August 2010ManateE-zine

“For employees by employees.”

All of our links are now under-

lined for your convenience.

2010 Employee Photo Contest a success!

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The Results are in:2010 Photo Contest a success!BY SIMONE PETERSON, NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES

After an arduous judging session, the results for the 2010 Manatee County Government Photo Contest are in!

In the Scenic Manatee County category:

1st place- (tie) Vicki Jarratt, Board Records “Generations Shrimping”

Jonathan Sabin, Neighborhood Services, “Rod Reel Pier Color”

2nd placeJonathan Sabin, Neighborhood Services “Manatee River Fireworks”

3rd placeVicki Jarratt, Board Records “Friends”

Honorable MentionsJoann Larson, County Administrator’s Office, “Enjoying Amenities at Preserve”

Jonathan Sabin, Neighborhood Services, “Kayak Skyway”

In the Real Manatee County category:

1st placeJonathan Sabin, Neighborhood Services “Marina Night”

2nd placeVicki Jarratt, Board Records “Starfish Restau-rant”

3rd placeErnie McFarland, Public Safety “Catching Bait on the Braden River”

Honorable MentionJonathan Sabin, Neighborhood Services “Former Lost Kangaroo” Jonathan Sabin, Neighborhood Services, “Ellenton Lake Triple Conjunction”

Winners and Honorable Mentions will be recognized before the Board of County Com-missioners Aug. 10.

Thanks to everyone who participated and stay tuned for information regarding the 3rd annual Manatee County Employee Photo Contest!

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1- Former Lost Kangaroo2- Starfish Restaurant3- Ellenton Lake Triple Conjunction4- Catching Bait on the Braden River5- Marina Night6- Friends7- Amenities at the Preserve8- Kayak Skyway9-Reel Rod Pier10- Generation Shrimping11- Manatee Fireworks

Getting Clean While Going GreenBY SAMANTHA KENNEDY, AG & RESOURCE CONSERVATIONThere’s a cleaning product for everything these days: floors, sinks, showers, dishes, furniture, tires, laundry. The list is endless. There’s even an entire aisle – or two! – at the supermarket dedicated to these products. The promises are compelling: NEW AND IM-PROVED! NOW WITH MORE CLEANING POWER! CLEANS WITHOUT SCRUBBING! Many of these products really do work the way they promise. But what many of us may not know is that most of the com-mercial cleaning products out there are petroleum-based which may have harmful effects on both you and the environment. Be careful when discarding those con-ventional cleaners, though. Many are not suitable for ordinary trash or drain dis-posal and need to be disposed of properly. Manatee County hosts a Household Haz-ardous Waste day on the third Saturday of every month at the Lena Road Landfill. Call (941) 798-6761 to find out more.

But have no fear! On the market today are many wonderful “green” cleaning products that are planet- (and you-) friendly and can be found alongside their more conventional cousins in the clean- ing aisle. These products are non-toxic, biodegradable, non-petroleum-based and are just as effective at getting rid of grime. They do, however, tend to be more expensive. If spending extra money isn’t your thing, you can still “clean green” by taking advantage of a couple of every-day products you prob- ably have in your pantry right now. White vinegar and baking soda are two of the most effective cleaning products out there and cost just a fraction of what com-mercial cleaning products cost. Add a little warm water to either of these products and you have created a solution that can clean just about everything, from tile floors to coffee-stained mugs to sinks and showers.

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First ever Kids Fishing Tournament a rousing success for Public WorksBY BRUCE HAGER, PUBLIC WORKSManatee County Public Works started out the 2010 United Way year with two things in mind: fun and family. What better way to have some family fun than a Kids Fishing Tournament? The event was set for June 26 at Emerson Point Preserve, thanks to the support from Charlie Hunsicker and the Natural Resources Department. The stage was set, but we needed prizes and food. Manatee County businesses and individuals donated, but so did companies from all over the state!

On the day of the event, there were 55 anglers and 100 parents ready to compete, not only for prizes but for family bragging rights. Every angler received a package of Cotee jigs for bait, a McDonald’s ice cream gift card and a coupon to Dick’s Sporting Goods. The tournament was set up in three age groups: Ages 5-8, 9-11 and 12-15.

