John V. Lindsay East River Park

The Daily Plant : Monday, July 8, 2002

CONGRATULATIONS EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

The following individuals were awarded Employee of the Month for June. The remaining four winners will be announced in the Daily Plant in the coming days.

Ellen Macnow is the Commissioner’s Employee of the Month for June. Ellen joined Parks on June 9, 1997 with the Planning Division after earning a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from Cornell University in 1996. Currently she is Planning’s Senior Project Manager and is responsible for coordinating all of our greenway projects. Most recently, Ellen, along with Waterways & Trailways, produced the High Bridge Symposium which presented a vision for restoring the 1847 High Bridge, the oldest river span in the City. Ellen is Planning’s Project Manager for the Development of the Hudson River Trail Greenway Master Plan, a project that has involved intricate coordination with local community groups in two boroughs. She is also Project Manager for the Putnam Greenway, Harlem River Park, Regatta Park and the Soundview and Laurelton Greenways master plans, and represents Parks on the Mayor’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. For her dedication to keeping Parks future green and bright, Ellen was nominated by Chief of Planning Joshua Laird.

Darlene Mitchell is the Bronx’s Employee of the Month for June. Darlene joined Parks on May 14, 1999 and currently works as an After School Program Coordinator at St. James Recreation Center. After the school bells ring, Darlene keeps the learning going for an average of 50 children a day. Her educational and fun activities include computer workshops, one-to-one tutoring, drama classes, arts & crafts, and cooking. The St. James program was 1 of 2 chosen to receive funding from Derek Jeter’s "Turn 2" Foundation. An organized and hardworking friend to youth, Darlene’s efforts have helped St. James rate as one of Parks six "Model" recreation centers in OMP inspections. She was nominated by St. James Center Manager Kim McNeal.

Lauren V. Sullivan is Brooklyn’s Employee of the Month for June. Lauren joined Parks on January 3, 2001 as the Partnerships for Parks Volunteer Coordinator in Brooklyn. Lauren coordinated the parks’ support efforts of over 300 volunteers and nearly 100 ‘high devotion’ parks groups in northern and western Brooklyn. Last year, she helped mold a group of diverse and motivated parks goers in District 6 into a new Friends of Coffey Park group. Lauren also works closely with the President of the Lefferts Place Civic Association to establish regular clean-ups and events in Crispus Attucks Park. Her efforts to involve the community in the park encouraged a local Council Member to devote $100,000 in FY02 to the renovation of the parkhouse. Lauren was nominated by Borough Commissioner Julius Spiegel.

Patrick Woods is Capital Projects’ Employee of the Month for June. A government veteran, Patrick joined Parks on November 17, 1993 after having worked at Housing Preservation Development (HPD), the Department of Buildings (DOB), and the Board of Education. Patrick started as a project resident in Manhattan Construction where he worked on a number of high profile projects including Foley Square, Dag Hammerskjold Plaza, and the East River Park prototype comfort station. In July 2001 Patrick was named Deputy Director of Consultant Project Management for Construction. Currently, with a staff of 8 construction project managers, Patrick oversees approximately 60 consultant supervised projects with a total value of $65 million. Devoted to building a better city through better parks, Patrick was nominated by Chief Engineer John Natoli and Deputy Chief of Construction Administration and Support Pat Lombardi.

Muhammad Nadeem is Citywide Services’ Employee of the Month for June. Muhammad joined Parks on January 22, 2001 as Citywide Signs coordinator. Muhammad coordinates nearly 20,000 sign orders per year. He has played a key role in many initiatives including replacing wood routed signs with plastic, developing new signs like the consolidated park and playground signs, and making additional use of vendors. Muhammad also maintains Parks’ digital catalogue of signs and the signs database. Muhammad will now be testing his proven skills in customer service, vendor coordination, and organization in a new area: he will help coordinate operations at the 5-Boro repair garage. Reliable and talented, Muhammad has been a terrific new asset to 5-Boro. He was nominated by Chief of Operations Keith Kerman and Deputy Chief Dan Froehlich.

(Monday, July 17, 1989)

Don’t let the popularity of "Batman" fool you. Many humans go batty when they come near the mysterious, nocturnal mammals. Bats are feared and loathed as blood sucking, rat-like rabies carriers to be exterminated on sight.

Parkies at Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay Park are doing their share to upgrade the bat’s image. Wildlife Management Specialist David Kunstler, with the help of nature enthusiasts Joseph Butera and John Rubino, have erected bat boxes to serve as houses for bats in both Bronx parks—two in Van Cortlandt and one in Pelham Bay Park.

"I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money’s sake."

(July 8, 1839–1937),

Know Before You Go

John V. Lindsay East River Park