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Springtime at the DVL Marina. Photo by Suresh Radhakrishnan

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MET THIS WEEK

A weekly newsletter by and for Metropolitan employees April 8, 2019

Employees Get First Look at Recycled Water Facility Last Wednesday, more than 30 employees boarded a bus in La Verne and participated in the first employee tour of Metropolitan’s newest facility – the Regional Recycled Water Advanced Purification Center. The Center, located in Carson, is a 500,000 gallon-per-day demonstration facility that will provide information and data to inform future board decisions about a full-scale recycled water program. “Like many others at Metropolitan, I worked on this project and it was rewarding to see the completed facility,” explained Danny Sandridge of the Administrative Services section. “I’m looking forward to coming back with my family for a public tour.” Employees from IT, Real Property, Administrative Services, the CFO’s office, Engineering Services and WSO visited the site. They first saw the facility’s new Learning Center and then went on a tour led by Joyce Lehman from the Water Quality Section. “I’ve been working on this demonstration facility since it was only a concept,” said Joyce . “It is incredible to see it all come together and to now have the chance to show it to my colleagues.” The tour focuses on the facility’s innovative three-step purification process, testing and monitoring plan, and a potential full-scale advanced water treatment plant. More than 300 employees signed up for the first round of tours. Additional trips will be scheduled to accommodate those not able to attend these initial visits. Starting this summer, tours will also be available to the public. Visitors ages 10 and up will be welcome to visit the demonstration facility. More information about the facility is available here .

'Come and Get It' is Theme of New HQ Exhibit When you visit the relocated Courtyard Café near the west entrance to Metropolitan’s HQ building, you’ll notice new artwork adorning the walls. A new exhibit entitled “Come and Get It: Serving Metropolitan” chronicles our history of food and meals dating back to desert surveying and the construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct. The photos span the years 1923- 2018.  The collection illustrates a colorful culinary history and its importance to construction workers, employees and management from our earliest years. That tradition continues today with renowned hospitality staff and cooks at Gene Camp.  Irma Macias, David Keller and Debra Sass curated the collection of art and photos. Café visitors are greeted by Casey, the Colorado River Aqueduct's then-Division 3 Headquarters chef. He offers a tempting plate of donuts (a meeting staple that continues today) in a photo dated February 15, 1936.  Another 26 images, many on display for the first time, detail the history and ingenuity of food service prepared by early explorers and surveyors and later by professional chefs who fed the CRA workforce. Kitchens were installed at the 10 main camps . Imagine pears and pie for the miners, or MWD-branded steaks at Gene Camp, and you can almost taste the care and detail that turned what was otherwise physically challenging work into an energizing, culinary taste of heaven. These photos are in the MWD Image Collection on the IntraMet. Click here to see the HQ gallery brochure and then stop by in person to experience a slice of history.

Asking the Right Questions and Finding Solutions Lydia McGee enjoys something that makes many of us rather nervous – interviewing, on both sides of the conversation. Early in her career, before the days of Google, Monster and Indeed, she satisfied her curiosity about career opportunities by following job boards and going on interviews. This honed her recruitment skills and ultimately brought her to Metropolitan.  After a few years working in Engineering, she joined HR, and for more than 10 years connected people to opportunities for their own careers. In 2009, when a position opened up in Business Outreach, it was a natural transition for Lydia . Instead of helping people find the right job and career path, she began helping small and veteran-owned businesses find opportunities to supply goods and services for Metropolitan.   Whether helping them learn our procurement system or collaborating on workshops with California’s Small Business Development Centers, Lydia sees the value of vendor diversity to support the District’s needs. Small businesses are essential to the economy, creating opportunity and jobs within communities. Metropolitan has a goal of providing 25% of overall contract value to small businesses and disabled veteran businesses. According to Lydia , “The success of the program is due to our staff – procurement coordinators and decision-makers – that recognize the value these businesses offer.”  She is always looking for small business advocates at Metropolitan who are willing to help. It starts with a conversation about business needs. And Lydia knows just the questions to ask.

New hires, transfers, promotions & retirements are posted here each month. Next List: May 6

Suggestion Box Do you like this newsletter? Do you have any ideas for an employee profile? A great photo? Email your thoughts and ideas to Jannine Rojo.

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