City Parks and Recreation Department Chosen to Receive Excellence in Planning Award

"The Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS) has announced that the City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department will receive the Excellence in Planning Award at the state conference on February 22, 2007 at South Padre Island.", according to Ms. Toby Brooks, chairperson for the TRAPS Awards Committee.

The Excellence in Planning Award is one of several achievements honored at the TRAPS annual conference. This year there were over 90 nominations in 26 individual award categories. Professionals from throughout the state will be present at the conference to receive these distinguished recognitions.

The El Paso Parks and Recreation Master Plan was titled "Platform for a Brighter Future" by Halff Associates and was two years in the planning. It was adopted by City Council in September of 2006 and is available at city libraries and the city's website http://www.elpasotexas.gov. The plan is enthusiastically supported by the city's neighborhood associations.

Ms. Brooks, also the senior services manager at West University Parks and Recreation Department outside of Houston said, "The Excellence in Planning Award is given to encourage and expand planning consultants and parks and recreation professionals in area cities. This is a big award."

El Paso won the award over San Antonio, Houston, Sugarland, Corinth, Pearland and Frisco Texas.

Dr. Norman Merrifield, director of the Parks and Recreation Department says, "This award demonstrates the efforts and commitment the leadership within the City of El Paso has to return the Parks and Recreation Department to one of excellence. It is an important step for the community to reaffirm the tremendous value of what a great park system contributes to a community. We now have an outstanding park plan that serves as the community's roadmap outlining the appropriate direction and resources necessary to get the job accomplished."

Sun Metro and the Citizen's Advisory Committee Encourage Public Input

Sun Metro continues to move forward and recognizes that engaging the public is key to furthering a collective view that’s necessary for effective implementation of service improvements.

Citizen's Advisory Committee Meetings are the avenue in which the public can use their first-hand knowledge to recommend service enhancements and to give positive feedback.

Omick and Dominguez welcome citizens to make their voices heard. The Advisory Committee will receive citizen comments at its monthly meetings. Dominguez hopes to go before the Mass Transit Board and provide recommendations based mostly on public input.

Next Meeting:

When:	February 20, 2007 @ 2:00pm (Meetings are held every 3rd Tuesday of each month)
Where:	Union Depot: Sun Metro Conference Room 700-A San Francisco El Paso, Texas 79901

Employee Internet Usage

For employees' reference, please see the following internet policy that was sent out to employees recently, regarding Unauthorized Internet Use.

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Parks and Recreation Updates

Three Hills Recreation Center
The Three Hills Recreation Center located at 7200 High Ridge in west El Paso is 85% complete and is anticipated to be open by the end of March. The Center, which is almost a mirror image of the Eastwood Recreation Center in east El Paso, will have two gymnasiums, a weight room facility and other amenities that will accommodate the large amount of anticipated attendance on the west side.

The Recreation Center will also have an extensive after school program for area children and the variety of recreation sports leagues. A neighboring park will encircle the huge complex which will have sports fields, playground equipment, along with the future development of skate and dog parks.

Northeast Sports Complex Needs Community's Help
The Northeast Sports Complex located in northeast El Paso is nearing it's scheduled completion in the next few months.  However, the grand opening is in jeopardy due to an influx of ATV's in the area that have run rampant over the brand new sodded grass in the area, also endangering the vegetation, irrigation and landscaping.

The Complex, located at 11270 McCombs, will be the first of three sports complexes that will be completed over the next few years. The others will be at Fort Bliss and in West El Paso near Canutillo High School. The Northeast Complex has 4 baseball fields and 3 soccer fields and will be a huge sport attraction upon completion.

If the ATV problem persists, the scheduled opening of the baseball fields in May and the soccer fields in June could be in jeopardy.

Siglo De Oro Festival Begins its XXXII Season

The MCAD, in partnership with the Chamizal National Memorial announces the XXXII season of the Siglo de Oro Festival, the longest running festival of its kind in the world. The festival will run for five consecutive days from February 28 to March 4 at the Chamizal National Memorial.

The Siglo De Oro Festival brings together theater companies from all over the world for free performances from the classics of Spanish literature. This year features groups from the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Spain.

Plays presented this year include: El Narciso en su opinión from Guillén de Castro y Bellvis by Brigham Young University; La Villana de Vallecas by Tirso de Molina presented by Teatro Rodante Universitario of San Juan Puerto Rico; No hay burlas con el amor by Pedro Calderón de la Barca from Escuela Superior de Arte Dramatico, Murcia, Spain; Risas aquí y después...ganancia! by Lope de Vega from Grupo La Hormiga-Lerma-Burgos, Spain; and La cueva de Salamanca by Juan Ruiz de Alarcón presented by Universidad de Veracruz.

