Debby Cloninger enjoys being part of the solution instead of the problem. An Administrative Assistant III in Public Utilities, Cloninger spends the majority of her workday dealing directly with customers. Sometimes, those customers are not happy that their water service has been interrupted by an emergency water main repair or a street is torn up for water or sewer work.

Debby Cloninger

Those who nominated Cloninger for the Customer Service Award said that she is “always positive, supportive and works to lift others up.” Her colleagues said that Cloninger “is able to keep her composure and assist in a very professional and informative manner,” even when she is dealing with difficult customers. They described her as believing that it is her “duty” to provide the best customer service experience for all.

The award nomination also praised Cloninger for coordinating services with other departments and vendors and for calling customers to give them updates about repairs. She was commended for helping her coworkers with her “immense job knowledge,” especially with technology issues, and for helping others in Utilities Maintenance with their paperwork. She was described as a team player who is consistently giving without expecting anything in return.

Cloninger admitted that it can be challenging to deal with some unhappy customers, but she said that she enjoys the feeling of knowing that she has helped people. Although she said she was surprised that her coworkers had nominated her, she said that winning the award made her feel “valued” and “honored.”

It takes time and intentional effort to create a workplace culture that prioritizes safety. Colleagues say Wayne Bay makes sure safety is the top consideration every day, in every task or project.

Wayne Bay

A Crew Chief I with the Utilities Maintenance division of Public Utilities, Bay and his team install, maintain and repair water and sewer lines. That means working in trenches, which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies as one of the most hazardous type of construction jobs. The biggest risk is soil cave-ins, with one cubic yard of soil weighing as much as a car. And crews never know what they will find when they start digging, from buried storage tanks to unmarked utility lines.

Bay said the biggest challenges he and his crew face are the deep trenches and the unknowns that come with trenching and excavation. “All trenches must be made safe before employees enter,” Bay said. “I say a prayer every morning for the safety and wellbeing of my crew. We all want to go home to our families at the end of each day.”

Bay holds daily “tailgate meetings” with his Two Rivers Utilities team to review safety procedures for all of the tasks they will be doing that day. Colleagues say he also takes inexperienced workers under his wing and mentors them to be as safety conscious as he is. And he makes suggestions to supervisors on ways to increase safety with improved procedures or equipment.

The award nominations describe Bay as a role model who leads by example. In 21 years with the City, he has never had a preventable accident. Despite the dangers of his job, Bay described the City as “a fun place to work.” He said he enjoys training new employees and solving customers’ problems. Winning the award left him “shocked,” but he said it is a great feeling that his work and dedication are recognized by his peers.

The National Association of Town Watch recently honored Gastonia with an award for outstanding participation in National Night Out 2018 held at Eastridge Mall on Aug. 7 in the parking lot of Curt’s Premium Outlet.

Officers Patrick Daley and David Lingafelt organized the community celebration against crime. The event featured free food, door prizes, music from a live DJ, fun and public safety displays and demonstrations. Vendor/booth spaces were full, and thousands of people attended.

“Relationships and community partnerships are so important for community safety,” said Chief Robert Helton. “We are proud of this award and grateful for all the community support!”

A picture of Officers Daley and Lingafelt with the National Night Out 2018 award on the Gastonia Police Department’s Facebook page drew many congratulatory comments and praise. Here are a few of the comments:

“Hey! It’s big David! Congratulations!”

“He’s such a big sweetheart.”

“Way to go guys!!”

“Congratulations to you both. Well deserved.”

Events downtown and throughout Gastonia will get help now from a new employee in the Gastonia Parks and Recreation Department.

Christine Carlson was hired in November as an event planner/resource manager, a recently reclassified position in Parks and Recreation. Her job duties include downtown event planning, working with the Rotary Club for the downtown summer concert series, and helping with Parks and Recreation’s social media presence and marketing.

Possible downtown events could include four events a year like in the winter, spring, fall and the 4^th of July. The Rotary concert series will continue and there could be food truck days and jazz concerts in Center City Park.

“We’ll be looking for the lead from City Council of how many events they want and what our budget is going to be,” said Cam Carpenter, Parks and Recreation director.