As soon as the Captains Meeting was over, the anglers took to their fishing areas and waited for the starting horn. At 9 a.m. the horn sounded and the fun began. Experienced anglers and first time anglers alike were out to have fun and compete. Two hours later, the horn sounded and the judging began.

Anglers caught everything from three-inch pinfish to sandwich-sized grouper. After a lunch of hot dogs, chips and watermelon, it was finely time to award the winners of the three age groups. Prizes were awarded for first through fifth places. Prizes included a half-day chartered fishing trip, passes to Mote Marine, gift cards to Fisherman’s Headquarters and Dick’s Sporting Goods, bags of lures from DOA Lures and Cotee jigs. We also awarded a Sportsman award to an angler who decided to help other fishers rather than compete. Parents had a chance to win in a 50/50 raffle, along with gift cards from Hooter’s and Outback.

Every angler received a prize or gift and had a great day of family fun. We raised $1,068 for the United Way and the event was such a success that we plan on holding the Kids Fishing Tournament for years to come.

Thanks Scout Troop 64 for helping with the judging and the shoreline clean up. Special thanks go to those who donated for the tournament listed in this story and to each of the charter captains who donated charter fishing trips, including Tony Blizzard, Erik Nicolson and Chad Gamble. A very special “thank you” goes to all of our volunteers. Without the help of each and every one of you, this event would not have been a success.

5 - 8 Year Old Winners: 1st Michael Shoeman2nd Wit Johnson 3rd A.J. Koller4th Austin Hinson5th Gavin Hughes

9 - 11 Year Old Winners: 1st Rand Folds2nd Joann Gigliotti3rd Robert Cavazos4th Joey Hughes5th Michael Bush

12 - 15 Year Old Winners: 1st Tashia Troxler2nd Jeff Streitmatter3rd Dakoda Dossy4th Gabe Streitmatter5th Garrett Donahue

Sportsman Award: Jacob Solano

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Manatee YourChoicePharmacist Saves Family $1,500 a Year in Co-paysBY MANATEE COUNTY’S CENTER FOR HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENTThe YourChoice Pharmacy Advocate saved one family $1,500 a year in co-pays by utilizing the County’s tablet splitting pro-

gram. Not only did this save the family $1,500 annually, it saved the YourChoice Health Plan $1,920 a year. This makes a combined reduction in medica-tion cost of $3,420, simply by

cutting pills in half. The family had two children on a very expensive

medication. Each child’s co-pay was $100 a month ($1,200 per child per

year). For one child tablet splitting allowed them to receive two months of medication for the price of one, thus reducing the family’s cost from $1,200 a year to $600. For the other child the medication could be quartered, so 30 tablets lasted four months, reducing the annual cost from $1,200 to $300.

This savings is much higher than the average savings patients realize by tablet splitting, between $50 and $200 a year, but Pharmacy Advocate, Dr. Chris Wil-liams said this example shows just how powerful tablet splitting can be. For some medications, tablet splitting is a very simple and effective way to reduce the cost of a medication. Many medications can be split to provide a savings to the patient including Crestor, Lipitor, Lexapro, Actos, Diovan, Singulair, Abilify, Seroquel and several others. Tablet splitting requires a new prescription from your doctor. To learn more, visit www.ManateeYourChoice.com or contact Chris at Ext. 6406 or e-mail at CWilliams@ManateeYourChoice.com.

Fabulous after 40 – A Seminar Series for WomenFabulous after 40 is a seminar series for women over age 40 to learn about the latest on fitness, nutrition, health, and weight loss. This seminar series will feature locally recog-nized leaders in women’s health who present the latest information on topics of interest for women. This free series began late July and will continue every Friday through August.

Seminar Topics Remaining this Month:Aug. 6, “Emotional Wellbeing – How to get it” by Shelley Stein, Licensed PsychotherapistAug. 13, “Your Body and Fitness” includes Talk and Demo by Natalie Johnson, Wellness/Fitness Special-istAug. 20, “How to Eat to Prevent the Menopot (BEL-LY FAT)” includes Talk and Cooking Demonstration by Florey Miller, Registered DieticianAug. 27, Hormones and Menopause by Marion Pan-discio, MD, Board Certified Gynecologist

Each seminar takes place in the Admin Fountain Room from noon to 1 p.m. Pre-register for any or all of the remaining seminars by e-mailing Rebecca at rgerlach@ManateeYourChoice.com or calling her at 741-2997.

