Onslow Water and Sewer Authority Thanks
ONWASA's CEO, Jeffery L. Hudson, presents ceremonial oar to Rebecca Blount, GUC Board chair, and Randy Emory, GUC's Director of Water Resources.
Photo courtesy of The Daily Reflector
Jeffrey L. Hudson, the CEO of Onslow Water and Sewer Authority (ONWASA) attended GUC's September Board of Commissioners meeting to thank Greenville Utilities for sending an 11-member team to replace broken water mains and make repairs at the authority's water and wastewater treatment plants following Hurricane Florence. He presented GUC with a ceremonial canoe paddle with a handle wrapped in a flag motif and a plaque that stated "for assistance following Hurricane Florence."
Communicator of the Year Award
Steve Hawley, Communications Manager / Public Information Officer
Steve Hawley, Communications Manager/Public Information Officer (PIO), was named 2019 Communicator of the Year by the North Carolina City & County Communicators (NC3C). The award is named in honor and memory of Chris Coulson, a founding member of NC3C, and is presented to a member who demonstrates a passion for making a difference in the profession and in the lives of citizens. Steve was recognized not only for his work with Greenville Utilities, but also his success as PIO for the City of Greenville.
American Gas Association Safety Achievement Award
Gas Distribution Engineers Carl Smith (center) and Durk Tyson (right) receiving the award.
Greenville Utilities’ Gas Department was awarded the 2018 American Gas Association (AGA) Safety Achievement Award for excellence in employee safety. Award recipients are determined based on the lowest incident rate for the number of restricted or transferred days away from work. Companies are placed into different categories based on their size and type. GUC was recognized as one of the best in the Small Local Distribution Company category. “GUC is grateful to the AGA for the recognition of this significant safety achievement,” said Anthony Miller, Director of Gas Systems. “We are proud of this accomplishment because safety is our top priority.”
NC Area Wide Optimization Award
Water Treatment Plant staff GUC's Water Treatment Plant received the prestigious North Carolina Area Wide Optimization Award for the fourth year in a row. The NC Division of Water Resources included Greenville Utilities among the 57 out of 149 water treatment plants in the state honored for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2018. The award recognition is a state effort to enhance the performance of existing surface water treatment facilities.
In 1998, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed new regulations to reduce the risk of biological contamination. EPA then partnered with states to form the Area Wide Optimization Program (AWOP). This program introduced more stringent water quality goals and helps water systems meet those goals. North Carolina has participated in AWOP since 2000 and is one of 23 states to participate.
Backhoe Rodeo Challenge
Water Resources employees Derek Averill, Michael Silverthorne, Bennie Pittman, Josh Setzer, and Dean Roberson (left to right)
A team of Water Resources employees competed in the Eastern Water and Wastewater Network Backhoe Rodeo at the Bell Arthur Water Corporation Operations Center on October 11th. This annual event gives equipment operators from Eastern North Carolina the opportunity to show off their talents in operating a variety of excavating equipment like rubber tire backhoes and small trackhoes. It’s also a great way for operators to test their ability in performing tasks safely and quickly. Six different events took place, and scoring was based on the time taken to complete each one. Penalties were added to the time if the operator dropped a ball or pipe, touched or knocked over a cone, spilled too much water out of the bucket, etc. Representing GUC this year were Water Resources Equipment Operators Michael Silverthorne, Dean Roberson, Derek Averill, Bennie Pittman, and Water Resources Systems Maintenance Crew Leader Josh Setzer. Congratulations to Josh on placing second in the Slam Dunk Event and Michael on placing second in the Ball & Cone Event.
APGA Safety Award
Greenville Utilities’ Gas Department was one of 32 gas systems from across the country awarded the 2018 American Public Gas Association (APGA) Safety Award for an outstanding safety record. This makes the 9th year that our Gas Department staff has exemplified worker safety at a national level. APGA’s safety award winners are determined by their overall incident (lost work time) rates in a calendar year. Public gas systems are divided into six groups based on the annual number of man-hours worked. GUC falls within Group E with 70,001 or more man-hours.
