City Earns Gold & Silver For Safety

The City of Sanford brought home several awards from this year's Safety Awards Banquet, sponsored by the Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce and the NC Department of Labor.

Public Works Safety Officer Donna
Matthews with DOL Commissioner
Cherie Berry

About The Awards

The awards program is designed to stimulate interest in accident prevention and to promote workplace safety. Private and public firms from across the state are recognized with Annual Safety and Million-Hour awards.

To qualify for an annual safety award, an entity must have:

• had no fatalities during the calendar year at the site or location for which the award was given; and

• maintained an incidence rate at least 50 percent below the average for its particular industry group.

There are two categories for the annual awards: Gold and Silver. Gold is based on the Department of Labor's DART rate, which includes cases of days away from work, restricted activity or job transfer. The Silver Award is based only on cases with days away from work.

City of Sanford's Awards

Following are the awards won by the City of Sanford:

• Gold Award, Eighteenth Consecutive Year - Beautification & Golf
• Gold Award, Seventeenth Consecutive Year - Water Treatment Plant
• Gold Award, Sixteenth Consecutive Year - Financial Services
• Gold Award, Ninth Consecutive Year - Administration
• Gold Award, Ninth Consecutive Year - Engineering 
• Gold Award, Sixth Consecutive Year - Fire Department
• Gold Award, Fourth Consecutive Year - Community Development
• Gold Award, Third Consecutive Year - Big Buffalo Waster Water Treatment Plant
• Silver Award, Second Consecutive Year - Public Works

Congratulations to these departments and all award winners for their hard work and dedication to safety.

Public Works Department's 2013 Award Winners

The City of Sanford couldn't run without the excellent work of its Public Works Department. To recognize their efforts, Public Works employees are given special awards each May during Public Works Week.

The following are this year's winners (pictured with Victor Czar, Director and Jay Grainger, Superintendent):

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you for all you do!

National Night Out To Last All Summer

National Night Out (NNO) was created to be a night of unity and fellowship among neighbors and communities.

However, many cities -- including Sanford -- want to carry the idea of NNO throughout the  year.

In that spirit, the City of Sanford has planned three community events to help spread the word about NNO and further unite the community to work together against crime.

Mark your calendar for these events:

• Community Tour of the Sanford Police Department
  When: Friday, July 12 (6:30pm)
  What: The community (adults and children) are invited to take a free tour of the police department. The Community Policing division will lead the tour and answer all questions. You can also register for NNO or donate non-perishable food items to the CUOC. [Flyer for those not on Facebook.]

• 'Play It Safe' Family Safety Day at Spring Lane Cinemas on Douglas Drive
  When: Saturday, July 20 (9-11am)
  What: Bring the family out to learn how to walk, ride, and bike safely. The event features the following experts: Storm Endurance Sports, Carolina Animal Rescue & Adoption, Ammons Chiropractic Clinic, Sanford Fire Department, and Sanford Police Department. [Flyer for those not on Facebook.]

• Personal Safety for Families at First Baptist Church's Family Life Center
  When: Saturday, August 3 (1-3pm)
  What: Come learn basic self defense techniques for adults and children. You'll also get free gun locks and information on keeping your home safe. [Flyer for those not on Facebook.]

Official Night Out

The official date of National Night Out throughout the nation (with the exception of Texas) is Tuesday, August 6. We will publish a list of local NNO celebrations closer to that date for those who'd like to participate but whose neighborhoods don't have a coordinator.

If you'd like to coordinate an event, please use this form to register. You can find registration information and FAQs here. Download a flyer to post in your neighborhood here.

Here is our map of registered sites.

Questions?

To volunteer for any of the above events, or to register for NNO, contact Kelly Quinones Miller at 919-777-1133 or kelly.miller@sanfordnc.net.

Solid Waste Collection Transition In Full Swing

Last week, residents in the City of Sanford began getting brown roll-out carts to replace their Waste Management (WM) carts.

That’s because Sanford City Council, after weeks of discussion, voted on March 5, 2013 to enter into a new solid waste contract with Waste Industries (WI). The new contract will start on July 1, 2013, but WI is delivering its carts throughout the month.

Don’t Switch Yet

Residents should continue using WM’s roll-out carts until the company’s contract expires at the end of June, says Larry Craig, superintendent of Solid Waste Services for the City. WM will collect their carts during the week of June 24 when they come through.

Trash placed in the brown carts will not be picked up until July 1.