This series is brought to you by the “YourChoice” Center for Health & Lifestyle Management. Details are posted on the YourChoice August Calendar and Weekly Reminders at www.ManateeYourChoice.com

New YourChoice Fitness SpecialistThe Center for Health & Lifestyle Management’s YourChoice Fitness Center is excited to announce the addition of Nicholas Villers to the team. As the YourChoice Fitness Specialist he will be responsible for the YourChoice Fitness Center operations, worksite exercise programs, outreach

and programming for field employees, management of the Medical Weight Loss Program, marketing and promotion of the Health & Lifestyle Programs and group and personal fitness consultations for members.

Nick is originally from Algoma, Wisconsin which is located right on the shore of Lake Michigan. He has a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology

from Lakeland College. He was the fitness specialist for Green Bay’s local T.V. stations for the past four years, while managing and personal training at fitness centers similar to the YourChoice Fitness Center. Nick enjoys hiking, mountain biking, art history, and travel.

Nick is available to see members at the Fitness Center or worksite. To get your Fitness Program started contact Nick at NVillers@ManateeYour-Choice.com or call him at 748-4501 x6280. Mem-bers of the Health Plan are eligible for five free fitness consultations.

Your Benefits WebsiteDon’t forget to access

www.ManateeYour-Choice.com for the monthly calendar.

Each month a new calendar is posted with all

the programs and services being offered that month…

such as, Group Fitness Schedule, Qualifying

Questions of the Week, Diabetes Workshops,

Tobacco Courses, Nutrition and Weight Loss

Classes, Special Programs, and more.

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Planning Dept. wins FPZA AwardBY MANATEE COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENTManatee County Planning Department was honored to receive recently the 2010 Outstand-ing Public Study Award for the Post Disaster Redevelopment Plan (PDRP) from the Florida Planning and Zoning Association (FPZA). Sharon Tarman and Katie LaBarr accepted the award on behalf of Manatee County.

The PDRP began in 2008 when the Florida Department of Community Affairs and Florida Division of Emergency Management selected

Manatee County as a pilot commu-nity in a statewide initiative to

establish guidelines for the development of the Post Disas-ter Redevelopment Plan (PDRP). The plan was intend-ed to map out long-term planning policies regarding redevelopment, infrastruc-ture, densities, non-conform-ing uses and future land use

patterns.

Planning for a catastrophic disaster in Manatee County is a daunting task. The essence of catastrophic planning requires cooperation among all governing bodies of Manatee County, civic

or- ganizations, the business community and the citizens. The goal of the

PDRP is to ensure that mecha-nisms, plans, policies and procedures are in place to facilitate the return of citizens and businesses to the County following a disaster.

The process of planning for the long-term recovery and redevelopment of Manatee County following a major disaster involves organizing community resources, identifying and assessing the County’s vulnerability to natural hazards and determining how to best recover from and redevelop areas impacted by those hazards. The product that is generated as a result of conduct-ing this planning process is a Post Disaster Redevelopment Plan that identifies specific recovery and redevelopment actions, each designed to achieve both short-term planning objectives and a long-term community vision.

The PDRP was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in 2009 and will become part of a “Best Practices” guide compiled by the

Florida Department of Community Affairs for statewide distribution.

President’s Distinguished Club honors bestowed on Power Speakers of MCG BY SIMONE PETERSONCongratulations Power Speakers of MCG for recently receiving the “President’s Distinguished Club” distinction from Toastmasters Interna-tional! The Distinguished Club monitors and measures a club’s achievements in two areas:

Educational awards: The number of Compe-tent Communicator (CC), Advanced Commu-nicator Bronze (ACB), Advanced Communica-tor Silver (ACS), and Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG), Competent Leader (CL), Ad-vanced Leader Bronze (ALB), Advanced Leader Silver (ALS) and Distinguished Toast-master (DTM) awards issued to members.

