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September 8, 2009

AND THE WINNERS ARE
This year’s General Manager’s Award recipients have been selected and the date has been set. Please join us in celebrating the following winners on Tuesday, September 29 at 10 a.m. in the Center St. report area.

Productivity Improvement – Fred Polsky, software systems engineer; Steve Berge, journey mechanic; Craig Catalda, LRV mechanic; Jeremy Ferguson, IDP coordinator; and the Air Conditioning Team – Scott Doggett, Steve Lyons and Paul Schlichting, journey mechanics

Sustainability – Meghan Oldfield, engineer IV

Communication – Steve Kautz, service programs manager; Juli Nations, dispatcher; Diane Goodwin, manager project communications; and Dave Tertadian, engineer V

Promoting Diversity – Angela Faison, bus operator

Customer Service – Kurtis McCoy, analyst maintenance systems; Catherine McLendon, mini-run operator; Chris Tucker, manager customer service; Bethany Berson, assistant on street;
and the Payroll Team – Linda Elliott, Shawna Huffman, Lonnie Jones, Young Sheibani and James Yazzolino

Partnership Development – Jared Anderson, government affairs coordinator; and Tom Strader, marketing analyst

Sustained Management Excellence awards – Jana Flores, operations specialist; Kim Akimoto, records analyst; Grant Hein, field outreach representative; Mike Carter, rail supervisor; Mike Grove, maintenance manager; Lee Well, spotter; AK Rucker, bus operator; Vern Goudy, streetcar operator; Willie Montgomery, bus operator; and Remedio Susi, bus operator

Green Line opens and bus changes coming this weekend

The Green Line continues to operate on the Portland Mall this week without customers. On Saturday, September 12, TriMet will celebrate the opening of the Green Line downtown and along the I-205 alignment. Bus service cuts will take effect Sunday, September 13. Complete schedule and Service Alert information is now available on trimet.org. Thank you to everyone who kept the service moving as the Yellow Line moved to the Mall last week. Our customers are excited to have new options for getting around downtown Portland.

Open enrollment coming soon

TriMet’s 2010 Annual Open Enrollment is just around the corner. We will be sending out your open enrollment packet to your home address in early October. If your address has changed, please submit an address change form prior to October 1st to ensure that you will get your open enrollment packet. Click here to print the form. If you have any questions, feel free to call the benefits hotline at 503.962.7625.

September brings two big events and two great 'Ask Me' opportunities

Thousands of customers will use MAX to attend the MAX Green Line Opening on Saturday, September 12 and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Sunday, September 20 and many will be new or infrequent riders. 'Ask Me' volunteers are needed to assist with service information and direction on Green Line Opening day, and with pre-event fare sales on race day. Each shift is 2 1/2 to 3 hours. If you haven't done 'Ask Me' duty before, training and materials will be provided. Family members or friends (age 18 or older) are welcome to volunteer with you. Please sign up by Friday, September 4. If you have any questions, contact Bethany Berson at 503.962.2334 or email bersonb@trimet.org.


Flu shots will be available soon

This will be a unique flu season because in addition to the seasonal flu, there is a new strain of flu known as H1N1.

Everyone is encouraged to get the seasonal flu shot when it becomes available. Kaiser clinics will begin immunizations on October 3. Visit www.kp.org/flu for all the details. Flu shots are now available for Regence BlueCross BlueShield patients. Find a list of flu shot providers at www.getaflushot.com. The vaccine for H1N1 flu will be available in mid-October and is recommended for five priority groups including children and young adults, pregnant women and people aged 25-64 with underlying medical conditions. Look for updates on H1N1 flu in future Express Lines and visit the Oregon Department of Health website for additional information.
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Service Milestones

25 years: Paul Hughes, operator; and Shayne Jenkerson, spotter



20 years: Paul Cotonzariti, traction substation technician

10 years: Nancy Amburgey, Dana Nafziger, Kim Ransom, Darrel Tanke and Greg White, operators;
Robert R. Brooks and Shawn Browning, rail operators; Carroll Kimmerling, mini-run operator; and Virginia Shank, senior research analyst



1 year: Jay Bush, Rodney Chambers, Hieu Do, Eric Fitzpatrick, Michelle Johnson, Howard Lee, Michael McCurry, Glen Scheiben, Alan Shotwell, Dale Tozier and Taft Washington, mini-run operators; and C. J. Peterston, service worker

Retired

Masood Abdul, operator,
18 years of service

John Dorner, operator, 29 years of service

Ted Downs, training supervisor, 30 years of service

Nathaniel Finley, operator,
23 years of service

Ruth Townsend, operator,
19 years of service

On the Move
Katon Jones, Charles McCoy, Stephan Vang, Carol Webb and Jennifer Webb, from apprentice mechanics to journey mechanics; John Hash and Christopher Lawrence, from rail operators to rail controllers; and Paul Sowards, from streetcar operator to rail controller

Service Milestones

1 year: Wyatt Baldwin, systems analyst programmer IV

Retired
Albert Jones, bus operator, 27 years of service

Dan McCormick, bus operator, 11 years of service

Congratulations
Greg Butler, rail operator of the quarter
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September 14, 2009

Grand Opening

I want to thank everyone for the years of outreach, planning, construction, training and testing – TriMet’s MAX Green Line opened to the public Saturday. More than 40,000 residents turned out for celebrations all along the alignment. The Green Line extends MAX to Clackamas County and connects with 50 bus lines, creating options for people throughout the region. We could not have reached this milestone without your hard work and responsiveness. Thank you for your hard work and continued dedication to serving our community well.

─ Fred Hansen, general manager

PSU Green Line celebrationTriMet’s MAX Green Line opened to the public Saturday morning with ceremonies at Clackamas Town Center (CTC) and Portland State University (PSU). The festivities kicked off at CTC with General Manager Fred Hansen joined by U.S. Reps Earl Blumenauer and Kurt Schrader, and Clackamas County Commission Chair Lynn Peterson and more. Guests boarded MAX and went downtown where they were met by PSU President Wim Wiewel, Mayor Sam Adams, FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff and Metro President David Bragdon. Public celebrations continued at Pioneer Courthouse Square, CTC and at MAX stations along I-205.
GREEN MEANS GO RIDE YOUR BIKE

So far, 48 TriMet employees have logged a total of 2,100 miles towards the Bike Commute Challenge. Holladay St leads the Golden Saddle competition with 899 miles. Center Admin and Center Transportation vie for 2nd with 305 and 286 miles, respectively. It’s not too late to join the fun. Sign up at www.bikecommutechallenge.com!