One Key Change

While the trash collection contractor has changed, most everything else will stay the same. You’ll continue to put your trash at the curb once per week. You’ll also continue placing recyclables in the blue carts and rolling them out once every two weeks.

What’s different: The change to WI may result in a new pickup schedule for some residents. WI will notify residents prior to July 1 if they are affected. Otherwise, pickup days will remain the same for both garbage and recycling.

Patience, Please

During this month of transition, the City asks all residents to have patience with both Waste Management and Waste Industries. The City is happy to help with collection issues, as are the customer service reps at both WM and WI.

You may report problems to the Service Center at 919-775-8247.

SPD & Safety Advocates Empower Parents to ASK

The Sanford Police Department wants to help curb the number of children with access to unlocked guns, especially with the number of accidental shootings climbing higher each day.

Together with the Sanford Fire Department and Lee County Sheriff’s Department, the Sanford PD is hosting an A.S.K. Day Celebration on Friday, June 21 from 3pm to 9pm in Depot Park. The day will feature games, bounce houses, face painting, food, and haircuts – all provided by local businesses to attendees at no cost.

[Download a flyer or share this image on Facebook.]

Why A.S.K.?

A.S.K. Day is a national initiative of the Center to Prevent Youth Violence (CPYV). It is meant to remind parents about the importance of asking whether there are guns in the places where their children play.

“Gun violence claims eight lives a day, and it doesn’t discriminate between adults and children,” explains Keiomi Evans, local police officer and the event’s coordinator. “Our goal is to educate parents on how to keep their children safe when the children are in other families’ homes,” she says.

Mylissa Bellamy, founder of The Matthew Bellamy Project, will speak at the event on June 21. Bellamy and her family began the Project after her son Matthew was fatally shot by a friend who was playing with a gun. The Project will distribute free gun locks to help reduce the number of children lost to accidental shootings.

While gun safety is the main focus, Evans hopes the A.S.K. Day Celebration will empower parents to ask about more than just guns. “National A.S.K. Day is a good time to remember that you should ask about other things before sending your child to the home of a friend or family member,” she says. Examples include will the children be supervised, are pools or ponds fenced in, and will an adult be in the home.

More Information?

For more information about the A.S.K. Day Celebration, to help sponsor or volunteer at the local event, or to learn more about the event, contact Evans at 919-775-8268 or on Facebook.

NNO 2013: A Night To Unite

The City is gearing up for yet another fun National Night Out (NNO) -- and we want your neighborhood to join in the festivities.

NNO, called "American's Night Out Against Crime," is a joint effort of local police and communities to organize neighborhoods to fight back against crime. It happens every year on the first Tuesday of August in cities across the country. This year, that's Tuesday, August 6.

In Sanford, NNO was first championed by long-time Council member Walter McNeil, Jr. in 1993, making this our 20th year of participation. The City's goal is to make this year's celebration bigger than ever.

[Click here for a list of frequently asked questions and answers about NNO.]

Stretching NNO Year-Round

While NNO happens only one night each year, the City also participates in Project 365, a program that encourages us to designate a problem in the community that we can tackle as a group over the course of a year to create safer neighborhoods.

This year, we are partnering with the Christians' United Outreach Center to reduce hunger in Sanford and Lee County. For us, a more food-secure community is a safer one, and by working together, we can make that goal a reality.

How it will work: At every event, coordinators will be asked to collect non-perishable food items to donate to the Center. Donations will also be collected at each NNO activity hosted by the City. In return, the CUOC will help keep track of our donations so that we can see what we've accomplished at the end of 365 days.

You can expect to hear more about this as the summer wears on.

First Step: Info Session

The first event in a full summer of activities will be an informational session for site coordinators where we'll get everyone signed up and ready to host an NNO party in August, which includes helping get streets closed, providing items to give away at your event, and more.

Mark your calendar: The meeting will be on Monday, June 24 at 6:30pm in the West End Conference Room of the Sanford Municipal Center at 225 E. Weatherspoon Street.

We encourage anyone interested in hosting an event -- whether it's the first time or the 20th -- to attend. We'll serve finger foods and desserts and give away a few prizes of our own.

Can't make it that night? You can register online using our Google form.

[Click here to download a flyer to share with your friends and co-workers. You can also RSVP via Facebook so we'll know you're coming.]

Questions?

You can direct questions, suggestions, or concerns to Kelly Quinones Miller, the City's public information officer and this year's program manager, at 919-777-1133 or kelly.miller@sanfordnc.net.

NNO Registration