HOLIDAYRECIPE

REVISED

DECEMBER 2014

Holiday HikeGet outdoors this holiday season and be eligible for some cool prizes.

United Way UpdateLearn how you can help the city reach its goal.

10 Desk ExercisesStuck at your desk most days? These exercises will keep you fit this winter.

or LOSE IT

LOCK IT

All the flavor with half the guilt. Learn how to revise this holiday classic in a few steps.

ContentsDecember 2014

Message from the Public Information Office

This Quarter in Pictures

Holiday Recipe............................................3

Desk Exercises...............................................4

2015 Holiday Schedule.................................5

Stocking Stuffer..............................................5

Good News.....................................................6

Exploration Station........................................7

Medication Management Clinic..................7

Cops Care........................................................8

Holiday Hike...................................................9

Department Head Lunch..............................9

United Way Update........................................9

Lock It or Lose It...........................................10

Mayco Bigelow Opening..............................10

Moving In, On, Up........................................11

COB Kace........................................................11

Feedback..........................................................12

Fire Department staff learn about the capabilities of the Regional Hazardous

Materials Resource Team.

Sheetz Distribution Center opens on Whites Kennel Road on November 15, 2014.

Water Resources, Kawanis Club and Elon’s Chapter of Lambda Chi participate in a

stream clean up.

The Burlington Employee Newsletter, otherwise known as the BEN, has been produced by the Office of Public Information since 1985. The newsletter has known many forms, from black and white and selective color to 4-page full color glossy and most recently a multi-page full color production. The addition of the City’s Public Information Technician, Teri Monroe, brings innovation, creativity and a new design for the BEN!

The December 2014 BEN features a magazine-style layout packed with vibrant images which will be available in multiple formats to meet the needs of our diverse workforce. Print versions will be made available; an interactive PDF will allow you to read the newsletter on a computer, phone, or tablet and to follow hyperlinks to more information. You can even

experience the newsletter as a true e-magazine by using the BEN ISSUE link: issuu.com/cob-pio.

Through the years and the designs of the newsletter, what has remained constant is that this newsletter is for and about Burlington City Employees. Try the new interactive form to submit your story ideas or suggestions to the Public Information Office, but you can always call (222-5076), stop by (suite 204 in the Municipal Building) or email (rkelly@ci.burlington.nc.us) with your feedback or story submissions.

Thanks for the work that each and every one of you do for our City. Happy Holidays!

-Rachel Kelly

Cemetery & Grounds staff plant 80 trees donated by the New Leaf Society.

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Holiday Favorites RevisedThere are just some staples of the holiday season that cannot be forgone. Instead of denying yourself of these traditional comforts, consider revising your recipes instead. There are a few surefire ways to revise recipes:

Maple-Roasted sweet potatoes versus sweet potato & MaRshMallow CasseRole

Nutrition Facts Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes Nutrition Facts Sweet Potato & Marshmallow Casserole

Serving Size: 1

Calories: 609Total Fat: 8.8gSodium: 257mgTotal Carbs: 131.6gSugars: 62.2g

Serving Size: 1

Calories: 96Total Fat: 2gSodium: 118mgTotal Carbs: 19g

ReCipeSERVINGS YIELD 12 servings, about 1/2 cup eachPREP TIME 10 minsTOTAL TIME 1 hr 10 mins diReCtions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Arrange sweet potatoes in an even layer in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Combine maple syrup, butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper in small bowl. Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes; toss to coat.

3. Cover and bake the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes. Uncover, stir and cook, stirring every 15 minutes, until tender and starting to brown, 45 to 50 minutes more.

ingRedients2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 8 cups)1/3 cup pure maple syrup2 tablespoons butter, melted1 tablespoon lemon juice1/2 teaspoon saltFreshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Instead of lots of butter, try coconut oil or canola oil.

2. For baked goods, substitute whole wheat flour, and applesauce for eggs. You can also reduce the sugar by 1/3-1/2. Instead add spices.

3. Cut back on toppings, condiments, and extra cheese. Instead use fresh herbs or bold flavor cheeses to achieve the same amount of flavor.

BEN

1. The Seated Leg Raise While seated, straighten one or both legs and hold in place for five or more seconds. Then lower the leg(s) back to the ground without letting the feet touch the floor. Repeat (alternating legs if raising them separately) for 15 reps. Underwhelmed? Loop a purse or briefcase strap over the ankle for added weight, or for more of an abs workout, add a crunch.

