Thank yous – May 2013

I would like to Thank You again for inviting my students and myself to your Open House. The students were thrilled and excited to see all the different displays that you had waiting for them. There were also amazed at all the different jobs the departments do within the city. I don’t really think the citizens of San Francisco know how much goes into taking care of their city and how hard the staff works for them on a daily basis. Please also thank Gretchen for us for making our day a memorable one. And a big thanks to your staff that really went out of their way to make my students feel important. They love all the little projects they made from the carpenter shop, sheet metal shop and the lovely plants. Thanks again to you and your incredible staff.

Bob Christensen

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Customer wanted to offer a commendation for the crew that is doing street and sewer repair at Fulton and 23rd Ave. She has never seen such a good crew and she is 86 years old. They are fast, hardworking, and courteous. Great Job!

Service order 423226 Patricia

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Thank you so much for repaving Chain of Lakes Drive between JFK and Fulton Ave. – it looks great and was long overdue.

Yours truly,

Michael Brant San Francisco Parks Trust

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Urban Harvesting Program went out to day and harvest 75 Pounds of Lemon and donated to San Francisco Food Bank.  The property owner’s husband was so happy to see us.  He stated – that no one has come in  the last several months to harvest their fruit tree.  He wanted us to take all the lemons for the good deed the city is doing.

Nancy Wong

NEW HIRES/REHIRES (3/14/2013 – 4/25/2013)

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
Natalie Spiegel

BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Raphael Braganza
David Kelly
Robert Rowland

BUREAU OF BUILDING REPAIR
Hilario Bumagat Jr
Osina Karibo
Alexander Quinn
Anzano Rodriguez
Cornelius Taylor

BUREAU OF STREET ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
Michael Kohn

BUREAU OF STREET AND SEWER REPAIR
Adrian Canedo
Samuel Greer

BUREAU OF STREET-USE AND MAPPING
Ibrahim Eyad
Felicia Ong
Adrian Verhagan

BUREAU OF URBAN FORESTRY
William Berk
Jerry Gaines
Richard Moale

INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
John Moala Jr
Gabriel Fernandez (Rehires)

PROJECT CONTROL SERVICES
Eugene Hom
Patricia Leung

April 2013 – Employee Accolades

Dear Michael Lat,

I am writing to let you know how much I appreciate the outstanding customer service that your Systems Deployment Team continues to provide day in and day out.

Your team is very knowledgeable and well-informed — and extremely responsive:  Adriaen Banias, in particular, does an outstanding job for your department.  He is very thorough and efficient, and always follows up.  i have encountered many hiccups and frustrations within several City departments; however, I’m happy to say that I have not experienced any issues with your team.

In this day and age, good customer service is often difficult to find, and I feel it is important that it be recognized.  Thank you for your continued commitment to providing customer service!

Sincerely,

Audrey
Office Manager
Esquivel

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Hi guys:

Wanted to let you know, the paving crews paving my block, 44th Ave, are the best!!  Super polite, organized and efficient.  I think there are times, some don’t really don’t understand what is involved in paving a street.  This group is worthy of recognition.

Thank you and your team for a job well done!

Nancy

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Hello Peachy,

Henni, one of our Beautification Committee members asked me to send you an e-mail of thanks.  On Saturday, she noted that Roy, a DPW employees was pulling out weeds from some of our tree basins along San Bruno Avenue.

Please give him our thanks and hopefully, this grand feat will continue.We are trying our best to keep San Bruno Avenue clean and beautiful and with your help, we will see results.

Irene Crescio

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Thank you & Intro from Julia Laue

Dear Building, Design & Construction Team & DPW,

 

I would first like to say how honored I am to be joining an organization that has been creating world class Civic Architecture and Landscapes for no less than 100 years.  I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you at the BDC and look forward to meeting many more of you in the coming weeks.  It is my sincere hope and mission to become a valuable member of your community contributing to the future excellence and the continued endeavor of building the civic landscape that will not only be enjoyed by generations to come, but will also be a safe harbor for all citizens of our fine City of San Francisco and surrounding areas.

