calories and macronutrients. (Ex. Macros First) Be brutally honest with me and yourself. Otherwise, this does not work. Ways to Earn Points: Complete food diary daily-50 points Complete a workout for at least 30 minutes-10 points Attend one of my Total Burner classes or workout at G2-40 points Drink at least 100 oz of water a day-50 points Workout outside-10 points No fast food-20 points Weight loss-20 points Tips: Plan your days Plan your meals Set reminders Suggested Apps: Macros First HitMeal-nutrition tracker MyFitnessPal
‘Clicker’ training dates
Building A Auditorium
Wed. 6/21/23 10 am Thurs. 7/27/23 10 am
Train
with
Swain DON'T CLICK
American Red Cross CPR/AED & First Aid at the EOC 8:30am-5:00pm Wednesday, August 23, 2023 Wenesday, September 13, 2023
MANDATORY COMPLIANCE TRAINING REMINDER
All completion certificates should be emailed to Danielle Colton-Couch at dcoltoncouch@columbiacountyga.gov
by June 30, 2023.
Risk Management Training Schedule
National Safety Council Defensive Driving (8 Hours) at the EOC 8:30am-5pm Thursday, June 29, 2023 Wednesday, August 9, 2023 Thursday, September 28, 2023 National Safety Council Defensive Driving (4 Hours) at the EOC 8:30am-12:30pm Wednesday, June 14, 2023 Thursday, August 31, 2023
Hands-on Defensive Driving at the CCSO Track Friday, September 8, 2023. 8:30am-5pm Don’t miss the opportunity to sign up for Hands-On Defensive Driving! Ask our Safety Officers about the track! They were able to do a site visit at one of their meetings, but it doesn’t compare to the hands-on experience! Register for the class before it fills up to see what the excitement is all about! You can have fun while training and earn a certificate for a discount on your insurance! Spaces are limited to 15 per class and there will only be one more opportunity before the end of the year!
To register contact Jennifer jneal@columbiacountyga.gov or Darlene dbartlett@columbiacountyga.gov Or call Risk Management at 706-312-7475 for information
Memorial Day Holiday MAY 29, 2023
ENGAGEMENT PROPSOAL 4/1/23 Dylan surprised our daughter, Lauren Sorrow, on April 1st at the Masters and she said YES! My husband David & I are beyond excited. -David & Amy Sorrow, Tax Commissioners Office
Upcoming Events
Employee Spotlight Scan the QR code below or click this link to complete a short survey that tells us about yourself. We will share it in a future Roundabout!
SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 2023 • 9 AM-1 PM THE PLAZA AT EVANS TOWN CENTER