2. The Grim Reaper Scope out the office for a ream of paper, or a sealed package of printing paper. While seated, place the stack in between the knees and press legs inward, engaging the inner thighs. Continue squeezing the paper ream in place for 30-60 seconds while sorting through the morning’s flood of emails. (Now that’s multitasking!)

3. The Office GenieWant to add a little magic to the workday? Raise the legs into a criss-cross applesauce position while seated in a chair. With your hands on the armrests, push upwards to raise the body off the seat and remain floating for 10-20 seconds. After granting a few wishes, release back down to the chair, rest for a minute, and repeat. Craving more magic? Try this balancing act while in a chair that spins.

4. The “Crunch Time” CrunchWith both elbows on the thighs, try to curl the chest in towards the legs while resisting the movement with the arms.Hold for 10 seconds, release, and repeat times 10.

5. The Shoulder ShrugSimply raise both shoulders up toward the ears, hold for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat for 15 reps.

6. The Cubicle Dip Triceps dips can be done almost anywhere, including a cubicle. Using a sturdy desk or a non-rolling chair, sit at the very edge and place hands on either side of the body while gripping the chair’s edge. With the feet planted on the floor a step or two away from the desk or chair, straighten up the arms to lift up the body. Next, bend the arms to reach a 90-degree angle so that your body dips down, hold, and re-straighten while keeping the body raised above the chair. Complete 8-10 reps.

7. The Desk Squat Mastered the art of standing around? Add a squat! Start standing with feet together (and the desk chair pushed out of the way). Bend the knees slightly so the thighs are almost parallel to the ground, as if sitting in a chair. As you bend, raise the arms straight up or towards the computer screen. Keep the knees together and aligned. Hold for 15 seconds and release. Repeat for 4-6 reps.

8. The Last Man Standing Sure, standing around isn’t exactly traditional exercise, but research shows it’s got more than a leg up on sitting. After all, long periods of sitting are linked to increased risk for diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, whereas standing significantly increases your daily caloric expenditure. Stand whenever you can, and consider roping in other coworkers to have standing meetings too!

9. The Flapper Standing with arms by your sides and palms facing behind, pulse the arms backward for 5 seconds. Release and repeat for 12-15 reps. For best results, make sure to keep the arms long and straight!

10. The LumberjackStand and clasp the hands together, resting them on the right shoulder as if holding an axe. Gently swing the imaginary “axe” by straightening the elbows and moving the hands toward the left thigh. Next, bring the clasped hands to the left shoulder followed by a swing to right thigh. Repeat 15 times on each side, or until all office plants have been hacked down.

Brought to you by DESKERCISE

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HomemadeStocking Stuffer

Taken from “A Little Glass Box” BlogNew Year’s Day Thursday, January 1

Dr. King’s Birthday Monday, January 19

Good Friday Friday, April 3

Memorial Day Monday, May 25

Independence Day Friday, July 3

Labor Day Monday, September 7

Thanksgiving Thursday & Friday

2015 Holiday Schedule

November 26 & 27

Christmas Wednesday, Thursday Friday December 23, 24, 25

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Good NewsThe City of Burlington Office of

Public Information was awarded

an Excellence in Communication

Award for second place Broadcast

Public Service Announcement by

the North Carolina Association of

Government Information Officers

at their Annual Seminar held at the

Friday Center in Chapel Hill on

November 13, 2014.

The award winning PSA is titled

“This is Burlington” and was

produced by Teri Monroe (Admin)

as a general promotional piece to

highlight the best of Burlington.

Jordan Price (Maintenance Worker III, Streets Division) married Jessica Eckelbarger on June 14, 2014 in English, Indiana.

Madison Deanna SiernosBorn on June 20, 2014

to parents Mike and

Megan Siernos (Rec)

Jessica Hicks (Recreation) accepted the James Farrell Award of Excellence for the Senior National Softball Tournament hosted by the City of Burlington over Labor Day weekend, 2014. The award was presented by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) at its 83rd Annual meeting on November 13, 2014. At that meeting, the City of

Burlington was awarded the opportunity to host another ASA National

Championship Tournament in 2016. Recreation Director, Tony Laws was reelected to be the Southern Territory

Vice President for a seat on the ASA/USA Softball Board of Directors.