 

“A great building must begin with the immeasurable, must go through the measurable means when it is being designed and in the end must be immeasurable.”                                                                                -Louis Kahn

 

This quote by Louis Kahn to me is an abbreviated summary of project delivery excellence from inspirational concept design through detailed contract delivery and construction process, resulting in inspirational buildings and environs.  It summarizes the essence of creating memorable and timeless architecture.  This cannot be done by great design alone and needs to embody great project delivery as well.

 

Excellence in project delivery requires common goals, clear communication, successful, integrated quality control processes and smooth construction processes, through experienced construction administrators.  This is achieved through working together, in concert, so that each team and discipline are intertwined with the other. 

 

It is often joked that “Project Management is like conducting a Symphony where everyone is playing a different tune”.  It follows, then, that the goal of great project delivery is for each part of the whole to work together so that a masterpiece will be revealed with the resulting architecture embodying a sense of the immeasurable, a building, landscape and environment that will inspire generations to come.

 

My hope is that by working together, the BDC will achieve a further refined culture of excellence.  By working in concert, we can create immeasurable buildings and landscapes that embody lasting and beautiful architecture for a great city.  And have fun doing it!

 

I have been fortunate enough in my career to have been involved in all phases of the creation of the built environment, from conceptual design to the finishing touches of the completed building through construction administration.  There is no greater joy in our profession than to walk through our creations and say “I was a part of that” and “I built that”.  I am sure that each member of the BDC has had that feeling one time or other because you all are a part of such the very important process of creating the very important built environment for our wonderful San Francisco.  I am honored to become a part of this tradition and look forward to working with each and every one of you to continue to create excellent, inspirational and sustainable buildings, landscapes and environments to begin the next 100 years of the DPW.

 

Kind regards,

 

Julia Laue, AIA, LEED AP

Principal Architect & Manager, BDC

Department of Public Works

City and County of San Francisco

30 Van Ness, 4th Floor

Thank you’s March 2013

I just wanted to say thank you for all your help and support in my modest Adopt-A-Street efforts on the 300 block of Craut.

You may recall that my most recent aggravation was the persistent dumping of old clothes at the Silver & Craut corner, and how I had found a possible source address.  Your last email mentioned your intention to send a letter to the property owner.

Anyhow, since then, there has not been an instance of clothes dumping (there was a large bag of turnips(?) in quite a while…at least three weeks, I’d say.  So perhaps the scourge of ratty clothes has ended, knock on wood.

Thanks again.

~Katie

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Dear All:

I would like to echo those sentiments.  Ed McMillan and Kevin Sporer implemented the carpet tile and marmoleum project efficiently, expeditiously, and with extreme precision and expertise.  Our offices look beautiful in large part to their efforts.

The Civil Service Commission is eternally grateful for their hard work, customer service and excellent craftsmanship.

Thanks Ed and Kevin!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Johnston

Executive Officer

Civil Service Commission

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Thank you so much (Peachy Mathias); it’s been a real pleasure working with you, and not just because the citation is dismissed.  You have been extremely responsive, professional and courteous.  Please forward my appreciation and high regard for your handling of this citation to your Supervisor.  Again, thank you!

Mike Voight

NEW HIRES/REHIRES (2/9/2013 – 3/13/2013)

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

• Elissa Lau

 

BUILDING DESIGN AND CONCTRUCTION

• Julia Laue

BUREAU OF BUILDING REPAIR

• Jonathan Bykoff
• Anthony Edwards
• Patrick Flanagan
• Dean Geikas
• James Malaney
• Michael Needham
• Nita Riccardi
• Michael Wright

INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

• Gabriel Meil

DPW RETIREES (2/9/2013 – 3/13/2013)

