Friday, July 13, 2007

All of the items are on the agenda for the Public Utility Board Wednesday night passed, including election of Public Utility Board officers for 2007-08: Bob Casey, chair; Tom Hilyard, vice chair; and Laura Fox, secretary.

On Saturday, July 14, starting at about 8 a.m., there will be a partial power outage in the Administration Building lasting about two hours. The outage will affect only the HVAC system and elevators. Spaces in the building could become slightly warmer than normal during this outage. Alternate cooling sources for computer rooms have been arranged. If you have questions, contact Toni Rice, Generation, 502-8370.

The next blood donation date is Thursday, July 19, from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Conference Room. You may drop in or make an appointment with Viv Leach, 591-5539.

Roberto Singletary, Water Distribution; Sherilyn Christian, Field Operations; Cinda Johnson, Cushman Project; and Ken Kurtz, Energy Services, are eligible to receive donated PTO or sick leave. To donate, contact your timekeeper or Public Utilities Human Resources, 502‑8158, for a PTO/sick leave donation form. You also can download the form from the Human Resources section of CityWeb.

United Way

Here's an early chance to contribute to United Way and get a refreshing treat at the same time. Between noon and 2 p.m. in the Customer Service break room today, July 13, you can buy a mocha or an Italian soda for a suggested $2 donation. The break room door is located just to the left of the ladies' room on the Administration Building's main floor.

Community Event

Get that putter ready to toss in the lake! The 18th Annual Team Tacoma Charity Golf Tournament, scheduled to start at 1 p.m. on Friday, August 10, at the Oakbrook Golf & Country Club. To sign up or for more information, contact Jim Curley, Power Management, 502-8352, or visit www.teamtacoma.org. Sign up by Friday, July 13, to guarantee your team's spot; all remaining spots will be offered to corporate sponsors. For information about the course, visit www.oakbrookgcc.com.

Community Connection

Pets play an important part in seniors' lives. You can help low-income seniors with pets by giving Community Connection's canned pet food drive. It benefits the Seniors with Pets Assistance Program, which is dedicated to helping the many senior citizens on fixed incomes who cannot afford the costs of caring for a pet. The program provides pet food and supplies at no charge to qualified program participants and even delivers it free. Donation bins are in the Cafeteria, the Southwest Annex and Water Distribution through Monday, July 23. To learn more, visit www.seniorswithpets.org or contact Cindy Farmer, Human Resources, 502-8649.

Human Resources

Through the City's "Better Health, Better Life" health and wellness program, employees, retirees and their families now have access to a private Mayo Clinic Web portal at www.CityofTacomaWellness.org, where you can learn valuable information about a variety of health topics. You'll be asked for a registration ID to log on - current City of Tacoma employees use their employee number; retirees call Sandra Frasier, Human Resources, 591-5419. Spouses and dependents will use the same registration number that the employee or retiree uses. If you have registered on the site but have not received a confirmation e-mail, please check your junk e-mail folder. To allow future Mayo Clinic communications to be delivered to your inbox, right-click on the confirmation message in your junk e-mail folder; select "Junk E-mail" from the drop-down menu; and select "Add Sender's Domain to Safe Senders list." For more information, contact Sandra Frasier in Human Resources. And don't forget that in September, you and your family can use the portal to perform a confidential health assessment. You'll receive more information about that assessment as September approaches. For more information Becky Lee, Human Resources benefits manager, 591-5116.

Lunch and learn about diabetes and heart disease on July 18: Through the City's new health and wellness program, you're invited to a "lunch and learn" session on the prevention of diabetes and heart disease, presented by Eileen Walker of Regence BlueShield. She'll talk about managing chronic conditions and using preventive methods to stay healthy. The session for TPU employees is from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18, in the Auditorium. There will be free giveaways and an iPod shuffle door prize available to those who attend. For more information, contact Joe Nienalt, Human Resources, 591-5406.

Calendar

·         Employees who have personal cellular telephone accounts through Verizon Wireless might have Tacoma Public Utilities listed incorrectly as the account owner rather than the individual employee. All accounts must be transferred before July 18, or they will be disconnected and the number lost. Contact Rick Herrmann, Generation, 502-8226, if you have questions.

·         The 2007 Dog-A-Thon to benefit homeless pets is Saturday, July 21, at Fort Steilacoom Park, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Lee Root, 502-8148, with questions.

·         The Motorcycle Dam Run to the Cushman Project is Saturday, July 21. Please pre-register so that barbecue planners can have enough food on hand. The suggested donation to ride is $25 single, $35 two-up. Forms are available on CityWeb; go to Groups & Forums/TPU Community Conn and click on the link for the Dam Run registration form. Registration forms also are available in Community & Media Services, in the Energy Control Center or by e-mail from Ron Koecke, Dave Palmer or Frank Weite.

·         Tacoma Power is seeking artists to provide hanging art and create wall murals and/or a series of wall panels for Public Utilities' Administration Building. The deadline to submit art is 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 24. For information, contact Amy McBride, Tacoma arts administrator, 591-5192, or Sarah Hahn, Generation, 502-8209.

·         SAP's Shadow system will not be available through August 3: And because Shadow is a critical part of the back-up system, access after August 3 will be assigned only as needed. If you have questions or need access, contact any of the following: Dan Hilleren, 382-2730; Lorraine Stargel, 382-2701; Eric Pugmire, 382-2722; Kathy Everett, 382-2770; Debbie Tainer, 382-2656; Mary Rhine, 382-2629.

·         The National Arts Program visual art exhibit will be displayed at Public Utilities through August 21. A free reception and awards presentation will be held Thursday, July 26, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater lobby, 901 Broadway. Contact Naomi Strom-Avila, nstrom-avila@cityoftacoma.org or 591-5191.

Menu

Chef Bill Rankin announces the Cafeteria specials for the week of July 16-20. The Soup & Sandwich special costs $2.63 with a cup of soup ($2.81 for clam chowder and chili); Salad, $2.76; Hot Special, $3.03. Cafeteria staff can be reached at 502-8179.

Ø     Monday

·         Soup & Sandwich: Toscana Soup, Ham & Swiss Sandwich

·         Salad: Chicken & Cheddar

·         Hot Special: Grilled Turkey Bacon & Swiss on Sourdough, Fries or Salad

Ø     Tuesday

·         Soup & Sandwich: Beef Vegetable Soup, BBQ Pork Sandwich

·         Salad: Cranberry Spinach

·         Hot Special: Curried Chicken over Rice, Vegetable

Ø     Wednesday

·         Soup & Sandwich: Vegetarian Chili, Buffalo Chicken & Ranch Wrap

·         Salad: Fruit & Cottage Cheese

·         Hot Special: Back to School Lunch - Turkey in Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Vegetable, Roll, Cookie, Orange Wedge

Ø     Thursday

·         Soup & Sandwich: Chicken Enchilada Soup, Grilled Pastrami & Provolone Sandwich

·         Salad: Four Cheese

·         Hot Special: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Grilled Cheese Bread, Salad

Ø     Friday

• Soup & Sandwich: Clam Chowder, Seafood Salad Sandwich
• Salad: Chef
• Hot Special: Shrimp Scatter, Fries, Salad, Roll