During Friday’s Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Feb. 16, Human Resource Director Denny Harlan recognized city employees who have five, 15 or 20 years of service. Shown from left are board member Councilwoman Diane Quance; Travis Shipp, Oakwood Cemetery, five years; Ian Keirn, street department, five years; Austin Schaefer, street department, five years; Terri Keim, street department, 20 years; and Mayor Jeff Grose. Not present were Ben Cordell, wastewater treatment utility, five years; and Nancy Hobbs, clerk’s office, 15 years. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — Warsaw Human Resource Director Denny Harlan has been working for a while on a way to recognize city employees more.

He asked the Board of Public Works and Safety, Friday, Feb. 16,  for permission to enter into an agreement with AwardCo — an employee recognition software program — that will combine with the city’s Human Resources Information System and “allow us to do employee recognition on a bigger scale than we’ve ever been able to do it before,” he said.

Department heads all had attended a meeting where they saw an example of what the program looks like and how it works, Harlan said, “and everybody’s pretty excited for it.”

Mayor Jeff Grose told Harlan he appreciated him making a presentation earlier in the month. He told board member and Councilwoman Diane Quance that he felt like the department heads were willing to go forward with the program.

“I think there’s more work to do, but with Denny’s leadership and what this offers, I think it’s a great positive thing to start,” Grose said.

He said Harlan had budgeted for the program. “And then maybe we can continue to work in a positive direction to grow it and give us more opportunities to recognize our employees,” Grose said.

Quance asked if the start date was not until Friday (Feb. 16). Harlan said there will be eight to 10 weeks of set-up time.

“We’re going to use it as far as Jan. 1 forward,” he said. There will be some retroactive recognition. “We’re not going to let them go without, for sure.”

Quance said she thought it was a great first step with the potential for growth.

Grose said he initially had mixed feelings about it, but after going through two presentations with it, he felt like it was worth trying.

Quance made it clear that there were no monetary bonuses, but other type of awards. She made the motion to approve the contract and it passed 2-0. Board member George Clemens was absent.

After the meeting, Harlan said the software program gives the city the ability to give its employees “shoutouts” so they are recognized publicly for the good things that they do. He said they want the department heads to see and celebrate good things that they see happening.

“If a citizen calls in and gives somebody props, we want everybody to know that, ‘hey, these people are doing the right things.’ So, it’ll also help with service anniversaries, birthdays, things of that nature,” Harlan said.

The shoutouts are just for employees of the city through a “social media type of thing.” It’s all internal at this point, he said.
Harlan also recognized the service anniversaries of six city employees during Friday’s board meeting. .

In recognizing the employees, he said, in part, “It’s my distinct pleasure and honor to stand before you today to celebrate a significant and joyous occasion — the milestone service anniversaries of some remarkable individuals who have dedicated their energy, time and talents to our city.”

He talked about the employees’ accomplishments and contributions, as well as their hard work, dedication and passion “that not only shaped the trajectory of their own careers, but also played a pivotal role in the overall success of our city.”

Recognized for five years of service were Ian Keirn and Austin Schaefer, street department; Ben Cordell, wastewater treatment utility; and Travis Shipp, Oakwood Cemetery. Nancy Hobbs, clerk’s office, was recognized for 15 years of service, while Terri Keim, street department, was honored for 20 years.

In other business:

• EMS Chief Chris Fancil told the board he applied for a grant through the Indiana Homeland Security EMS Division for training equipment. On Thursday, he said they were notified they received the grant for $9,118 to purchase a simulation mannequin for training purposes. No matching funds are required for the grant. The board approved receiving the grant.

• City engineer Aaron Ott presented the final payment request from R. Yoder Construction for the Center Lake Recreational Trail construction in the amount of $42,995.80. The Sasso family donated $1 million for the project through a K21 Health Foundation grant. The board approved the final payment.

Ott also presented a supplemental engineering cost agreement for $7,400 with VS Engineering for additional services related to the alley improvements from Miami to Union streets and the Miami Street project. The additional cost increases the total cost of the contract from $32,900 to $40,300. The board approved the agreement.

• Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Brian Mayo presented, and the board approved, the annual fee agreement and employment letter for 2024 legal services provided by Beers Mallers LLP to the fire territory. The rate for the legal counsel is $150 per hour with a retainer fee of $500.

• In the payroll change report presented by Harlan, there were two firefighters (Kevin Terrazas and Bryce Good) who were awarded one year of longevity on March 3, and one part-time firefighter (Myles Scott) who earned his EMT certification so he received a little bit of a pay bump. Their pay amounts are $2,306.06 biweekly for Terrazas and Good, and $16.31 per hour for Scott. The board approved.

• Staci Young, assistant to the mayor, presented a contract with Language Matters for $2,500 for five months of document translation and management. The board approved the contract.

• Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Director Stephanie Schaefer presented a number of contracts for the summer concerts and the Summer Concert Series, all of which were approved.

Those included Brian Fravel, doing business as Pro Audio Service, to provide production for the rock concert at the Glover Pavilion on June 21 for $4,500; $200 per stage hand for each concert (rock and/or country) they work, including Tim Smith, Brian Neher, Brian Smith, Carrie Heflick, Paul Lafferty and Tad Heflick; $1,200 for Big Daddy Dupree’s Broke and Hungry Band, Aug. 9; $1,500 for Lightning Rod & The Thunderbolts, June 14; $2,000 for Kennedy’s Kitchen, July 12; $500 for Matt Gabriel, May 24; $1,000 for Moon Cats, June 28; $600 for The Lake Area Community Band, Aug. 2; and $2,550 for The Sound, June 7.

• Warsaw Police Department Deputy Chief Bryan Sherwin presented, and the board approved, a memorandum of understanding between the WPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as it relates to the AFT Project Bullet Task Force. The mission of the task force is to reduce violent crime. The MOU will remain in effect until Sept. 30, 2028, or until it is terminated in writing, whichever comes first.

• Brian Davison, stormwater utility superintendent, presented a contract with Christopher B. Burke Engineering LLC for 2024 MS4 on-call services, not to exceed $40,000. The board approved the contract.

Davison also presented, and the board approved, a contract with Anderson Property Management Solutions for $4,496 for 2024 rain garden maintenance. The board approved.

Finally, he presented a request to award the Park Avenue storm sewer improvements project for $249,999.95 to G & G Hauling & Excavating Inc. Bids were opened Jan. 19. The board awarded the bid to G & G.