BUREAU OF BUILDING REPAIR

• Paul Erhard

NEW HIRES/REHIRES (12/8/2012 – 2/8/2013)

 GENERAL ADMINISTRATION  

• Rochelle Ellenburg
• Phillip Lasat

   

BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

•  John Goldberg

 

BUREAU OF BUILDING REPAIR  

• Frank Aguerre  
• Michael Jasen  
• Douglas Joya
• Darnell Lawless  
• Joseph Luaula
• Paul Placido

 

INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION  

• Tamerat Awetu  
• Tony Esterbrook  
• Myron Humeny  
• Sergio Rodriguez  
• Joseph Wong  

 

BUREAU OF STREET ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES  

• Corey Jackson  
• Yu Chun Jin  
• Michael Johnson  
• Howard Smith  
• Xiaochao Zhu

 

PROJECT CONTROLS

• Xiaoming Zhang

 

DPW RETIREES (12/8/2012 – 2/8/2013) WE WISH ALL OF OUR RETIREES THANKS AND CONGRATULATIONS

 

BUREAU OF BUILDING REPAIR

• Michael Anda  

BUREAU OF STREET ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES  

• Terry Griffin  
• Cesar Luna  
• Forest Marshall

 

BUREAU OF STREET AND SEWER REPAIR  

• Lawrence Brusco  
• James Flannery
• John Maroney  
• Martin Mulkerrin  
• Arthur Vargas

Edgar Lopez is DPW’s new Deputy Director for Buildings and City Architect

Dear coworkers, It is with great pleasure that I announce Edgar Lopez’s promotion to the position of DPW’s new Deputy Director for Buildings.  He also will serve as San Francisco’s City Architect.

Edgar, who trained as an architect at UC Berkeley, joined DPW 23 years ago as a draftsman and worked his way up the ranks.  Before taking this new job, he led the project management group that is responsible for delivering a wide range of capital projects and programs with a combined worth of more than $2 billion.

Edgar has grown with the department and shown great leadership on many of San Francisco’s most iconic projects, including the restoration of the national landmark City Hall, the California Academy of Sciences, the Conservatory of Flowers and the early stages of the PUC’s new Civic Center headquarters.

He assumes DPW’s top architectural job at a crucial time for us, with major civic buildings under construction or in the pipeline: the new San Francisco General Hospital, the $500 million Moscone Convention Center expansion, the new Public Safety Building at Mission Bay, the renovation of the historic War Memorial Building, fire station upgrades, the new cruise ship terminal and more.

In his new role, Edgar will oversee the department’s architecture, landscape and construction management divisions, as well as project controls and services.  He is intent on integrating the various disciplines into project teams with the goal of focusing more on client needs and cementing DPW as a provider of first resort that delivers world-class service.

“I want to make sure that public architecture is of the highest quality,’’ said Edgar “We build buildings that last generations.  I want to make sure that these civic icons are not only functional, but beautiful, that they really help improve San Francisco’s landscape.”

Edgar and his wife are raising their two young children in the City’s Duboce Triangle neighborhood.

Edgar will oversee nearly 175 employees.  He will lead the recruitment of a manager to lead Buildings, Design and Construction and project management.  In addition, he has laid out an ambitious and top-notch plan for BDC that includes integrating the department’s disciplines into project teams, embracing and instituting a lessons-learned policy to improve what we do with each new project, and introducing a rotation program across design, project management and construction.  He also plans to make better use of data to inform decision­-making and bring in the perspective and expertise of landscape architects in the planning phase of major capital programs. The concept of “partnering” will be used on all capital projects, as directed by the mayor.

I am excited to work with Edgar as he takes on this challenging and important job, and look forward to the great work all of us at DPW will do together as we move forward.

In the Works: Thank You’s February 2013

Hi,

Here’s my quickie notes from the morning of Day 2 of the Zero Graffiti International Conference for you. I really learned a lot and found the two speakers intriguing and informative! Thank you for the opportunity to attend.