Public Power Communications Awards
Public Information Officer/Communications Manager Steve Hawley (center) with Communication Specialists Erin Walton, Linda Clark, Emily Garner, and
Karin Fullington (left to right)
GUC's Public Information Office received two 2019 Excellence in Public Power Communications awards from the American Public Power Association (APPA). One award was for a video campaign and the other was for our newly redesigned website.
The video campaign emphasized the value of GUC. Each video in the campaign (a total of eight) focused on one of our utilities (electric, water, wastewater, and natural gas), as well as customer service. We featured some of our employees' children in the videos to explain how we help our customers and the community. Each video opens with one or two children stating what they think their parent does in their career at GUC. Then the video elaborates on the message, describing how our service is of value to our customers and community. Videos.
Our redesigned website was launched in December 2018. With a goal of making the site as customer-focused as possible, we studied analytics of the previous site. Using that, we designed an engaging new website with multiple pathways to give our customers the information and services they wanted and used the most. Customers and staff alike have given positive feedback about the site's new online chat feature where employees handle questions from customers quickly, easily, and efficiently. We also made sure that the new site works equally well on desktop computers and mobile devices, with full responsiveness.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Receives Safety Award
Jason Manning Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent
For the second time, our Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) received the George W. Burke, Jr. Safety Award from the NC American Water Works Association/Water Environment Association for the plant's "active and effective safety program and safety record." The first time GUC received this award was in 2008.
The purpose of this award is to encourage an active and effective safety program in municipal and industrial wastewater facilities, and to encourage the collecting and reporting of injury data. The minimum criteria for receiving the award is reported lost workdays and OSHA reportable incidents, and GUC's WWTP had none. In addition, the Plant was recognized for shifting from a "transactional safety culture" (rules, policies, and procedures) to a "transformational safety culture" where everyone is personally invested in their own, and their co-worker's, safe work.
"At GUC, safety is not something that is being done to employees or just rules to follow, it is a commitment from every level, to every employee's safety and well-being. It's great for GUC to be recognized for creating a safe work culture that is based on relationships," said WWTP Superintendent Jason Manning.
GUC Competes in Operations Challenge
Smooth Operators Team members: Top, from left: Travis Landaster, Kyle Meeks, Corey Mills.
Bottom from left: Steve Hedgepeth, Bryon Orr, Chris Hill
A group of Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) employees competed at the 19th annual Operations Challenge at the North Carolina Section of the American Water Works Association and Water Environment Association (NC AWWA-WEA) conference in Raleigh and came in third overall with a second place finish in two out of five events.
"Chris Hill and I were watching the competition last year and saw how those teams used their industry skills," said Jason Manning, WWTP Superintendent, "and we knew we had the knowledge and talent among our staff to compete at the highest levels. I talked to other GUC departments that compete in the rodeos and heard how it was a catalyst for skill development, increased safety awareness, and teamwork. Chris and I wanted that for our staff as well."
Our team -- the Smooth Operators -- included Pump Station Maintenance Crew Leader Corey Mills, along with Operators Bryon Orr, Kyle Meeks, Travis Lancaster, and Steve Hedgepeth.
The October competition in Raleigh included events in collections (pipe tapping), lab, safety, pump maintenance, and process control (WWTP simulator and exam). Our team placed third Overall, second in Collections (pipe tapping), and second in Process Control (simulator & exam).
Gas Department Earns Safety Award
Greenville Utilities’ Gas Department was one of 32 gas systems from across the country awarded the 2018 American Public Gas Association (APGA) Safety Award for an outstanding safety record. This makes the 9th year that our Gas Department staff has exemplified worker safety at a national level. APGA’s safety award winners are determined by their overall incident (lost work time) rates in a calendar year. Public gas systems are divided into six groups based on the annual number of man-hours worked. GUC falls within Group E with 70,001 or more man-hours.