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Fairfield is always interested in knowing of employees worthy of STAR status, defined as when a staff member exhibits the qualities of Service, Teamwork, Above and Beyond performance, and Reliability. If you know of such a person deserving of special recognition, nominate him or her online.

2006 4th Quarter Winner

While off duty on November 30, Police Sergeant Ken Gerold helped secure an accident scene and braved poor weather conditions to assist. While his wife waited in the car, Sgt. Gerold stayed at the scene of the crash, so other officers could track down the driver and passenger of the car, who had fled on foot.

Sgt. Gerold remained at the crash for the better part of an hour until a road unit became available to relieve him. It was cold and rainy, and Sgt. Gerold was not wearing a rain coat or other clothing to protect him. One person in the crash commented on how cold the wind was and mentioned how bad she felt for the off duty officer who was soaking wet and how cold and uncomfortable he must have been.

Sgt. Gerold went beyond what is expected from an off duty officer. His commitment to the City is apparent.

2006 3rd Quarter Winners

In the summer of 2006, the City retained Reliance Golf Management Company to conduct an operations audit and marketing plan for the Golf Course.  The completed audit and plan was due to be presented to City Council in late August.  On July 28^th, the RGM Company contacted the City and announced that it was walking away from the project.

Dave Hartman and Keith Crutcher, Golf Pros, were assigned to gather data and put together a report so that the project could be completed.  They did a very thorough comparison analysis of other golf facilities in the area.  The visited other courses and clubhouses, did price analyses (like the various prices of hot dogs, soda and greens fees) and gathered information on attendance and golf outings.

The team had been given 45 days to complete the analysis project and make a presentation to City Council in order to keep the project in sync with the plans for the new club house.  The analysis was completed in 30 days.

The report was presented to City Council on September 12 and made recommendations that would reduce the general fund subsidy to the golf course, improve efficiency and increase golf course revenues over a five to ten year period.

The project would not have been completed were it not for the extra time and efforts of Dave Hartman and Keith Crutcher.

Joseph Waldmann is a Network Analyst in the Information Technology Division.  He is being recognized for his extraordinary efforts in support of the Police Honor Guard.

In the words of Police Sergeant Lori Cresap:

“Over the past year, Joe Waldmann has assisted our Honor Guard on several occasions.  It started last October, when our Honor Guard was putting together its first training camp.  I was sitting at my desk attempting to put together a power point presentation for the school.  Joe noticed my frustration and offered assistance.  He spent several minutes explaining the program to me and how to utilize it.  After I completed the program, Joe took it home and, on his own time, dressed it up and added very nice visual effects.  The program turned out wonderful.

Joe then went even further by meeting up with the Honor Guard while we practiced.  Joe met us at the training site and set up the computer and power point/video presentation.  He explained the program and how to change screens and power point pages to each one of us.  He also listened to our practice and offered suggestions.  He again met us the morning of the class and ran the power point and made himself available in case we ran into any technical difficulties.

Since then, Joe has become the “go to” for any technical or computer related projects.  Joe is always happy to assist and always comes through.  He spends his own personal time at home copying DVD’s and photos for our Guard.  Our team knows that we can count on Joe’s assistance whenever we need it”.

In support of the nomination, Information Technology Manager Ben Warner adds, “There is no doubt that Joseph goes above and beyond consistently, and for other departments.  Joe is a great asset to the I.T. team”.

When Police Chief Mike Dickey arrived here in June of 1999, the headquarters for the 55 member Fairfield Police Department was one half of a former restaurant.

Early on, Mike Dickey recognized that a new police headquarters was somewhere on the horizon.  He started to put together ideas from other police departments – what worked, what didn’t.  He did research and took pictures and paid attention to detail.  He also talked to police officers, dispatchers and clerks at the Fairfield department to get their insights.

He put much of himself and his experiences in the design and layout of the facility.  He worked closely with the Judge and Clerk of Court in planning the various hallways and interfaces between the Court and the Police station.  He literally lived and breathed “new building” from the smallest detail to the biggest meeting rooms for over five years. 

Now that it’s up and operational, Fairfield police employees like the new facility and its positive impact on employee morale.  It will meet present and future needs for years to come – Thanks in large part to Chief Mike Dickey.

