City of Concord Awards and Recognition
Helen Putnam Award for Community Priorities Game
The City received a Helen Putnam Award of Excellence from the League of California Cities for the Penny for Your Thoughts community priorities game conducted at the Living Within Our Means public workshops held in early 2010. The exercise assisted residents in understanding the City's budget challenges, and provided the City Council with insight into which City serves were of highest priority to residents.
Median redesign wins Award of Excellence
The City's Parks Division received the California Parks and Recreation Society 2010 Award of Excellence in Maintenance Management and Operations for the Median Turf Conversion project and was also featured in the League of California Cities 2010 Summer Newsletter. Staff replaced the turf on 12 medians on Clayton Road, Diamond Boulevard and Concord Boulevard with new shrubs and plants that require less water, eliminate mowing, and make medians more attractive and better able to survive future droughts. The plant materials were funded with rebates from Contra Costa Water District.
Tending the community forest
Concord was named a Tree City U.S.A. by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the 30th year. This national award honors Concord's commitment to its community forest. Park Services maintains 1,080 acres of open space and 379 acres of developed parkland. The City celebrated Arbor Day in May with the planting of trees at Ellis Lake Park.
Fiscal Accountability
Concord received the Government Finance Officer Association (GFOA) Excellence in Financial Reporting award for the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). This is the 19th consecutive year in which the City has achieved this award;
Recognition
- Parks employees Juan Silva and Gary Ramirez were recognized for discovering and safely removing two pipe bombs from Newhall Park
- Employees Chad Freitas and Gary Hinrichs were recognized for discovering a residential fire, alerting occupants and containing the fire until the fire department arrived.
- The City was recognized on CBS5 news during the President’s Week Auto Sales campaign and the subsequent check presentation of $12,000 from the car dealers to community sports and music foundations.
- Downtown Concord was recognized on NBC3 ‘Today in the Bay’ in May when the early morning program was broadcast from Todos Santos Plaza.
- Camp Concord was recognized by the readers of Bay Area Parent Magazine as a “Family Favorite” for resident camping.
- The City was recognized for its participation in the 26th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day in September 2010. Beginning in Newhall Park, 41 volunteers removed trash and debris from 1.6 miles of Galindo Creek. In three hours, the volunteers collected 300 pounds of litter.
- Corporal Eric Olson was one of only 10 officers statewide to receive the California Office of Traffic Safety Award of Excellence.
- Presidential Service Awards and certificates of appreciation from local Congressional offices were presented to members of Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS), recognizing their significant contribution of 14, 055 hours volunteered in 2010.
- Volunteer and Emergency Services Coordinator Margaret Romiti received the California Emergency Services Association (Coastal Region) Silver Award of Excellence for her body of work related to Emergency Management and Preparedness. This award is presented for exceptional efforts in the area of emergency services.
- Officer Carleen Vinum was named the Kiwanis Officer of the Year. She was recognized for her energy, passion and diligent problem solving efforts with the homeless and mentally ill.
- Sgt. Tiffiny Leftwich was honored by Community Violence Solutions for her outstanding service to adult and child victims of sexual assault.
- Detective David Ishikawa was selected by the department as Concord Police Officer of the Year.
- Ryan Smiley was named the Police Department’s non-sworn Employee of the Year
- Mark Kincannon was recognized at the Police Department’s Reserve Officer of the Year.
- Pat Rishell was named the Police Department’s Volunteer of the Year
- Buster (with handler Corporal Dave Sweany) was recognized as the Police Department’s K9 of the Year