Membership: In order to properly conduct the educational program, a club should have at least 20 members. The program consists of 10 goals your club should strive to achieve during this time using the Club Success Plan as a guide. World Headquarters tracks the progress of your club toward these goals throughout the year, sending quarterly progress reminders to your club president.

By year’s end, World Headquarters calculates the number of goals the club achieved and recognizes it as a Distinguished Club, Select Distin-guished Club or President’s Distin-guished Club based on the number of goals achieved and the number of members it has.

Again, congratulations Power Speak-ers of MCG! Keep up the great work!

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Employee of the MonthCassandra Alston 1. What does your job entail? Eligibility Intake Technicians provide daily trips and customer service for individuals who are transportation disadvantaged and rely on Para-Transit for work, school, dialysis, medical, veteran service and other programs.

Our job is important because customers rely on our service for their needs. It is always important to be kind, courte-ous, respectful, diplomatic and resourceful as needed.

2. What is the most interesting part of your job?Having the opportunity to speak with and assist such a diverse group of people.

3. What is the strangest thing that has happened on the job?Our clients at times think we are a Greyhound Bus and request unusual destinations, like Day-tona Beach. Sometimes we even receive transport calls for exotic pets.

4. Where are you from?Trenton, New Jersey

5. What are your hobbies?Reading, music, gardening

6. Did you attend college? Where? What did you study?A & T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina – Business/Psychol-

ogy; United States Air Force

7. If you were stranded on an island and could have 3 items, what would they be and why?A survival kit, a hat and a lawn chair – somebody is going to rescue me!

8. What did you want to be when you were a kid?An astronaut

9. Do you have any pets?Not anymore but I enjoy them.

10. What’s your favorite song at the moment?“Jingle Bell Rock”

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Florida Women in GovernmentSave Our SeabirdsBY SIMONE PETERSONThe Greater Manatee Chapter (GMC) of Flori-da Women in Government is hosting a dona-tion drive for the Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Florida. The Suncoast Seabird Sanc-tuary has an army of 700 trained volunteers who can clean and heal oiled birds, but they need supplies. They are accepting donations from the Seabird Sanctuary’s wish list.

Some of the things requested include: deter-gents of any kind, liquid dish soap, AAA and AA batteries, newspapers, gas cards and baby wipes. View the entire wish list online at www.seabirdsanctuary.com.

“I came up with Save Our Seabirds because I feel that the birds need our help and we can help save their lives by donations,” said Kay Chitwood, a member of the GMC of Florida Women in Government and Save Our Sea-birds event organizer. “I found out that they were involved with the oil spill seabird clean up in the Pensacola area.”

To help save the seabirds, drop off donations at one of the donation sites around the County. Donations boxes will be picked up on August 16.

Utilities: 4410 66th St. W., BradentonPublic Works: 1022 26th Ave. E., BradentonAdmin. Building: 1112 Manatee Ave. W., BradentonCivic Center: 1 Haben Blvd., PalmettoPublic Safety: 2101 47th Ter. E., BradentonLena Road Landfill: 333 Lena Rd., BradentonAll County libraries

Another way to help the birds affected by the oil spill is to buy Dawn dish detergent. The company Proctor and Gamble who makes Dawn, said that for every bottle of Dawn dish detergent purchased, a dollar would go towards the oil spill cleanup. They have raised $400,000 and their goal is $500,000.

If you have any questions contact Kay Chit-wood at (941) 749-3075, ext. 3450 or e-mail kay.chitwood@mymanatee.org.

Kudos CornerPublic WorksTo: Patience Anastasio, Jim Anderson, John Armstrong, Cara Boyer, Todd Boyle, Priscilla Cantrall, Ken Einsele, Diana Falconer, Mark Jones, Steve Kollar, Chris Mowbray, Bruce Robertson, Shea Shoun, and Mike Wiepert.From: Wayne Troxler, Public Works Project Engineer ManagerPublic Works recently issued new CAD drafting standards. These standards, by making the construc-tion plans all in the same format, will lower the cost (saving the county money) and improve the quality of the product we provide our customers. Projects designed in house typically already cost less than half of what private consultants charge. This should lower costs even more.

