2011 Employees of the Month

December 2011

Eric Hammer - Public Services Department

Eric is a consistently outstanding employee who will always stop to lend another employee a hand. He has become the most versatile asset in this division by not shying away from tasks that are not in his job description. He has learned nearly every job in the plant through helping others when they are in need. He has never uttered the phrase "not my job." Eric is responsible for proper handling and safe disposal of over 300 tons of wastewater sludge per year. These attributes in an of themselves are noteworthy, but doing them year in and year out constitutes outstanding performance.

November 2011

Bryan Beaudin - Fire Department

Bryan Beaudin's efforts in the improvements of the East Side Fire Station, including his skills, knowledge, labor, instruction and off-duty participation in the project are greatly appreciated by the Fire Department and the City. His involvement and direction in this project saved the City several thousand dollars. Bryan's efforts in the Fire Department Bell Restoration Project were equally as impressive. As the general contractor of this project, he worked to make certain the project was completed on time, was well done, and also saved thousands of dollars by completing the project well below the initial bid. This memorial, a dedication to all of the Fire Department's former employees, will be appreciated for many years to come. His willingness to lead and assist in these projects show the pride and dedication he has in his job and in the City of Gainesville.

October 2011

Ronald Alford - Police Department

On June 8, 2011, Police Officer Ron Alford responded to a motorist's assist call in the area of 5000 North Interstate 35 where a female driver had a flat tire on her vehicle. The driver was distressed due to having been involved in a fatal accident along a highway in the past. Officer Alford not only provided protection for the driver and her vehicle, but assisting in changing the tire for her. He exceeded his duties at the request of the driver to make her vehicle functional once again. He exhibited professionalism during this routine call that provided the driver, a resident of a nearby city, with a positive reflection of the police department. Officer Alford often works diligently to provide more than is required of his position. He is a team player and always gets along well with members of his shift and the department. His hard work and dedication to help others is recognized.

September 2011

Randy Manus - Customer Service

In recognition and appreciation for his dedication to the citizens of the City of Gainesville. He has a great attitude towards helping customers. This shows in many ways from how he consistently shows up for work early, is always willing to work even after hours if needed, and also from the multiple compliments the City has received regarding his efforts in providing water service. Recently, while performing his meter-reading duties, he noticed high water consumption at a residence and immediately contacted the customer. In an effort to help the customer, he went to the customer's backyard and found a faucet running. He is a team player, respectful to all customers and co-workers alike, and a great employee.

August 2011

Dale Rudge - Recreation Development

In recognition and appreciation for his dedication to the citizens of the City of Gainesville. Over the past several months he has used his skills and building knowledge to assist in improvements to Keneteso Park. In addition to his job duties of crew leader for the Parks Department, he has been a great resource in the restroom rebuild at Keneteso Park. He oversaw the wiring, assisted with the interior ceiling installation, and helped with completely building a locking gate. Your skills and knowledge in this area saved the City substantial money by not having to contract this type of work to an outside contractor.

He also worked with other staff off-season to maintain the Frankie Schmitz Express Train at the Park. His mechanical knowledge has proven to be a great asset in maintaining the train, not only by keeping it in good working condition, but also in saving money that would otherwise have to be spent to a mechanic, and freeing up garage staff to work on other projects. His willingness to use his skills and talents are greatly appreciated by the City of Gainesville.

July 2011

Craig Evans -Public Services

The City of Gainesville recognizes and appreciates Craig Evins' dedication to the citizens of Gainesville. He has proven to a dependable and very hard worker for the City of Gainesville, always making every effort to see that job tasks run smoothly and safely. On May 22, 2011, the City was under a tornado watch and there were extremely high winds, which caused down trees and tree limbs in the city. He was contacted by the Police Department to clear tree limbs and debris from various roadways in the city. He worked diligently to remove debris from City streets to make travel safe for City residents and assisted TXU in restoring power to residents. He consistently works well with other employees and departments, and is always available when called upon to help whenever and wherever needed. In addition to his duties in the street division, he also performs maintenance on all street division equipment. He is a multi-talented employee and an asset to the City of Gainesville.

June 2011

Jeffrey Serna - Police

The City of Gainesville recognizes and appreciates Jeffrey Serna's dedication to the citizens of Gainesville. On March 28, 2011, he went above and beyond his duties as a patrol officer in completing a preliminary investigation into a burglary case. He was diligent in following up on a small lead and with the information he was able to gather in the early stages of investigating this case, investigators were able to obtain a confession from the suspect. His prompt attention to the case may have prevented more property from being stolen and unable to be recovered.

May 2011

Cynthia Walker - Police

The City of Gainesville recognizes and appreciates Cynthia Walker for her dedication to the citizens of Gainesville. On February 8, 2011, she handled a call for service for a structure fire on North Howeth Street. She was very professional, calm, and collected during this dangerous and stressful situation. Her actions in getting the requested resources alerted in a timely manner greatly assisted Fire Department personnel in saving the structure from a total loss.

April 2011

Naji Saleh - Police

The City of Gainesville recognizes and appreciates Naji Saleh for his dedication to the citizens of the City of Gainesville. On February 8, 2011, he responded to a structure fire on Greenbriar Street. Upon arrival, he exhibited actions in regard to the state and well being for the occupants of the home and attempted to make contact for any persons that were in the structure. He made visual contact with a teenage boy through a bedroom window that was covered with ornamental iron attached to brick veneer of the house. He was quick to physically remove the iron from the window in order to remove the boy from the house that was heavily involved with fire. He exhibited the professionalism and calmness in the most dangerous of situations and in protecting the welfare of a fellow man.

March 2011

Helen Wilson - Finance

The City of Gainesville recognizes and appreciates Helen Wilson for being consistently professional, courteous, friendly, and helpful. She has gone out of her way to be helpful in the Finance Department, and plays a very important role in preparing the budget each year. She has established and maintained cooperative working relationships with all departments. Helen is very detailed oriented which has proven to be a benefit to all departments in catching and correcting errors.

February 2011

Marsha Sheffield - Finance

The City of Gainesville recognizes and appreciates Marsha Sheffield for her loyalty to the City. She is a dependable employee, constantly working steadily, keeping her work current, and offering assistance to other employees in her department and other departments. Marsha is supportive to her department, assisting with the CAFR each year, and is always professional. With over 21 years of service to the City of Gainesville, her knowledge is very valuable.

January 2011

Gary Schumacher - Public Services

On Saturday, October 22, 2010, during a heavy rainfall, Gary worked to block off a street that was flooding due to the drainage being backed up from debris. He cleared the debris out the drainage with a shovel during the continuing rainfall to alleviate the situation.