On November 14, 2014 Sgt. Mark Yancey and Lt. Mark Rascoe graduated the 70th AOMP (Administrative Officers Management Program) at NC State University.

Shannon Watkins (Fire), son

of Angela Satterfield (Police)

and step-son of Aaron Noble

(HR), was featured in the

“Volunteer Spotlight” for the

Local Government Federal

Credit Union. Shannon is a

member of the LGCU youth

advisory board.

https://volunteerconnection.

lgfcu.org/video-november-

video-spotlight-shannon-

watkins/

Burlington Police Officer Andrew Gerringer was presented by local students with a Kiki Camarena Award during Red Ribbon Week. The award, named in honor of the late DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, was given to Alamance County Law Enforcement Officers for their work in keeping drugs off of the streets. Recipients of the award this year were school resources officers, K-9 handlers, gang task force members, and VICE officers.

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Do you have a 3-5 year old? Are you interested in affordable and professional child care? Consider Burlington Recreation & Parks’ Exploration Station Program. Housed at Fairchild Park, the Exploration Station features learning adventures, hands on excitement in the outdoors, and a focus on combatting childhood obesity by incorporating physical activities throughout the day. The staff at Burlington Recreation & Parks wants to maximize each child’s early childhood experiences by engaging them with fun new concepts and new friends.

The Exploration Station runs Monday-Friday from 7:30am – 5:30pm at a very reasonable rate of $240 (city residents)! Call (336) 222-5072 for more information. Learn more at www.BurlingtonNC.gov/youth.

Submitted by Granville Simmons

The mission of the Burlington Police Department (BPD) is as follows: “… to improve the quality of life, in partnership with our community, through fair and professional police services.”

One of the many community partners that we have is the Medication Management Clinic (MMC), a non-profit service of Alamance Regional Medical Center. It is under the capable leadership of Director, Detra Morton.

Each year BPD is dispatched to many medically related calls for service. In 2013 MMC filled 6,623 prescriptions valued at over $2.2 million. Imagine if this service did not exist! How many more medically related calls for service would BPD be responding to for community members who could not afford their medications?

MMC can be reached at 336-538-8440.

The Medication Management ClinicWhat is it? And how does it help the Police?

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BEN

$500 was donated by the Sertoma Club. Renee Ward (Admin), the President of the Sertoma Club, presented the check.

COPS Care has become an annual and beloved tradition of the Burlington Police Department. Members of the Burlington Police Department take under privileged children shopping at Wal-Mart each December and provide them with a Christmas that they otherwise would not have. A week’s worth of groceries is also donated to their families as well as to some elderly shut-ins.

Last year, officers accompanied 75 children as they got to spend $100 each at Wal-Mart. The children are overjoyed and everyone involved with the shopping trip is profoundly touched by the experience. COPS Care is truly a demonstration of the community service provided the Burlington Police Department.

The event however, is not free. The BPD relies on community businesses and individual sponsors to make the COPS Care program a reality for the less fortunate children and elderly of our community.

If you, your family, or your coworkers would like to contribute a tax-deductible donation to help make COPS Care a success again this year, please contact Sheila Lackey at 229-3511 or Officer JD Khan at 964-0928 for more information.

Cops CaRe

Joey McDaniel of What Knots Massage has already been working his magic on City employees for a few months now. Massages are now being offered at Occupational Health! You can take advantage of a stress relieving massage for $1 per minute. Doctor Strickland can write prescriptions for Beneflex participants to be reimbursed for the service.

Massages can improve posture, relieve sports-related muscle pain, improve flexibility, aid in injury rehabilitation, and relieve headaches and tension. Why not give it a try? Schedule your appointment by calling Occupation Health today at 229-3584. This service is brought to you by your Wellness Council.

You Deserve a Massage

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Your Department Heads will be giving a Christmas Luncheon for all City employees on Thursday, December 18th from 11:30am-1:00pm at Thataways. Please plan to attend and enjoy great food and fellowship with your coworkers.

Stave away those holiday pounds by participating in the Holiday Hike! It’s not too late to track your physical activity and be eligible for a prize through the Wellness Council! Track your activity every day through December 31st and submit your Holiday Hike Log to Daniel Shoffner in the Planning Department by January 7th.