To: Jack Frohmander, Public Works Mainte-nance SuperintendentFrom: Priscilla Cantrall, Engineering Tech in Property ManagementI had to call as a citizen to Public Works because I had a catch basin with a lid off at my intersection and another broken basin down the street. I do not know the man with whom I spoke in the morning but by the time I left work, I had a voicemail from Mr. Frohmander saying the crews had already been out and he explained what they were going to do. Thanks to Mr. Frohmander and the whole team for the fast response to get this taken care of before something did happen.”

Building DepartmentTo: Robert Page, Construction Inspections Officer II, and Danny Bryant, Sr. Construc-tion Inspections Officer

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From: Frank Joseph, Grand Slam Yacht SalesWe had our final inspections scheduled on our new replacement dock and your staff was a

pleasure to work with. The communication on scheduling was very good and allowed me to schedule my day around the inspections. Both Robert and Danny were very professional and helpful. We are new to Manatee County and just wanted to thank you and your staff for

the great service.

To: Sally Cook, Construction Review Special-ist Floodplain Mgmt. Section From: Steve Martin, Floodplain Mgmt. Spe-cialist Bureau of Mitigation in TallahasseeI want to thank you again for doing such a great job for CFM course attendees, FFMA, ASFPM and Manatee County in hosting the CFM course at University Park last week. Your organizational skills are amazing! You must be a very effective force in the County’s success in managing floodplains. Your work to diligently proctor the exam on Friday was also superb.

UtilitiesTo: Sarah Treglown, Utilities Customer Ser-vice RepresentativeFrom: Louis Cortez Sarah explained what the customer needed to do to get the water account out of his name. After Sarah hung up she continued to re-search his account and called him back to explain she had found that the tax rolls had changed and she could handle it from there. He was very appreciative. He felt she went above and beyond good customer service. She was very pleasant and professional.

To: Deborah Allan, Utilities Customer Service Representative; Tina Smith, Utilities Customer Service Representative I and Lavonnia Brown, Utilities Customer Service Representative IFrom: A customer who left a phone message saying what a wonderful person he spoke to about his account (Deborah Allan). She was very patient with him and repeated her an-swers to his questions until he understood. She was very pleasant and professional. He said she was well trained; hence, the reason that Tina Smith and Lavonnia Brown were included. This is a big compliment to them as well.

To: Larry Ewain, Utilities Solid Waste En-forcement Officer

From: Dave Stephens In today’s day and time there is not much to be expected in the way of customer service, yet Larry went that extra mile to help in any way he could. I am handicapped and receive rear-door service for trash collection. I recent-ly had no trash pick-up. One call to Larry and the haulers came right back for the pick-up. Larry is very nice. I was very impressed by the way Larry handled the situation.

To: Judy Lewis, Utilities Customer Service Representative, and Larry Ewain, Utilities Solid Waste Enforcement OfficerFrom: Rod Green My compliments to Judy Lewis and Larry Ewain for their excellent service. I’m happy that Manatee County has them as employees and I feel that tax dollars are well spent on them.

To: Cheri Fancher, Utilities Customer Service Center Manager From: Darcy Tippett Leahy, Waterlefe Property ManagementI just wanted you to know how wonderful Cheri Fancher was on the phone with me. I had several meters in a large commu-nity to check on and she was so patient and wonder-ful and went through them one by one. It is good for people to hear they have terrific people working under them and I wanted you to know how pleasant and truly helpful she was!

Parks & RecreationTo: Mark Taylor, Parks & Recreation Equip-ment OperatorFrom: Jean-Marie Moore I cannot compliment your County enough on your wisdom in keeping them clean, well-kept, lovely and unspoiled. On a recent visit I met a major reason for the cleanliness of your beaches: Mr. Mark Taylor, who operates the tractor that cleans the beaches. After watching him repeat-edly get off the tractor to make sure that all garbage was collected and the friendly way that he greeted everyone on the beach, I had to stop him and tell him how well he represents your County and thank him for the work he does.

Human ResourcesTo: Carol Laudicina, HR Employment Man-ager, and Mary Cannamela, Health Benefits/Support Coordinator

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From: John Altman, a former County employ-ee who had to leave the County on disabilityCarol and Mary have been very efficient and helpful making the difficult times he’s living through more bearable. They have treated me with kindness. I am very appreciative.

