July - August 2012

July/August 2012
ONTARIO COUNTY
Volume 14 #4
This year’s employee picnic was a success; due to the hard work of many people.
The Board of Supervisors, for setting this day aside, County Administrator, Buildings and Grounds
staff for the fantastic help, FLCC for Ice, and Mary Green for use of the tent.
The Fair Grounds is the perfect spot with plenty of room, a huge building, and close for everyone
to attend.
We served 934 meals and 4 restaurant gift certificates were given out from the Board of
Supervisors.
Thank you for attending the picnic!
Picnic Committee
EMPLOYEE UPDATES
RETIREMENTS
Anne McFarland, Safety Program Assistant, Human Resources, 5/31/12
James McCaig, Investigator, Office of the Sheriff, 5/31/12
Laurel Doley, Registered Professional Nurse, Public Health, 6/2/12
Howard Keeney, MEO II, Public Works, 6/30/12
Robert Russo, Supervisor, Pump Station & Line Oper. & Maintenance, Public Works, 6/30/12
RESIGNATIONS
Danielle Verstraete, Nursing Assistant, PT, Health Facility, 6/8/12
Ana Baker, Staff Social Worker, Mental Health, 7/7/12
PROMOTIONS
Debra Wright, to Senior Clerk, from Account Clerk, PT, County Treasurer, 6/3/12
Donna Orr, to Senior Clerk, from Typist, Human Resources, 6/4/12
Toby Ralston, to Building Maintenance Assistant, from Laborer, Public Works, 6/25/12
Donald Havens, to Supervisor, Pump Station & Line Oper. & Maintenance, from Pump Station & Line Oper. & Maintenance,
Public Works, 6/30/12
NEW EMPLOYEES/APPOINTMENTS
Valary Muscarella, Real Property Tax Aide, Real Property Tax Services, 6/4/12
Teresa Shaffer, Registered Professional Nurse, Public Health, 6/25/12
Elaine McCaig, Account Clerk, PT, County Treasurer, 6/3/12
Calvin Battle, Licensed Practical Nurse, Health Facility, 7/3/12
Monica Siccardi, Licensed Practical Nurse, Health Facility, 7/3/12
Karen Valesko, Human Resources
TO ONTARIO COUNTY EMPLOYEES!
PIN CEREMONY
During the second quarter of 2012, 21 Ontario County employees reached a milestone year in their employment equaling a total
of 280 years. On Thursday, June 14th, in ceremonies throughout the county, service pins were presented to the following
employees:
Congratulations to . . .
35 Years
25 Years
Bruce W. Merklinger, Road Maintenance
James W. Kikkert, Jail
20 Years
Elizabeth A. Fischer, Probation Department
Paul C. Hagen, Sheriff’s Office
Charlene S. Jensen, Social Services
Cheryl Lockwood, Social Services
15 Years
10 Years
Richard J. Fanning, 911 Center
Marjorie M. Hinman, Health Facility
Jacqueline M. Mangiarella, Social Services
Lisa C. Phillips, Board of Supervisors
Sandra M. Seeber, Health Finance
Gary M. Foster, 911 Center
Loreen A. Giovannone, Health Facility
Carol A. Rowley, Health Facility
5 Years
Mary M. Burnett, Finance Department
Christopher M. Burt, Jr., 911 Center
James E. Feligno, 911 Center
Patrick J. Fegley, Social Services
Brenda A. Lyle, Health Facility
Ide S. Marshall, Human Resources
James H. Miller, Sheriff’s Office
REWARD & RECOGNITION
The June 2012 Pin Ceremonies saw many County employee’s being recognized for doing a little more than is expected, in some
cases it was a lot more!
Dawn Newvine is a part-timer in the Office for the Aging who is the definition of team player. Dawn does what needs to be
done for the good of the department; she stays late, flexes her schedule, recruits volunteers, steps up to the plate when coworkers are unexpectedly out-of-office and is the ‘go-to’ computer person for the office (always a good to have one of those).
And to top it all she does it with a smile! Thanks Dawn. 
Medical care is ever changing from paper record systems to electronic. The Health Facility recently went through such a
change that had to go as smoothly as possible because it affected each Resident. Heather Russell and Joe Koeptchney were
two key individuals who helped lead the change by taking on the role of in-house experts, or “super users”. Now, Joe will tell
you that Heather gets most of the credit but both of them took the time to learn the computer system, set up training classes and
answered countless questions. Many thanks to you both for making the transition so much easier.