Carlson will also serve as the contact person for event permits and In-Kind Services requests from throughout the city.

“She has revamped the In-Kind Services application process, working with IT and SeamlessDocs,” Carpenter said. “In a couple weeks you’ll be able to get it online. Instead of going to two or three places, this will be like a one-stop shop.”

Carlson holds a bachelor’s degree in Sport and Event Management from Johnson and Wales in Charlotte and served as the meeting and event planning intern for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Charlotte branch.

“Even from a young age, I always loved event planning,” Carlson said. “It focuses on bringing people together from all walks of life and circumstances to celebrate important events, whether it be a wedding, birthday party, or 4^th of July Celebration. I love creating something from start to finish, and focusing on all the little details in between, and then seeing people come out and have a great time.” 

2019 promises to be another busy year for City of Gastonia employees. Here are the Top 10 things to be aware of:

• FUSE project construction begins

After years of meetings, architect’s sketches and underground utility work, the Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment district will become more tangible in 2019. Construction will start this summer. Opening is scheduled for 2021.

• Water plant opening

The City’s renovated and upgraded water treatment plant on Long Avenue will be completed in 2019. The $60 million investment uses a membrane treatment process, the first of its kind in the state. Water from the plant will serve 100,000 customers in Gastonia and seven other municipalities.

• Two Rivers Utilities regionalization

In 2019, the South Fork Sewer Project will be completed, bringing all wastewater from McAdenville and Pharr Yarns to TRU facilities. A supplemental water interconnection will be constructed with Bessemer City and an emergency wastewater interconnection will be completed with Dallas.

• Developing a leadership academy

The Human Resources Department will begin a new program in March for interested employees to learn new leadership and management skills to assist with professional and personal growth.

• Revamping the City's monthly financial report
  
  
• Implementing a new evaluation system for City employees, including supervisor training
  
  
• Expanding and improving City employee recruitment and retention efforts
  
  
• Launching an app for City transit routes
  
  
• Completing the Parks and Recreation Master Plan
  
  
• Continued economic development with more businesses and restaurants coming to Downtown

2018 brought challenges, changes and a spectrum of achievements for the City of Gastonia. Some successes can be easily categorized by department. In other situations, employees from a variety of City divisions and departments pulled together to serve our residents, often working long hours in less-than-ideal conditions. Employees should feel a sense of pride for what we, together, have accomplished.

Major events: Maddox Ritch, FUSE, strategic plan, storms, restructuring, Gotha

No event generated more local news headlines in 2018 than September’s search for 6-year old Maddox Ritch who disappeared while at the City’s Rankin Lake Park. Several City departments assisted Police and federal authorities in searching for the child and eventually finding his body. City employees pulled together to professionally and compassionately handle the crisis that brought international attention to Gastonia for more than a week.

Along Franklin Boulevard, the City completed demolition of buildings, site preparation and moving utilities for the FUSE project. A preliminary financing plan for the sports and entertainment district was approved. The first private development was selected for the Trenton Mill pad.

The City Council unanimously approved the City's 2018-2020 strategic plan in April.


Inclement weather kept City employees busy during the year, especially those who work for Public Works, Electric, Police, Fire, Two Rivers Utilities and Solid Waste. 2018 storm events included snow in January and December, and Hurricanes Florence and Michael, in September and October, respectively.


Effective June 1, the City reorganized and restructured some of its largest departments:

• Dale Denton was promoted to lead the revamped Public Works Department.
• Joe Albright directs the reorganized Public Utilities Department.
• Community Services is the new name for six divisions led by Vincent Wong.
• Parks and Recreation, now under Cam Carpenter, took on new responsibilities and employees.

In May, several departments were represented when Mayor Walker Reid led a delegation of seven City officials and seven Sister Cities representatives to Gotha, Germany, to celebrate the 25-year partnership of Gastonia and Gotha.

