During Pandemic, Parents Get Extra Creative
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The Stay at Home order has led some Metropolitan staff to get very creative with their children. Here are two stories:
For
Eddie Cervantes
, a control systems technician at Weymouth who is part of a micro-team, the change means more time with his four busy children – ages 12, 8, 5 and 2 years old.
“They went from a full schedule of activities to a very different norm. We had to find new ways to keep them busy,”
Eddie
said. That’s when the idea of doing home improvements became a family affair. “I guess you could say we had the ‘Quarantine Blues’ and decided to tackle some of the projects we’ve wanted to do since moving into our house,” according to
Eddie,
including painting, replacing doors and installing new floors.
The kids have had a big part in the projects – and especially enjoy doing the demolition work. “They’re asking a lot of questions, working together, learning new skills, and understanding how our home is actually built,”
Eddie
says.
Slideshow
WSO Water Treatment Manager
Heather Collins
came up with a unique way to re-imagine the senior prom for her daughter Ashley, a senior at Chino Hills High School.
Having already bought her dress, Ashley made it clear she and her boyfriend were still taking prom photos - no matter what! “That’s when we decided to create an At-Home Prom in the backyard for this milestone occasion,” said
Heather
.
They picked a date so the parents and grandparents could see the couple (from a safe distance). Arrangements were made for flowers and dinner (takeout from a favorite local eatery).
The patio was lit with string lights, balloons and senior prom décor. The playlist was an eclectic mix of classic rock (his) and country (hers). “Some of our neighbors even watched from their balconies and danced to music,” said
Heather
. A bonus for Ashley was that her yellow Labrador, Kona, was an honored guest.
In the words of Ashley and Josh, “It was the best prom ever.”
Slideshow
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Animal Guzzlers Keep Desert Wildlife Out of CRA
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One look at the photos from the game camera installed by
John Helton
and his colleagues on the Aqueduct Maintenance Team, and it is easy to see why they were pushed to ingenuity some five years ago.
They saw a bobcat, a coyote, a badger, a herd of deer, including several small fawns, all drinking from small pools of water.
The pools, known as animal guzzlers, weren’t always there. They were built by
John
and the maintenance team to keep wildlife from digging their way under the fencing around the Colorado River Aqueduct and falling into the canals as they tried to get water.
Every week the team of Metropolitan employees found themselves filling holes along the fence, only to come back a week later to fill the holes again.
Even worse for the team were the periodic animal rescues - as well as some wildlife that couldn’t be rescued.
“We asked ourselves how can we safely give these animals something to drink, and leave the fence alone?” said
John
, an O&M Tech IV. “We want to keep them out of the canals so we don’t lose any more wildlife.”
The first guzzlers that were installed were refilled using siphons, but during low pump flows on the CRA, there wasn’t enough pressure. So, with the help of students in the Desert Intern Program,
John
was able to replace the siphons with solar-powered pumps that keep the guzzlers full.
Two guzzlers are currently installed near Vidal Junction and Iron Mountain, about 50 feet from the canal in the washes that are home to a lot of desert wildlife and
John
hopes to install more.
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Building a Legacy of Success as a Trailblazer
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Patricia Bonaparte
planned to study mathematics in college, but changed her major at the recommendation of her older brother, choosing instead a major in chemical engineering.
Looking back,
Pat
is happy with her decision. “I enjoy what I do because I still get to use the math skills, but with a more practical application,” she said.
When she was hired by Metropolitan in 1986,
Pat
was the first African-American female engineer.
She spent 20 years in Engineering Services before joining WSO where she is now a principal engineer.
While this is definitely one of the more challenging times in her tenure, it still doesn’t compare to one project she worked on early in her career.
“I remember once when we had a $2 million contract and everything that could, went wrong,” she laughs.
Metropolitan had purchased eight large valves from a supplier in Oregon. During the project, the company moved to another location, had delays with some of the shipments, and eventually filed for bankruptcy.
Then, during the transport of the final valve to Metropolitan, the train was involved in an accident – “it was a literal train wreck,”
Pat
recalls.
Rain also leaked into the part, but thanks to skilled work from Metropolitan shop staff, the valve was able to be fully repaired.
Pat
has seen a lot of changes during her 34 years at Metropolitan. “The biggest difference is that today you see a lot more female engineers in the organization,” she noted.
Outside of work,
Pat
enjoys traveling with her husband. So far, the favorite place she has visited was South Africa.
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