Congratulations to Leadership Academy 4 & 5 graduates:

Leadership Academy Class 4Donald Adams, Elaine Barker, Ryan Beggy, Janice Best, Bryan Boren, Bernie Brooks, Tameka Burch-Moore, Jeff Camden, Priscilla Cantrall, Susan Cooke, Chris Everingham, Kathi Gentile, Julie Hunnicutt, Renee Isom, Kevin Jenkins, Bradley Jones, Kelly Jordan, Sandy Kirkby, Martha McCaskill, Danielle McKee, Amy Merill, Michael O’Rielly, Carol Owisianki, Jeff Pace, Simone Peterson, Scott Pevy, Gary Phillips, Lynn Pierce, Kelli Polan-ski, Kathleen Ritchie, Michelle Stewart, Carol Thorpe, Angela Wilder, Mary Zuchniewicz

Leadership Academy Class 5Kerri Alderson, Henry Albritton, Susan Barfield, Anne Chance,

Rebecca Cresswell, Wendy Dean, Brenda Dillard, Susan Ford, Norman

Hager, Jerald Hill, Larry Jessup, Craig Johnson, Jo Kinley, Kevin Leonard, Gary Lorento, Josh Lyon, Kathy Man-ning, Brinton McClellan, Larry Melat, Amy Merrill, Stephanie Moreland,

Vickie Newby, Doug Orrill, Carla Peebles, Tammy Robinson, Jacob

Saur, Bonnie Sietmen, Jessica Smith, Phyllis Strong, Anna Syjud, Ronald Watson, Betty Willis, Harold Wolfe, Thomas Wood

PlanningTo: John Osborne, Planning DirectorFrom: Simone Peterson, Student/Worker Intern III would like to give kudos to John Osborne. I was not feeling too great after giving blood and he offered to walk me back to my desk to make sure I got there OK. That was really kind of him to do and I really appreciated it.

Property ManagementTo: Traci Moore, Fiscal Management Coordi-nator in Property ManagementFrom: Kurt Fowler I have found Traci to be most efficient and knowledgeable in my dealings with her. She has always been helpful and pleasant. She has been responsive and communicated well. She is a good example of the type of person that

Manatee County can be proud to employ.

Neighborhood ServicesTo: Jonathan Sabin, Neighborhood Services Infor-mation CoordinatorFrom: County AdministrationThanks for coming in, setting up and taking de-partment head pictures.

BuildingTo: Cindi Blake, Permitting Service Division Manager From: Jimmy Cindi Blake has been the answer for at least me here at DR Horton. It has truly been a pleasure to work with Cindi. She has been quick to resolve issues as they come up; she has always been very courteous and polite and goes out of her way to walk things through a cumbersome process to push something along. I am one of those “construc-tion guys” that can run into jams quite often and sometimes may need quick answers and quick resolve. Cindi has been able to do that every time. She truly makes a difference and it is very refresh-ing to know that there are still people out there that can focus on making an impact on someone’s daily business in such a positive way. Thank you from all of us at DR Horton.

Public SafetyTo: Matthew Smith, Charge Paramedic, and Tabitha Parker, Paramedic From: Jimmy and Rhonda We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Matt and Tabitha for their fast response and professionalism during a recent call to our home. The EKG appeared normal but we wanted Jimmy to be transported to Blake Hospital for further diagnosis. Once in the ambulance, Jimmy had sudden cardiac death. Had not been for Matt and Tabitha’s prompt response, I would not have Jim-my with me today. They were absolutely incredible and very caring. Not only did they revive my husband, they had security waiting on me outside when I arrived at the hospi-tal. The ER doctor contacted the cardi-ologist and a cath was done immediately. Matt and Tabitha stopped by twice, while in the hospital, to see how he was doing. They are a wonderful asset to the County. We are very grateful to them for their knowledge and assistance.

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HR CornerTraining OpportunitiesBY ARTHUR JEFFERSON“Supervisor and Mentor Training” is now going on. Dr. Ross Alander, from USF is the instruc-tor. Two of the four half-day group sessions have been completed and the course will be over on Aug. 13th.