All performances are in Spanish and free to the public and begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Chamizal National Memorial. For more information please contact the Memorial at 532-7273 or the website at www.siglodeoro.org

We Celebrate Our Heritage Series

On February 28, 2007, MCAD will kick-off the WE CELEBRATE OUR HERITAGE! Series - an ongoing effort to feature the art and culture of El Paso's ancestors.

WE CELEBRATE OUR HERITAGE - SPAIN! Spanish Heritage will be celebrated, in collaboration with the Chamizal National Memorial and Danzas Españolas, with a series of cultural events scheduled from February 28 - April 22, 2007.

XXXII Siglo de Oro Drama Festival - February 28 - March 4 at 8:00 p.m. Chamizal National Memorial (915) 532-7273 - www.siglodeoro.org.

"Zurbaran, Murillo, Valdes Leal, and Antolinez y Sarabia: Spanish Baroque Painting in the Siglo de Oro at the El Paso Museum of Art" Mar. 1 at 6:00 p.m. Lecture, by Dr. Michael Tomor, Museum of Art Director. View and discussion of original paintings will follow the lecture at the El Paso Museum of Art - (915) 532-1707.

Pies de los Gitanos - by Danzas Españolas - Saturday, March 3, 3:00 p.m. - ¡Bailamos! Discover the traditional world of Flamenco dancing at the Westside Library, 125 Belvidere - 581-2024.

New Rawlings Dental Clinic on its Way …

The old Rawlings Health Clinic located at 3301 Pera has been demolished to make room for the new Rawlings Dental Clinic, scheduled for completion in September 2007. The new Dental Clinic will enable the El Paso City-County Health and Environmental District to provide state-of-the-art dental services for the community. This new clinic will replace the existing clinic located at Tillman Center (222 S. Campbell).

The Department of Community and Human Development's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program funded the project, for a total of $614,813, to include:

• The demolition of the existing building and replacing it with a new 3,600 square-foot clinic
• Improvements to the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems

The Health clinic located at 3301 Pera had been vacant for over 7 years due to unsafe conditions and the cost of the major repairs it urgently needed. The new dental clinic will be located in Central El Paso. This new construction will enable many low-income families to have the opportunity to benefit from high-quality dental care.

Code Enforcement and El Paso Police Department Work Together to Bring an Illegal Dumper to Justice!

Crime Fighter, Nelly!

Look what a great job Nelly Avalos from Code Enforcement has done!!! On March 30, 2005 Nelly Avalos was called to assist the El Paso Police Department in an illegal dumping case. She was called out to measure piles and piles of solid waste to be used as evidence. She took photos of the suspect and his vehicle, ready to illegally dump solid waste on an illegal site. Even though Nelly did not draft the police report, her recorded measurements of the waste were a crucial piece of evidence the officers needed to indict the suspect. Nelly prepared for and testified at the non-jury trial before Judge Alma Trejo on November 29, 2006. The defendant received 365 days in jail, probation for 12 months, a $500.00 fine plus court costs, 80 hours of community service, and was ordered to clean up all the waste he dumped at the illegal site, plus show proof he disposed of all the waste properly. What a superior job Nelly Avalos has done! Way to go above and beyond the call of duty in the quest to keep El Paso beautiful!!!

Community and Human Development Welcomes New Faces to Department

On behalf of the Community and Human Development Department, welcome to the following "new faces":

Bill Lilly
Pat White
Andrea Tirres
Rodolfo Reyes
Sotero Ramirez
Hilda Gutierrez
Connie Jimenez
Leanor Aguilera
America Luna

Click here to see the "new faces" flyer.

Parks and Recreation Employee Chosen for Scholarship

Veronica Myers, Recreation and Sports Coordinator for Parks and Recreation, has been awarded a full scholarship by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to attend a USTA sponsored development workshop in Atlanta, Georgia. USTA, established 1881, is a non-profit organization that promotes and develops the growth of tennis and strives to make the game accessible to everyone. It is the largest tennis organization in the world. More information about USTA can be found at http://www.USTA.com

This workshop presents a great opportunity for Mrs. Myers to gather information about ways to enhance the tennis program in El Paso and network with hundreds of tennis community leaders from across the country.

