Dag Hammarskjold Plaza

The Daily Plant : Friday, February 2, 2001

CONGRATULATIONS, EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH!

Vincent "Jimbo" Grillo is the Bronx's Employee of the Month for January. Vincent began with Parks on May 11, 1981. He was an APSW in Pelham Bay Park for many years and has recently been promoted to Supervisor of Park Maintenance Operations (SPMO). Vincent supervises the borough crews for the Bronx which perform ballfield preparation, grand concourse maintenance, grass cutting, loader operations, and set up for special events. Recently, he coordinated the emergency clean-up of a dump site, and assisted with the Bronx's snow removal efforts. A dependable and resourceful new supervisor, Vincent was nominated by Revere.

Harris A. "Philippides" Kaplan is Brooklyn's Employee of the Month for January. Philippides began with Parks on October 4, 1999 after 7 years as a produce buyer and warehouse manager with the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P). Philippides took over for riverrun as Project Manager for the Brooklyn Garages. He helped Parks make a successful transition from Serco to First Vehicle Services (FVS) and has been a thorough and aggressive manager of Brooklyn vehicle issues. Vehicle out of service is 4.8% this month in Brooklyn. Phillippides also played a key role in responding to the recent snow storm. Talented and effective, Phillippides was nominated by Liberty and seconded by Kermit.

Steve "Pathfinder" Rizick is Capital Projects' Employee of the Month for January. Pathfinder joined Parks on September 30, 1985 and is the Director of Documents for Management Services. As such, he monitors the storage and retrieval of capital plans and park maps, and manages the blueprint and copying rooms. This past summer, Pathfinder helped with our West Nile Virus Abatement Project by researching the catch basins and sewer systems in over 200 parks and retrieving 1,685 drawings. He has also ensured that our blueprint copying facilities have kept paced with our increasing commitment. In FY00, his unit reports making over 4.5 million copies of specifications, reports, maps, and more. For his steady work and contribution, Pathfinder was nominated by Catalyst.

Matt "Townie" Meagher is Citywide Services' Employee of the Month for January. Townie began with Parks on December 19, 1983. He currently oversees Fleet Administration at 5-Boro. Townie maintains our Access fleet database and manages the extensive administrative needs for our 2,000 vehicles including tracking assignments, relinquishments, licenses, trip tickets, repair performance, and warranties. In the last year, he has played a lead role in implementing the MCMS system, which replaced FAMIS, and in responding to the Firestone tire concerns. Townie also works with DCAS to process our new vehicle purchases and address agency Fleet Count issues. Townie has a wealth of knowledge about our fleet and has been a major contributor to 5-Boro's success. He was nominated by Kermit.

Francisco B. "Corregidor" Carlos is Management's Employee of the Month for January. Francisco began with Parks on March 7, 1988 and is the Director of Concessions Audit. As such, Francisco reviews the finances of Parks concessionaires. Working closely with the City and Parks Comptrollers and Revenue, Francisco regularly inspects the premises and "books" of our over 500 concessonaires. His reports are submitted to Revenue which may exact fines or additional fees if the books have been cooked. Recently, his audit of a concessionaire generated an additional $22,000 to Parks due to under-reported income. For his many years of dedication and high quality, detailed work, he was nominated by StarkEast.

Pamela R. "Mocha" Strickland is Manhattan's Employee of the Month for January. Mocha joined Parks full time on March 1, 1995 and works as an Events Coordinator for Manhattan Special Events & Permits. Mocha's responsibilities include processing event applications and permits, helping Parks managers prepare for special events, and coordinating event issues with other city agencies. Her focus area is Districts 1 through 10, which include City Hall Park, Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, and Bryant Park, and she helped in 2000 with events including the World Series Parade and the Bryant Park film series. Hardworking and cheerful, Mocha also assists with ballfield permits and other matters in this very busy and pressured office. She was nominated by Kittyhawk.

Vincent "Thirteen" Musillo is Queens' Employee of the Month for January. Thirteen began with Parks on January 27, 1986 and is an APSW recently promoted to SPMO. Thirteen is the supervisor for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens flagship park. He supervises WEP, graffiti and horticulture crews and helps with borough-wide ballfield preparation. Regularly working hand in hand with his staff, Thirteen is well respected by Parkies and patrons alike. He was nominated by Ricardo.

Carlos A. "Amigo" Merizalde is Staten Island's Employee of the Month for January. Carlos started with Parks as a CPW on June 1, 1999 and works at the Staten Island Garage. Year round, Carlos transports vehicles for repairs and assists with garage operations. This summer, he was stepped up to APSW and operated the beach tractor and surf rake to clean Midland, South and Wolfes' Pond Beaches. Carlos quickly learned beach maintenance and helped Staten Island's beaches have a successful season. Hard working and reliable, Carlos was nominated by Dispatch Garage Supervisor Jeff Asklof.

Emily J. "Little Rhody" Brennan is the Commissioner's Employee of the Month for January. Little Rhody graduated from Brown University and began with Parks on June 16, 1999. Recently promoted to Deputy Director of Central Recreation, Little Rhody has worked on many of Parks big events including the Easter Eggstravaganza and the Halloween Party in Central Park. This past summer, Little Rhody coordinated Parks Summer Fun program at all 17 sites citywide. She has helped coordinate the Flag Football tournament and the Women, Children, and Girls in Sports program. In addition, she has brought her athletic skills to the job, teaching field hockey clinics as part of our Learn to Play Field Hockey program. Dynamic, hard-working, and professional, Little Rhody was nominated by Iceman. By Keith (Kermit) Kerman

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Friday, February 5, 1988)
"1X1" + "5X5" = MORE PARKS CLEAN-UPS AND REPAIRS

The successful citywide citywide "5x5" in-house clean-up and repair program has been one of Parks' greatest successes over the last two years.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

Disraeli on success: "The ability to grasp the main chance when it comes"