2006 2nd Quarter Winners

Brian Rose is the City's HVAC Inspector, and merits a STAR Award based on the nomination by his Department Director who writes:

"Brian continues to trouble shoot the various HVAC systems throughout the various City operations. The latest was the Municipal Building system during the heat spell around the Memorial Day weekend."

"Brian has assisted in the specification creation for the various systems in the Community Arts Center and the Justice Center. He also made contractors adhere to their promises during construction when trouble would arise as it did on the Justice Center regarding the pre-wiring of the roof top units. He has also assisted in the commissioning of all the HVAC systems at the Library, Community Arts Center and Justice Center." In addition, Brian isn't just there for the installation, he maintains an ongoing energetic vigilance to the HVAC systems as they age.

"I have found Brian consistently willing to get involved in all aspects of HVAC as it pertains to City operations including the role of engineer, facilities technician and troubleshooter. I feel this trait of 'going above and beyond' makes Brian Rose a good candidate for the City of Fairfield STAR Award."

A citizen, Peggy Mowry, who volunteers at Fairfield North Elementary School, and Parks Director, Jim Bell, nominated Sarah Goldschmidt, a part-time Recreation Programmer in our Parks and Recreation Department.

Earlier this year, when the Department began discussing expansion of it's after school activities and children's theater opportunities, Sarah volunteered to explore these avenues, even though Theater Arts is not in her background. Sarah researched various in-school theatrical programs and contacted the local elementary schools' PTC to gauge their level of interest in such a program. From these initial contacts, the Department's "Theater from A to Z" program was born; and this past school year, enrollment at South Elementary School, North Elementary School and Central Elementary School ranged from 40 to 70 children. The program is conducted weekly at the various elementary schools. Each individual elementary school then holds its final production in May at the Community Arts Center Theater. This spring's production was "Beauty is a Beast."

Ms. Mowry writes that the parents were very thankful and complimentary of the program. The Parks and Recreation Department now has a new ongoing youth theater program thanks to Sarah's above-and-beyond efforts.

Tim Bachman is the Director of the Development Services Department and often moves outside the responsibilities of that role to meet the needs of citizens in Fairfield and Butler County. He was nominated for this quarter's STAR award by Pastor Randy Moore of the Lindenwald Baptist Church. Pastor Moore writes:

"The Lindenwald Baptist congregation and I would like to take the time to acknowledge the efforts of Mr. Tim Bachman in your Planning Department. We recently ran into a snag during the permitting process of our planned new addition. Our land straddles the Hamilton/Fairfield line with the church in Fairfield and what is now a vacant field situated in Hamilton. We recently applied to Hamilton for a permit to pave our field for the additional parking needed for the new addition and was told by Hamilton officials that the only way to do this was to get the field annexed into Fairfield. The time it would take to get this done combined with the very rapidly escalating costs of materials threatened to shut down our plans of expansion. Mr. Bachman took it upon himself to contact the officials in the City of Hamilton and discuss other options. They agreed to allow us to add some legal verbiage to our deeds at Mr. Bachman's suggestion, which has allowed our project to continue on for the cause of Christ. Mr. Bachman should be commended for bridging the gap between Hamilton and Fairfield."

2006 1st Quarter Winners

Thousands saw the photos and news video of Fairfield Deputy Bailiff Tom Hall during a recent hearing when a person with mental retardation was charged in the murder of his roommate. The young defendant became emotional when the judge announced he would not be able to go home with his parents. Tom comforted the defendant with a compassionate, yet firm, embrace to maintain control of the defendant.

In the face of tragedy for the victim and the defendant, Tom’s actions showed a compassionate side of law enforcement, earning him one of two STAR Awards announced recently.

Fairfield Police Dispatcher Kris Vitale also received a STAR Award for her extra effort late one night during her shift. Officer Todd Adamson had communicated to dispatch the need for a sign language interpreter after an arrest of an intoxicated deaf individual who had become emotional. Kris met the two and — in addition to assisting with communication — also calmed the distraught individual on a personal level, defusing what could have been a volatile situation. Officer Adamson, in nominating Kris for a STAR Award, also commended fellow dispatcher Machelle Kibby who covered both dispatch stations during the ordeal.