Speaking of team players……Nellie Puma, Public Works Finance, has had a very busy year so far. While a co-worker was on
leave for three months Nellie did two jobs – hers and her co-workers! Even with doing double-duty Nellie never lost her positive,
upbeat attitude. Her extra efforts and positive attitude make working with her a joy.
Community Public Health staff, well…work with the public. And Christy Richards did a bang up job recently! She
coordinated a community outreach event that involved local business leaders, the Clifton Springs Hospital, the Mayor and even
a ribbon cutting by Senator Michael Nozzolio. Christy’s usual level of effort is 110% but this time she exceeded even that – no
detail was left unattended. Christy, you are a credit to the department and to Ontario County.
The last joint nomination includes me…..and I don’t like being in the limelight. But I couldn’t say no because I, too, wanted Carla
Mosher, from the Health Facility, recognized. Carla signed up for a Healthy Rewards training session with no experience in
using a computer. She was a little daunted but showed such determination to concur the computer world that I just had to offer
my assistance. Meeting weekly, we worked together to complete her chosen programs. With the additional help of a mentor at
the public library Carla now maintains her Healthy Rewards account on her own. Thank you Carla for showing me what can be
accomplished with determination and grit. (p.s. I miss our weekly visits.)
Jene Trimm, Human Resources
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The Employee Award & Recognition Program was established to recognize and thank employees who go ‘above and beyond’.
In the past the EAR Committee has received nominations for employees who do something extra special for their clients or coworkers or have come up with a way to save the County thousands of dollars or just gone way beyond expectations in
performing their duties. They didn’t just ‘do their job’; they did their very best for the client.
Please let the Committee know of anyone you think should be recognized at the September Pin Ceremony. The Committee
reviews all nominations two weeks before the ceremony so don’t delay – send it in today!
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
Kudos to Nurse Manager, Diane McDermott of the Health Facility. Her ties to the Victor
American Legion have assured that our Veterans at the Health Facility are never
forgotten. For Memorial Day gentlemen from the Victor American Legion came and
thanked the residents for their years of service by giving them a poppy and a stand
with three flags- the American flag, the flag for the branch of the military they served in
and the POW flag. Featured in the picture is resident George Gilbert, left to right
standing behind him are Dave Burton, Diane McDermott and Dan Williams.
Tammy Voeltz, Health Facility
BEST WISHES
The staff at RAIMS, we would like to congratulate Hans on his well deserved retirement. He has worked diligently for the last
twenty years making Ontario County’s Records Management Program a model example of great leadership and excellence in
service. His quiet determination, quick wit and sense of fairness have proved to be his winning combination in his friendships
and with his colleagues. We will truly miss him.
Rosemary Switzer, Records and Archives
"A record copy is the official copy of a record that is retained for legal, operational, or historical purposes. It is the complete, final,
and authorized copy of a record, especially the copy bearing an original signature or seal.” (Saffady, William (2004). Records
and Information Management: Lenexa, KS; ARMA International; pg.52.)
We use the term official record to distinguish records from drafts, convenience files, personal papers, and other nonrecords.
Problems will arise when there are many copies of a record and these copies are in different locations and in different formats.
The easiest solution is to stamp official record on the final copy. The department who produced the record is the department that
keeps it. This department is called office of record. If you make any changes to the documents after receiving it from somebody
else in the County you have created a new document and you have to save it as an original. If you receive a document from
outside the County environment, the document becomes an original since you may have to refer to it for several months or
years.
While there may be many copies of a document, the record copy is the official copy. In the presence of multiple copies of a
given record, the copy that will satisfy an organization’s legal and administrative retention requirements is termed the official
copy or the record copy. The department that maintains the official copy is designated the office of record for retention purposes.
When the same information exists in multiple copies; however a government agency or other organizations may designate one
of them for retention purposes. For example the Board of Supervisors’ Office maintains all of the County’s contracts as
permanent records. Therefore, if different departments have copies of the contracts and information associated with the
contract, this material can be discarded if no longer needed.