Mrs. Myers has been doing an outstanding job for the city and the Parks and Recreation Department and is currently managing several recreation centers on the Westside of El Paso.

El Paso Zoo Has a New Friendly Face at the Gate

Meet Juan the ticket man! Juan Lopez (Yes, he has a last name) was born and raised right here in the Sun City. He is the first smiling face you see when you come to buy your Zoo tickets. Consider him your "Zoo Goodwill Ambassador". Juan's favorite animal is baby Mona the leopard. Come visit Juan and Mona daily at the El Paso Zoo - 4001 Paisano.

Environmental Services Welcomes Kurt Fenstermacher

Environmental Services is proud to welcome the newest member to our family, Mr. Kurt Fenstermacher. Kurt was hired as a Strategic Budget Advisor for the City of El Paso, Environmental Services in January.  A transplant from Pennsylvania, his wife Christina is an El Paso native. The primary focus for Kurt will be the launch of El Paso's new curbside recycling program, which is expected to begin April 22, 2007.

Kurt Fenstermacher was the Board President of the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP) and had served as the chairman of the Universal/Household Hazardous Waste Committee. Kurt previously served as the director of the Office of Solid Waste Management. As a county recycling coordinator, his efforts were directed to the maintenance of 25 municipal programs, along with the management of county wide household hazardous waste collection and composing programs. He has worked in government and non-profit management for nearly 15 years. Kurt has a B.A. in Government & Politics and English from the University of Maryland and an MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Parks & Recreation Employees to Present at State Conference

The City's Parks and Recreation Department will have two of their employees - Sandy Rodriguez and Brenda Romero - presenting a session in South Padre Island for the Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS) on February 22, 2007.

The session entitled "Caliente. It's Hot - Get the Party Started," which is sharing El Paso Parks and Recreation programming ideas and their success in the Sun City. Their topic will include setting up a theme with the taste of the border, including hands-on projects in arts/crafts, cultural awareness, games made of recycled items and music. It will also encompass the topic of "How to Prepare an Agenda on Planning Special Events," along with daring to think outside the box and how to add spice for healthy activities. The TRAPS Conference and Training Institute is attended by over 2,000 professionals in the recreation and leisure field.

TAKE ADVANTAGE

El Paso Zoo’s March Family Activities

March 24: 9:30am - 1:30 pm - 13th Annual Poison Jungle Safari. One Child in Free w/ paying adult with coupon. Families will learn about the dangers of household, animal and other poisonings. English & Spanish demos. Clowns, face painting & more!

March 31: 9:30 am - 1:00pm - 10th Annual Together for Children Half-price Admission. Help us kick-off the month of April as the "Month of the Child." Wear red, yellow or blue to support the well being of children. Join the Mini-March, followed by FREE educational activities for kids.

March 17&18: 11:00am - 3:00pm Habitat for Wildlife Weekend Different wild animals have different homes called "habitats." Zoo visitors will learn all about where animals live, how and why their homes are disappearing and what you can do to make a difference. Bring used cell phones & PDAs for recycling!

Upcoming Parks and Recreation Activities

All World Chess Tournament
The bi-annual All World Chess Tournament held each October and March, is coming up! The Tournament will take place Saturday, March 3rd from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Hilos de Plata Senior Center (4452 Delta). The event is open to 1st through 8th graders in the area school districts. The Tournament is being organized by Bill Wallace, coordinator of the Rae Gilmore Center.

The cost is $5 per player which includes a drink and a hot dog. The event is broken down into divisions by grade. There will be a champion for each grade in the competition along with a second and third place. The chess event is now in the 6th year. For more information on either event contact Bill Wallace at 915-751-4945.

Multipurpose Recreation Center
The following activities are coming up at the center, which is located at 9031 Viscount (598-1155).

Gus & Goldie Youth Basketball
Boys and Girls ages 4 - 7 years, age as of January 1, 2007
Fee: $35.00
Season begins Saturday, March 3, 2007


Spring Cleaning Rummage Sale
Saturday, March 24, 2007 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm inside the Multipurpose Center Gym
People interested in selling good, clean, used or new items from home
$10.00/ 6 ft. table space. SPACE IS LIMITED!!
Contract Richard Bustamante or Brenda Romero at 598-1155 for more information

Leona Washington Center
The center, located at 3400 Missouri (562-7071), will hold the following activities:

February  24	Open House at Leona F. Washington Community Center and enjoy what we can offer El Paso. Aerobics, Latino/Salsa Dance Classes, Afro-Cuban Dance Classes and Sports Leagues will be offered. Black History Month Rally will be across the street at Mary Webb Park and will have fun for the entire family.
March 30	Fashion Show from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to expose our after-school program to the world of fashion. An after-school project to teach self-awareness, self-esteem and pride in one's self.