2018 by City department:

Communication and Marketing:

• More than doubled the number of followers on the City’s social media platforms
• Created City News Source to provide information directly to the public and news reporters
• Created Employee Focus, a monthly e-newsletter for City employees

Community Services:

• Launched new bus routes in June and added two small, “light transit” vehicles
• Selected a new fixed-base operator for the airport, which improved the level and quality of services
• Offered homebuyer classes attended by 186 people
• Completed construction of three affordable housing units

Development Services:

• Launched a Pavement Condition Study
• Issued nearly 1,000 Certificates of Occupancy representing about $43 million worth of construction in Gastonia

Economic Development:

• Established the Economic Development Department with two additional employees to grow capacity
• Updated the Downtown incentive policy

Financial Services:

• Moved Customer Service to the Garland Business Center
• Updated the purchasing, fund balance, and investment policies
• For the 25th consecutive year, received awards for budget reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association

Fire:

• Received a Class 2 Insurance Services Office rating, among the top 2% in North Carolina and top 3% in the U.S. The ISO score is a measure of how well prepared a fire department is to fight fires and can result in lower insurance premiums for property owners.

Human Resources:

• Offered Workplace Violence Awareness training and Harassment Prevention training to all City employees, with assistance from the Police and Legal departments
• Conducted a comprehensive study of employee satisfaction, in conjunction with the UNC School of Government
• Named Judy Smith as full-time director

Parks and Recreation:

• Renovated Martha Rivers Park score tower and playground
• Completed a section of greenway from Ferguson Park to Marietta Street
• Partnered with Keep Gastonia Beautiful to plan and construct a Teen Garden in the Highland community
• Promoted Cam Carpenter to department director following the retirement of Chuck Dellinger

Police:

• Passed its first annual compliance review from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
• Implemented in-service leadership training attended by all sworn officers
• Successfully initiated targeted strategies to improve recruitment

Public Utilities:

• Completed installation of LED lights on Franklin Boulevard and replaced 909 street lights to reduce operating costs
• Received five Public Power Excellence awards from the American Public Power Association
• Completed a new substation for all Gastonia Technology Park customers
• Finished work on the Smyre neighborhood water improvement project
• Began treating wastewater from the Town of Stanley’s Phase II sewer project and replaced a water line serving the Town of McAdenville

Public Works:

• With Keep Gastonia Beautiful, launched the Adopt-a-Street and Adopt-a-Trail programs; added “Do Not Litter” signs in highly littered areas
• Introduced the WasteWise app for Solid Waste customers
• Added a stream monitoring gauge on Duharts Creek
• Restored 150 linear feet of Linda Street Stream

Schiele Museum:

• Completed the American Alliance of Museums reaccreditation process
• Completed the exhibit exchange with Sister City Gotha, Germany, the Schiele’s first international exhibit
• Opened a new featured exhibit, "Creepy Nature" 

Technology Services:

• Began upgrading software used for planning, zoning, building, permitting and code enforcement teams within Development Services
• Upgraded the utility billing payment application
• Implemented Seamless Docs to improve forms on the City’s website
• Released an updated version of the intranet CityNet

Wellness:

• Finished its first year surpassing its two goals for overall wellness and percentage of employees who participate
  
  

Some City of Gastonia employees share what they enjoy most about the holidays or what they're looking forward to this year.

Gastonia Police Department’s No-Shave November raised about $3,000 this year for Special Olympics North Carolina. During the fundraiser participants donate $40 to SONC and hand out a flyer about the campaign to anyone asking about their growing facial hair.

“It’s a fun opportunity and it’s for a great cause,” said Sgt. Scott Norton, GPD’s Special Olympics fund-raising committee chairman.

The mission of SONC is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

GPD’s Special Olympics Fundraising Committee members include Emily Burr, Laura Burton, Nancy Brogdon, Thomas Doby, Cody Edge, Adam Hudson, Stephanie Jamoulis, Sgt. Eric  Nelson, Jackie Quinley and David Whitlock.

Anyone interested in making a donation to SONC in honor of the Gastonia Police Department may do so online at http://sonc.net/give/. Also Chief Robert Helton has approved extending the No Shave fundraiser through the month of December with proceeds in December going directly to Sgt. Doug Carpenter and his wife, Leigh Anne, who will be undergoing an unknown number of organ transplants. The No Shave participation cost is the same, $40, and Sgt. Norton and Officer Quinley are the contacts. There is a Go Fund Me page for the Carpenters at https://gofundme.com/doug-and-leigh-ann-carpenter