Norah McKinney

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Jerad,

That’s great news! I didn’t know about the DPW Street Parks Program. Another great service from this fine city. I really appreciate you sending me all that information.

I definitely understand I’m signing up for something that’s going to take a lot of effort and probably a long time, but I’m confident I can energize enough people in our neighborhood to make this work (with guidance and a little help from the City).

Many thanks!

Matthew

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To Whom It May Concern:

Today, my neighbors and I were looking at a pile of junk on the street near our homes. We noticed a DPW truck and flagged it down. Ms. Kimberly Dalton was kind enough to pick up as much of the pile as she could and put it in the back of her truck. I spoke to her and asked her for her name so I could let her supervisor know that she was going above and beyond her normal duties (picking up discarded Christmas trees).

I want to let you know how impressed  we were by her courteous manner and pleasant demeanor that we had to let you know! Please put a formal notation in her record. Far too often citizens find it only too easy to find fault with things in our city. It is my pleasure to let you know about something and someone who is an asset to DPW.

Sincerely,
Lorraine Alarcon, Mary Collins, Debra Ward

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I want to give a very Big Thank you and a great job to the crew that laid the cement on Persia Ave. at Vienna. They were there last Friday and came back again yesterday and everything was done.

Thank you.

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Im a father of 11 year old twins who has been making the laborious unsafe journey to St Mary’s Park via Justin from Ney St. because its the most direct route. Many times I would opt for either Mission St. to Murray St. or use the pedestrian bridge over Inter-280 to get to St. Mary’s Park because its was safer, but much longer.

Thank you for your help in this project. I look forward to being at ease when i take my kids to St Mary’s Park whether walking, biking, or pulling our Radio Flyer wagon filled with balls, gloves,rackets, and snacks. Thinking of having a fun playtime and not are we going to get HIT-BY-A-CAR!!!

Jimmy A.

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I am Linda Cook, founder of the Ney Street Neighborhood Watch group, now Co-Captain – I would like to THANK YOU SO MUCH for putting in the ramps at Alemany and Justin Streets! Our current Captain, Patricia DeFonte and many other members are mothers with small children who frequent St. Mary’s Park – we also have many elderly people in the area. EVERYONE in our neighborhood will appreciate this improvement, it will be ever so much better than having to negotiate the very high curbs. On behalf of the Ney Street Neighborhood Watch group:   Many THANKS to You and the crew.

Sincerely

Linda Cook

 

5th Annual NEN Awards Honor Sandra Zuniga

Sandra joined DPW four years ago and serves as the assistant deputy director for operations – a long title that doesn’t adequately explain all that she does. Among her chief duties, and that helped earn her the coveted NEN award, is to oversee the department’s community and apprenticeship programs.

She’s a master juggler, working two desk-top computers and two cell phones, and jumping from one meeting to the next with dexterity, passion, warmth and humor. One of her trademark phrases: “Just kidding.” Give her an assignment, and she gets to work right away mapping out a plan to get it accomplished. She’s not one to say something can’t be done.

“She brings a lot of energy and excitement and works very hard,” said Larry Stringer, DPW’s deputy director for operations, whose office is within earshot of Sandra’s. “She is a key link to the community and good at navigating the various interests to get things done.”

Prior to coming to work for DPW, Sandra served as the executive director of a small nonprofit in east San Jose that focused on education and job training for at-risk youth. She also home-schooled pregnant teens to prepare them for their GEDs or to work toward high school graduation.

That background was a natural fit for her career at DPW, where she weaves together people’s real-life experience with government programs. To her, community engagement is vital.

“San Francisco residents see things that government employees cannot possibly see from their offices or short visits to various communities,” said Sandra, 36. “Decision­-makers need to be informed, and we need to see the entire picture if we’re going to crate anything good that is going to last.”

When asked what has surprised her most about her job, she turned the answer back to the community: “How much people care and are willing to do when provided the opportunity.”