There will be a “Coaching and Mentoring Forum” to begin around the first of October for the Leadership Acad-emy graduates and the Supervisors who are attending these classes. Dr. Alander and I will be facilitators of these forums. More information will be available in the

upcoming months.

The next Leadership Academy will start around mid-September. Sixteen partici-pants have signed up so far but there is a minimum of 25 to start a class. Anyone interested in the Leadership Academy should complete Form 217- Supervisory Development Program Participation Form located on the I-Net under HR Forms.

Future programs include the New Leader Transition Program and quarterly classes to help employees improve their perfor-mance competency ratings for their perfor-mance evaluations.

To learn more, call Arthur Jefferson at 941-748-4501 ext. 3862.

Calendar of EventsAfter School Blast ProgramEvent date/Enrollment period: Register-

ing NowAge restrictions: 5 - 14 years old

Cost: $30 Registration Fee. $45/Week. $22 Full Day (School’s Out Day)

For more information, call Mi-chelle Richardson at (941) 742-5923

Youth BasketballEvent date/Enrollment period:

Registering now

Age restrictions: 5 – 17 years oldCost: $65 per playerFor more information, e-mail Marcus.Francis@mymanatee.org

Walton Racquet Center Adult Fall Tennis LeaguesEvent date/Enrollment period : Enrollment begins August 2. League play begins Sept. 13 and runs 8 weeksAge restrictions: 19 and olderCost: $26 - $65For more information, call (941) 742-5973

Swim America swim-ming lessonsEvent date/Enrollment period: a.m. and p.m. classes in AugustAge restrictions: 6 months to AdultCost: $45 per sessionFor more information, call (941) 742-5932

Stroke SchoolEvent dates: Tues. and Thurs. evenings in AugustAge restrictions: Ages 6 years and olderCost: $55/monthFor more information, call (941) 742-5932

Event : Adult Softball (Men’s/Women’s/Co-ed)Event date: The Fall Season begins after Labor Day weekend.Age restrictions: 18 and olderCost: Men’s or Women’s teams: $400 + fees for umpires and scorekeepersCo-ed teams: $300 + fees for umpires and scorekeepersFor more information contact Mike Boman at mike.boman@mymanatee.org or call (941) 742-5926

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The Final Word“With each passing exercise, Manatee County becomes better prepared for a catastrophe.”On July 15 our community was presented with a chilling scenario: a Category 4 Hurricane Edward swept across Anna Maria Island and Manatee County with sustained winds of 160 mph. A 15-foot storm surge deluged the barrier islands. Only a handful of homes and roads were unscathed. Our community was left in a condition reminiscent of New Orleans after 2005’s devastating Hurricane Katrina.

Thankfully this was only a hurricane exercise, the latest in a series of coordinated drills led by our Public Safety Department’s Emergency Management division. As usual, we had impressive attendance and participation from nearly every corner of the county, including elected officials, emergency responders, municipal and Coast Guard representatives and local service organiza-tions.

The daylong exercise was broken into two lessons. During the first part of the day, we discussed roles in the immediate aftermath of the storm: restoring power and water service to areas without; handling the needs of those Island residents who did not evacuate; where to relocate hundreds of inmates who must be moved from the jail.

We discussed the long term recovery efforts during the second half of the day. Planning Director John Osborne posed a number of eye-opening scenarios which we’ll have to be prepared for if a storm ever hits.

Throughout the day, Emergency Support Function (ESF) groups reported to the entire Emergency Opera-

tions Center the challenges facing their area of expertise. Anytime these exercises are held, it’s reassuring to hear

the resulting exchange of ideas. These discussions always spur a number of interesting and important thoughts.

With each passing exercise, Manatee County becomes better prepared for a catastrophe. Public Safety Director Bill Hutchison and Emergency Management Chief Laurie Feagans and their capable team always conduct a thought-ful, informative exercise. They are to be commended.

Also, congratulations to those who took part in developing Manatee County’s Post Disaster Redevelopment Plan, which was awarded the 2010 Outstanding Public Study Award by the Florida Planning and Zoning Administration. The plan will be Manatee County’s framework for picking up the pieces after a devastating storm event.

No one likes the thought of a natural disaster ruining our community. But there is something comfort-ing in knowing we have the plans, the personnel and the proficiency to face any challenge head on.