Maria Hernandez Park

The Daily Plant : Tuesday, September 3, 2002

CONGRATULATIONS AUGUST EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

The following is a partial list of those individuals awarded Employee of the Month for August on August 29, 2002. The other individuals will be listed in a future issue of The Daily Plant.

Emmanuel Alonzo is the Commissioner's Employee of the Month for August. Emmanuel is a city seasonal aide Parks Enforcement Patrol officer. He's in his second year with Parks, working from May through September. Assigned to Orchard Beach, Emmanuel's alert and quick actions on the evening of August 17 saved a man's life. While on ATV patrol, Emmanuel noticed a man swimming after the lifeguards had gone off-duty. He tried to get the man out, but the man refused. Suddenly, the man went under. Emmanuel quickly entered the water and, along with a park patron, rescued the man. EMS quickly came on scene and the man, who had been intoxicated, was saved. Emmanuel's dedicated and decisive action was the difference between life and death on that Saturday night. He displayed the best of Parks and Emmanuel deserves our esteem and appreciation.

Angel Laureano is the Bronx's Employee of the Month for August.
Angel joined Parks on November 9, 1981 and currently works as a SPMO for the Bronx Dispatch Garage. Angel helps manage the Bronx's 292 vehicles and countless other pieces of equipment. Angel runs the container truck, light tower, and front end loader operations for the borough, and helps set up a myriad of special events. Angel also helped develop recently a citywide training session on leaf vacuum operation and is on the front-line in combating vehicle abuse. This month, the dispatch garage has received high ratings in our pilot garage survey program that is just now being completed. Able and likable, Angel was nominated by Project Manager Corey Rishworth and PRM Eileen Connolly.

Carl B. Snipe is Brooklyn's Employee of the Month for August.
Carl joined Parks on March 17, 1975 and is an SPMO for Districts 3 and 4, which include Von King Park and Maria Hernandez Park. Carl trains, schedules and supervises over 100 POP and WEP workers who are critical to maintenance in the district. Together, they have helped the district achieve 96.3% overall ratings in 2002 - passing 52 of 54 inspections. Recently, Carl also reorganized the use of his staff and vehicles to establish an extra horticultural crew using existing resources. A can-do and serious Parkie, Carl has made a substantial contribution to Brooklyn Parks. He was nominated by PRM Jeff Sigadel.

Anatoly Zaydenshteyn is Capital Projects' Employee of the Month for August. Anatoly joined Parks on September 5, 2000 and currently works as 5-Boro's Supervisor for Olmsted Operations. As such, Anatoly oversees Capital's 140 vehicle fleet and coordinates maintenance of the Olmsted building and grounds. Anatoly's role is a new one, established in 2000 to address concerns with vehicle coordination and enforcement of rules at Olmsted. Anatoly has since developed a model system of trip ticket monitoring while ably balancing vehicle needs among Capital's many areas. He also oversees our building maintenance contractor and works hard to make this older building as comfortable as possible. Anatoly has brought the highest level of customer service to his new role and is a great asset at Olmsted. Affable yet zealous, Anatoly was nominated by Chief of Operations Keith Kerman and Assistant Commissioner Nancy Barthold.

ASK PROFESSOR GINKGO
Professor Ginkgo-man of letters, member of countless learned and tree societies, and preeminent scholar of All Things Parks-has left reclusion after nearly a century to help shed light on the puzzling questions that brush the news desks at the Daily Plant. His name honors the Ginkgo Biloba tree, which is considered to be the oldest species of tree in the world and whose leaves are believed to promote strong memory and mental sharpness.

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Tuesday, September 12, 1989)
BALLOON RELEASING BUSTED AT PARKS EVENTS
Releasing helium balloons at Parks events has been a long-standing tradition, but recently it's had a sinking reputation with New Yorkers concerned about the environment. The balloons that people find so attractive also look good to local wildlife-good enough to eat, in fact, causing a number of animal deaths in the area.

Parks recently banned large-scale balloon releases after receiving numerous complaints about their effect on wildlife. Special Events Director Pnina Michelson conveyed citizens' concern to Natural Resources Director Marc Matsil, who found that autopsies had in fact linked balloons to the deaths of turtles and birds on parkland and in other more remote areas.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
The aim of flattery is to soothe and encourage us by assuring us
of the truth of an opinion we have already formed about ourselves"
Edith Sitwell