Not all copies of a given record need to be kept for the same amount of time. Retention schedules list separately and specify
retention periods for all copies of a given record. Retention periods may differ among the copies, and where legal or regulatory
requirements exist, one copy is designated as the official copy. An example is a multipart business form. With many business
forms, distribution instructions are printed on the forms themselves.
Rosemary Switzer, Records and Archives
Summer began on June 20, 2012 and it’s been really hot so far. It looks like we’re in for more hot weather before summer ends,
so here are few tips on hot weather safety.
The Centers for Disease Control claims all heat-related deaths and illness are
preventable. According to the CDC, between 1979 and 2003 excessive heat exposure
caused 8,015 deaths in the US. During this time period, more people in the United States
died from extreme heat than from floods, lightning, tornadoes, earthquakes and
hurricanes combined! The CDC explains that we suffer heat-related illness when our
bodies aren’t able to compensate and properly cool off during periods of high
temperatures and high humidity. The CDC says that the elderly, the very young, those
with chronic disease, and people with mental illness are at highest risk of a heat-related
illness. They advise staying indoors, drinking plenty of water and avoiding strenuous
activity to avoid heat-related illness. The CDC states the #1 way to prevent heat-related
illness is access to air conditioning. They suggest that if you don’t have air conditioning
at home to go to public facilities that do like libraries and spend some time there cooling off.
How do we know when there is an excessive heat event? The National Weather Service will issue an excessive heat watch
when conditions are favorable for an excessive heat event in the next 24 to 72 hours. The NWS issues a “watch” when the risk
of a heat wave has increased but its occurrence and timing are still uncertain. A watch is issued to provide enough lead time so
that those who need to prepare can do so. An excessive heat warning or advisory is issued by the NWS when an excessive
heat event is expected in the next 36 hours. A “warning” is issued when conditions pose a threat to life and an “advisory” is
issued for less serious conditions but when heat may cause significant discomfort and if caution is not taken, could lead to a
threat situation. The NWS also reminds us that the sun’s radiation will cause any objects it strikes to warm. For example, the
dashboard of a car or a car’s seat can easily reach temperatures in the range of 180F to more than 200F just by being exposed
to the sun. The hot dashboard, steering wheel, child seat, or car seat then heat the adjacent air by conduction and convection
and this can effectively heat the air trapped inside a vehicle. Because of this, never leave children alone in a vehicle even with
the windows down; teach children not to play in, on or around cars; lock your car doors and trunks even at home and keep the
keys out of the reach of children.
The American Red Cross offers these safety tips when you need to work in the hot weather.


Dress for the heat – wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. Light colors will reflect
away some of the sun’s energy. It is also a good idea to wear hats or use an umbrella.
 Drink water – your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you
don’t feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the body. Avoid using
salt tablets unless directed to do so by a doctor. People being treated for epilepsy,
heart, kidney or liver disease or who are on restrictive diets or have a problem with fluid
retention should talk with their doctor before increasing consumption of fluids.
 Eat small meals and eat often – foods like meat and other protein will raise metabolic
heat production and increase water loss.
 Slow down – avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the
coolest part of the day, which is usually in the early morning hours.
 Stay indoors when possible – if air conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor
out of the sunshine. Remember that electric fans do not cool, they simply circulate air.
Children, seniors and anyone with health problems should stay in the coolest available place and that may not
necessarily be indoors.
Be a good neighbor – during heat waves, check in on elderly residents in your neighborhood and those who do not have
air conditioning.
Here are a few general tips for dealing with health problems caused by excessive heat.





Dehydration – a loss of water in your body accompanied by weakness, headache, muscle cramps, dizziness, confusion,
and fainting. Drink plenty of water or “sports drinks” like Gatorade. Call your health care provider and if symptoms are
severe or don’t improve call 911.
Heat stroke – a very dangerous rise in your body temperature that can be deadly. A body temperature of 103F or
higher; red, hot, dry skin; fast pulse; headache; dizziness; nausea or vomiting; confusion and passing out. This is a
medical emergency. Call 911 immediately. Efforts must be made to cool the person and get them out of the heat. Do
not give anything to drink to someone who has passed out but if they are alert you may be able to give them small sips
of cool fluids.
