Dec. 2024 Raleigh Water Employee Newsletter

National Apprenticeship Week Contributed by: Kay Willis

National Apprenticeship Week kicked off Monday Nov 18 th with a celebration at Finch Park in Lexington NC. Raleigh Water proudly participates in the NC Rural Water Association apprentice program. Two apprentices at E. M. Johnson water treatment plant, Patrick Kenny (pictured on left) and Kyle Restaneo , are wrapping up and ready to graduate the program. Both have achieved getting their B - Surface certification. Kyle has also achieved his B - Distribution certification. Patrick has his C - Apprentice Distribution certification. Grace Gonzalez , an apprentice at Dempsey Benton water treatment plant (pictured below right) is halfway through the program and achieved her C - Surface and C - Distribution certifications. All have been

great additions to the Raleigh Water team. The NCRWA apprentice program has been a great opportunity to develop water professionals. During the celebration, the Mayor of Lexington, Mr. Jason Hayes

and others spoke. An ice breaker game of social bingo was a good kick off to meet others. Two City of Raleigh employees, Grace Gonzalez and Jeremy Ennis, were part of a three - way tie in the photograph contest. In attendance at the event was Grace Gonzalez and her mentor Ken Cheek, Supervisor Jeremy Ennis, Patrick Kenny with mentor and Supervisor Kay Willis, as well as Mike Jones, but his mentee, Kyle Restaneo, was unable to go due to attending school to achieve his A - Surface certification. There were several mentors and mentees in attendance from all over the state. After the event attendees were invited to tour the wastewater and water plants in Lexington. Mike, Grace, Patrick, and Kay went to tour the 102 - year - old Lexington plant. Their tour was given by one of the many mentee ’ s employees with the Lexington municipality. All in attendance at the event are proud to partner with NCRWA and the apprentice program and have positive experiences with the program!

New Equipment Certification Contributed by: Jason Tibbrine

The Building Maintenance team at Raleigh Water recently acquired a new scissor lift, an exciting addition to their equipment lineup. This is used at all of the RW facilities and can be up on a trailer. Since this was a new tool for the team, comprehensive training was essential. To earn their certifications, team members had to pass a written test and demonstrate their ability to safely operate the lift. The training was conducted by United Rentals, ensuring the team is well - prepared to use this new equipment effectively and safely. As a reminder, training is required for all new equipment to ensure safety and proper usage.

6