A drawing will be held during the January 8th Wellness Council Meeting to determine the winners. Do you still need a Holiday Hike Log? Contact Daniel at 513-5416 or at dshoffner@ci.burlington.nc.us.

Holiday Hike

Thanks to our generous employees, the Burlington United Way Campaign has raised over $48,000 so far! We still have a long way to go before

we meet our goal. Help us get there by participating in the Dell Mini Laptop raffle to take place on December 12th! Ticket prices are 1 ticket

for $1.00, 5 tickets for $4.00 or 10 tickets for $7.00. Get your tickets from your United Way Representative. Good Luck!

BEN

Did you know that 53% of Burlington’s reported Breaking & Entering of

automobiles were committed on unlocked vehicles?

Don’t be the next victim. Reduce your risk by removing any valuable

possessions in your vehicle from eyesight. Take them with you or store them

in a locked trunk. Always lock your vehicle doors and park in secure and

well lit locations whenever possible. Keep your vehicle and valuables as well

as the City’s assets safe by taking these precautions each time you leave a

vehicle unattended.

To report a crime or any suspicious activity, call the Burlington Police

Department at 229-3500.

After being closed for two months for extensive renovations

including, new bleachers, a new gym floor, fresh paint, asbestos

removal, new carpet, and furniture upgrades, the Mayco Bigelow

Center reopened on November 8th with a celebration! Chris &

Neal Rock Star Magic was a huge hit and graphic novelist Jeremy

Whitley signed copies of his comic in the newly renovated

North Park Branch of the Alamance County Public Library.

Mayco Bigelow Opens Its Doors

LOSE ITor

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IN ON UPNew HiresTrent Low Equipment Services MechanicFiladelfo Salgado Sanitation Equipment Operator IWalter Jefferson Network/ PC TechnicianBillie Dodson Police Officer IClinton McCauley Maintenance Worker II David Huffman City AttorneyBoyd McKenzie Equipment Services MechanicElizabeth Whitfield Wastewater Plant Operator IAlexander Shockley Police Officer IChristopher Chatman Water Plant Operator IDustin King Maintenance Worker IDonald Bateman Equipment Operator III

COB KACE

http://cobkace

Promotions Donald Wright Fire Lieutenant Joel Davis Fire CaptainChristopher Waller Fire EngineerLee Darden Master Police OfficerRick Hebden II Master Police OfficerAnthony Montero Wastewater Plant Operator IIJohnathan Khan Police Officer IIFranklin Aldridge Maintenance Worker IIMichael Roney Maintenance Worker IJoey Mitchell Maintenance Worker IJacob Allen WW Plant Operator IGraham Sappington Master Police OfficerDaniel Spell Master Police Officer

RetirementsWillie Graves Maintenance Worker II

Submitted by Rodger Burden, IT Director

Your IT Department has a new tool to help IT technicians to more efficiently address your computer issues. This tool called KACE will handle all helpdesk requests and send them to the appropriate technician automatically. We ask that effective immediately, all city employees use this tool to submit work orders for computer help. If you are not able to submit a request using your computer, we ask that you call our main helpdesk line at 222-5040 so we can submit the request for you.

You can access the KACE work-order tool by following:

*Your KACE user id and password are the same as your computer login.

Once logged in, you can create a ticket by clicking on the blue + New icon or by clicking Choose Action, and New to create a new ticket.

Next, fill in some information to help us identify the problem you are having. In the title field, create a short name for your issue. Under impact, select what type of impact the issue is creating for you or others. Then, select the category most appropriate to you; which is your location (City Hall, PD, etc). There is also a category for EDEN (if your issue has anything to do with EDEN, select this category and not where you are located). Finally, in the comment section, tell us some specifics about the problem you are experiencing. Underneath the comment section, there is a place where you can attach an image. This feature is very helpful and can save time if images such as error messages are attached. Click on save and you are finished.

We appreciate you helping us help you by using the new COB KACE system.

http://cobkace

Moving

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BEN

BEN SubmitThe BEN is all about City Employees. We want to hear from you! Do you have good news, a story idea or feedback? You can also fill out this form to sign up for the digital version of the BEN by submitting your personal email. Submit your completed form to the Public Information Staff.

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Your Comments

Division

E-Mail

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