Heat exhaustion – a serious health problem caused by too much heat and dehydration. If not treated, it may lead to
heat stroke. Accompanied by heavy sweating, muscle cramps, tiredness, cold or clammy skin, dizziness, headache,
nausea or vomiting, fast and weak pulse and/or fainting. Move these people to a cool, shady place. Drink plenty of cool
fluids like water or Gatorade. If you have high blood pressure or heart problems or if symptoms don’t improve very
quickly after cooling the person down, call 911.
Heat cramps – pain in the muscles due to over exertion. Although heat cramps are the least severe, they are an early
signal that the body is having trouble with the heat. Treat heat cramps as you would heat exhaustion and get the person
out of the heat into a cool, shady place. Drink plenty of water and cool fluids.
Heat syncope – fainting or dizziness caused by high temperatures. Lie down and put your feet up, and drink plenty of
water and cool fluids such as Gatorade.
Enjoy the rest of our summer and be safe.
Sherman Manchester, Safety Coordinator
The Community Garden, just to the west of
Ontario County Health Facility, is growing
produce and donating it to Office for the
Aging nutrition program kitchen. Community
Service participants from Workforce
Development and the Day Reporting
program have been doing the weeding,
watering and harvesting in unseasonably hot
weather.
Robert Friefeld, Workforce Counselor
Ontario County Fair ~ July 24-28, 2012
The Ontario County Fair is located on one hundred acres of level and well drained Ontario
County farm land converted into a modern and up-to-date Fair Grounds with one of the best laid
out Race Tracks in Western New York State. These Fair Grounds were developed through the
cooperation and hard work of hundreds of Ontario County's public-spirited citizens. There are
parking facilities for thousands of cars. There’s a Grandstand with seating capacity of over 4,000
people, well lighted Race Track, Fair Grounds, sanitary toilet facilities and parking areas.
Your Ontario County Fair is dedicated to the promotion of better Agriculture, better Industry and
better Education of our youths, as well as to offer a clean place for good entertainment and fun.
Visit us at: http://www.ontariocountyfair.org/
Since I am retiring on July 31, this will be probably the last time that I will nag you about records management issues. (By the
way, it has been a pleasure to nag you for over 20 years).
Once again I would like to remind you that there is a dire need to compress your records. The cost of storing paper records will
be a significant financial burden to Ontario County tax payers unless paper storage is reduced to an absolute minimum.
Records with a retention requirement between one and ten years can be safely scanned and kept in electronic format. However,
I urge you to make a backup copy of the records and store the backup away from your office. You could make arrangements
with the nice people at the Records and Archives Center to store your electronic backups. Electronic storage hardware has
become dirt cheap. You can get an external hard drive with a one TB storage capacity for about $100.00. Thumb drive capacity
has also increased significantly, but there is an inherent danger of misplacing the little things.
If you are one of the lucky individuals who are issued a new computer or new software, make sure your electronic records are
readable on the new equipment. Scanned records in either PDF or TIFF formats should be readable on new equipment, but the
Information Services staff will be able to advise you.
Theoretically, permanent records can be kept in electronic format, as long as you can make certain that the records are able to
be read in 200 or 500 years. We don’t know what technology will be like in 10 or 20 years, much less in 200 years. Acid-free,
lignin free paper and microfilm are really the only acceptable media for permanent records. Obviously, microfilm is preferable
because it takes much less room to store. If you scan your permanent records for convenience, you can send an electronic copy
to the microfilmers at the Records and Archives Center, and they will produce a computer generated microfilm for permanent
storage. An added advantage of microfilm is that we keep the master copy 70 miles from here for added security. Talk to Kris
Martin 4378 about computer generated microfilms.
Even if I don’t nag you about compressing records, I hope you will make it a part of running your office. The County really can’t
afford to fund another building expansion because of the enormous increase in paper storage.
Hans-J. Finke, Ph.D.
Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) are naturally-occurring bacteria that live in
bodies of fresh water. During sunny, hot spells they can multiply rapidly in shallow,
calm surface waters. Large amounts of algae form scums and “blooms” making
water look as if someone has dumped in gallons of paint; green to yellow to
reddish-brown. Some types of blue-green algae make substances that irritate the
skin, eyes, nose, and throat. If swallowed, these toxins can affect the liver and
nervous system.
Testing lake water for algae and toxins has limited value in predicting the safety of
water on a particular day. Algal blooms and toxins can dissipate rapidly or be
carried to another part of the lake by currents or wind.
