Highbridge Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, October 2, 2002

CONGRATULATIONS EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

The following individuals were awarded Employee of the Month for September on September 30, 2002.

Sachiko (Sony) Onishi is Citywide Services' Employee of the Month for September.
Sony joined Parks on June 7, 1999 and currently works as Parks Photo Archivist. Sony has made significant improvements in Parks' arrangement, organization and retrieval capability of its extensive picture archive. In the past year she has assisted more than 300 research projects, including several major film productions and PBS documentaries. She has helped us win more than $60,000 in state and private grants, and has played a key role in special projects including Arsenal Gallery art exhibitions. She even helped greet a foreign Japanese delegation visiting Parks. For her surely outstanding contributions, Sony was nominated by Jonathan Kuhn.

Sean Williams is Management’s Employee of the Month for September.
Sean joined Parks on February 7, 2001 in Citywide Services. This spring he moved to Deputy Commissioner Kavanagh’s office where he took on coordination of our beaches and pools. With one of the driest summers in recent memory, the beaches and pools were packed with visitors. Sean was up to the challenge. He helped implement our first international lifeguard program, served as a liasion to the lifeguards, beach operations and PEP, and spent much of the summer on scene. For taking the heat and steamy weather, Sean was nominated by Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh.

Patrick T. Oles is Manhattan’s Employee of the Month for September.
Pat has been with Parks since January 31, 1989 and is an SPMO with District 12 that includes Inwood Hill Park, Fort Washington, and Fort Tryon. Ratings so far this year in District 12 are 85% overall and 91% for cleanliness. This month, Patrick took the lead in the DIGITAS volunteer project at Highbridge Park. He trained and led 20 volunteers who renovated ballfields, repainted walls, repaired lawn areas and helped beautify the park. Patrick also coordinates equipment training and procurement for the district. For his proficient operations, Patrick was nominated by Jane Schachat.

Raquel Nunez is Queens’ Employee of the Month for September.
Raquel began with Parks on June 20, 1994 and is a recreation specialist at the ARROW Center. ARROW stands for “Astoria Residents Reclaiming Our World.” Raquel has been with ARROW from its beginning and helps run the center along with a co-worker. She has helped develop a number of programs at ARROW including an After School initiative and Mommy & Me. Raquel handles all aspects of the center including maintenance, administration and outreach, and has helped increase center attendance. For her real neat contributions to Queens recreation, she was nominated by Laura Gili.

Vincenzo Bonsangue is Staten Island’s Employee of the Month for September.
Vincenzo joined Parks on October 1, 1980 and is an Assistant Gardener working with Greenstreets. Vincenzo helps care for Staten Island’s 285 Greenstreet sites. He plants flower beds and helps monitor watering and maintenance crews. Vincenzo has very strong gardening skills and has worked to improve his horticultural knowledge through training at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Vincenzo was also an employee of the month as a CPW in October 2000. For his very beautiful contributions to Staten Island, Vincenzo was nominated by Gardener Patricia Magliocco.

Prepared by Keith Kerman and Sarah Coleman

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Wednesday, October 11, 1989)

MONKEY BARS WIN APPROVAL AT
ST. CATHERINE’S PARK IN MANHATTAN

Michelle and Bradley, first graders at Public School 138, prefer to climb the monkey bars at St. Catherine’s Park, and Daniel would rather play on the tennis court. But all three youngsters, and their 60 classmates, liked hot chocolate and muffins that were served after Mayor Edward I. Koch and neighborhood residents reopened the 1.4-acre park yesterday on First Avenue between 67th and 68th Streets in Manhattan, to celebrate the completion of a $1 million capital restoration.

The renovated playground has separate play areas for toddlers and older children. Other features include a sandbox; child safety swings; brightly colored wood and metal climbing equipment; safety surfacing; and turtle sculptures to climb and sit on.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“I never forget a face, but in your case
I’ll make an exception.”

Groucho Marx
(October 2, 1895–1977)