Nolan Richardson Center
Nolan Richardson Center (4435 Maxwell), has an after-school program that is being run in conjunction with Americorps members that meets Monday-Fridays 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The children participate in various activities such as arts & crafts, board games, sports, field trips, special events and cultural activities. Americorps members also help the children with their homework.

Armijo Center
An Indoor Soccer league will be forming for ages 4 to 7 years old. Any coaches with teams can register at Armijo Center Monday through Friday from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and Saturdays from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. It will cost $30 per child with games played on Saturday mornings. The league will start the first week in March.

Sports at Chalio Acosta Center
Acosta Center (4321 Delta; 533-3207) offers the following:

1. Player ID's for $5.00 taken Monday to Thursday from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm and Saturday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm., must have Parent Class Card at the time ID picture is taken and the Original Birth Certificate. The ID's will be done at Acosta Sports Center.
2. Field Rentals Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, $10.00 for 1.5 hours without field lights (day time hours) and $25.00 for 1.5 with lights (nighttime hours) done at Acosta Sports Center.
3. Coaching Applications accepted Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm for $40.00 for two years. Must pass background check before Coaching ID is issued and are done at Acosta Sports Center.
4. Youth Basketball Gold Medal Basketball Tournament March 23-25, ages 12-14, $100 per team plus officials fees ($23 per game). Deadline March 17
5. Teenage Basketball League Registration Coaches meeting March 31, 10:00 am, Ages 15-18. Entry Fee $140 plus officials fees ($23 per game).

HEALTH & WELLNESS

It's Not Too Late to Get Your Flu Shot

The El Paso City-County Health and Environmental District still has plenty of influenza vaccine for adults and children at all seven of its clinics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, influenza vaccination should continue throughout the fall and winter months since influenza activity can circulate anytime from November through April. Every year in the United States, there are at least 200,000 people hospitalized from influenza and 36,000 people die from influenza. Cost is $10 and is vaccinations are provided on a walk-in basis. Call the Nursing Call Center at (915) 771-5822 for clinic hours and locations.

Diabetes
From www.fda.gov

Do You Have Diabetes?
Millions of people have diabetes mellitus, commonly called diabetes. You may be surprised to know that many of these people don't even know they have it. Diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored. If you have it, correct treatment can help you live a long and healthy life.

What Is Diabetes?
If you have diabetes, your body can't make or use insulin. Insulin helps change sugar into energy to keep you alive. There are different kinds of diabetes. The main ones are type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 Diabetes
This type of diabetes is mostly found in children and young adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin and you must inject insulin daily.
You May:

• urinate often
• be very thirsty
• be very hungry
• lose a lot of weight
• be very tired
• be irritable
• have blurred vision
• have trouble seeing.

Type 2 Diabetes
Most people with diabetes have this form of the disease. Type 2 is usually found in people over 45, who have diabetes in their family, who are overweight, who don't exercise, and who have cholesterol problems. It is also common in certain racial and ethnic groups (blacks, American Indians, and Hispanics) and in women who had diabetes when they were pregnant. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body cannot make enough insulin or correctly use it. Treatment is diabetes pills and sometimes insulin injections, as well as diet and exercise.
You May Have:

• any of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes
• a lot of infections
• cuts or bruises that heal slowly
• tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
• skin, gum, or bladder infections that keep coming back.

Controlling Diabetes
Daily monitoring and careful control of blood sugar levels are the most important steps to take for people with diabetes. If not treated, diabetes can cause:

• High blood sugar (which could make you thirsty, tired, lose weight, urinate often, or give you infections that won't go away)
• Many serious health problems (which could hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves, or heart).

Notice: Health Clinics' New Location

We are already on our way to making great progress and achieving great successes, as can be read about in this issue of the Employee Newsletter.

The City organization has a great deal going on, one major issue of interest – the current Charter Review Process.

The next step in this process will take place during City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, February 20th. The City Council will vote on the resolution calling for a Charter Election to be held in conjunction with the May General District Elections. The current revisions to the Charter that have been vetted in the public, by various committees, will be placed on the ballot in May to be decided on by the voters.

An additional information session for employees will take place Thursday, February 15 at the Airport in the La Placita Conference Center from Noon - 1:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm.

To view the current proposed Charter changes, click here.

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Contact Us

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