Before using or entering the water it is recommended to simply look for blooms and scum. Humans should avoid contact
(swimming, drinking, bathing, etc.) with water that appears discolored or has surface scum until the bloom is no longer present.
Pets and livestock should be protected from contact, as well.
Currently, there are no confirmed reports of blue-green algal blooms in Ontario County waters. Public health officials are working
closely with the NYSDOH, DEC, Ontario County Soil and Water, and town officials to insure that the community is kept informed
about the status of our lakes in regard to blue-green algae.
Residents and visitors may report possible algal blooms to Ontario County Soil and Water at 585-396-1450.
Additional information about blue-green algae is available at the following websites:
cdc.gov
health.ny.gov
dec.ny.gov
co.ontario.ny.us
Have a happy, healthy, safe summer enjoying our beautiful lakes!
Hi there everybody. Hot enough for you? This reminds me of summers when I was a kid. Those hazy Hot Humid days of
summer. Stuff that songs were written about in the 50’s and 60’s. But probably most of you are too young to remember or even
care about that. Unless you have a pool or even better if your neighbor has a pool and is away on vacation (oops did I say that
out loud?) this is just too much for a lot of us. The only good thing about this weather is that I haven’t had to mow my lawn for a
month now. I thought that this issue I would give you a few links about beating the heat and staying safe out in the sun.
Have a good summer and as one of those songs I was talking about goes, “See you in September!”
Working and playing in the heat. How much sun is too much?
http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/outdoor/sun_safety.html#
http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/worksafe/content/safety_topics/Diseases_and_health/More_information/Sun_smart_at_the
workplace.html
How much water do I need when I’m out in the sun?
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/food-nutrition/nutrients/hydration-why-its-so-important.html
What about alcoholic drinks?
http://truestarhealth.com/members/cm_archives12ML3P1A45.html
Let’s get away from this heat.
How about a nice trip to a State park?
http://nysparks.com/parks/
And then there is the biggest State park in the Nation – Including Alaska by the way.
http://visitadirondacks.com/
It may not be getting away from the heat but remember August is State Fair Month!!!
(If you get too hot drop by the butter sculpture. I’ll be the one with the $.25 glass of
chocolate milk.)
http://www.nysfair.org/#
Talk to you in a couple months. Have a cool and safe summer.
Ray DeRuyter, Purchasing
Cats have keen senses. This isn’t news to many of
you, but Bailey and I like to think ours are some of the
best around. We know when it’s Monday morning, and
we know what time our people are going to walk
through that door, love us up, and shower us with treats.
Sometimes having sharp senses can get you into hot
water, and sometimes we point out the birds that get
trapped in our building so our people can help set them
free. (Hey, I’m a lover, not a killer, ok?) Recently we
sensed that our boss was retiring, maybe even before he
did, (yeah, we’re that good). Bailey and I thought we’d
better prepare for a “changing of the guard” so we can
help his replacement transition smoothly. Now everyday
when the boss slips out for lunch, we slip in to his office,
check his email, do a couple FOIL requests for him and
answer a few random phone calls if need be... ok, ok...
truth is we know he’s hiding more treats in here
somewhere. Bailey, check out the bookshelf, I’ll check behind this monitor....
The County of Ontario’s 457
Consolidated Plan
Summary Statement
Visions Update is the bi-monthly newsletter for the employees of Ontario County government. The purpose of this
newsletter is to convey information to sustain Service Excellence, to provide examples of leadership and positive
actions, and publish departmental news.
The editorial board is composed of the following:
Ray DeRuyter ~ Purchasing: 396-4444
Louise Heusler ~ Printing: 396-4051
Karen Valesko ~ Human Resources: 396-4405
Robert Friefeld ~ Workforce Development: 396-4592
Stefanie Lang ~ Public Defender: 396-4645
Important dates for 2012 publications are as follows:
September/October Issue
Editorial Board Meets and Articles Due to Printing by 9/13/12 • Publication Date 9/20/12
Please make every effort to work within these time frames in order to assure success in providing the newsletter in the
established timely manner. Please submit articles either on a disc or as an email attachment. We will accept hard
copies if there is no other format available. If submitted, electronic photographs associated with an article will be
considered for publication.
Questions, comments, or ideas are gladly welcomed by any editorial board member - we would like to hear from
you.