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2000 Outstanding Award Winners Public Awareness/Public Participation Pocket Guide to Proper Disposal of Animal Remains Ginger T. Waynick Rockingham County wanted to help deer hunters properly dispose of animal carcasses, so staff developed a pocket guide and flyer and worked with the local N.C. Wildlife agent and solid waste enforcement officer to distribute them. Most hunters are responsible and take the carcasses to the solid waste landfill. However, some hunters leave the remains in the field, roadside and near streams where organic material can contaminate water supplies. The county created a bright orange bifold guide to easily fit in a hunter's pants or jacket pocket. Wildlife Officer Johnny Smith and Solid Waste Enforcement Officer Woods distributed the guides and accompanying flyer to licensing agents, hunt clubs, hunter safety classes, hunting equipment retail stores, hardware stores and convenience stores. More than 70 flyers and 450 pocket guides were distributed. Emergency Preparedness Fair Sharon Covington Hurricanes, floods, fires, ice storms, blizzards, tornadoes -- these severe weather emergencies test the preparedness of any county. So when things were relatively quiet, weatherwise, Richmond County held a fair to bring together citizens and the county and state staff acting in emergency situations. The Emergency Preparedness Fair was the first of its kind for Richmond County. The public information officer and three emergency management staff members came up with the idea after attending a training program on severe weather. Everyone involved donated their time so budget was minimal. The timeline was six weeks from start to finish to put on the fair. SAFE KIDS Coalition Beverly Williams By educating children and adults about preventable injuries, Harnett County wants to ensure that every child has a healthy and safe childhood. To that end, the county started the SAFE KIDS Coalition that brings together various agencies and sponsors a number of programs focused on safety. Human Services Search, Track, Assist, Respond Rescue (S.T.A.R.R. Program) Jan Cabe For people with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, the world can be a scary place especially in times of crisis. For county responders, such as medical or law enforcement personnel, helping these citizens can be harder and more frustrating. To provide dispatchers and responders with as much comprehensive information as it could, the county initiated the S.T.A.R.R. Program. This program identifies older adults who are at high risk because of their medical conditions or living arrangements. Neighborhood Nurse Project Gayle Harris Durham County used Medicaid Maximization funds to place two public health nurses in low-income, urban neighborhoods, which were identified as having high infant and child mortality rates. Like many other urban areas, Durham County is concerned with high infant mortality rates, high teen age pregnancy rates, low participation in preventative health services for children less than 21 years old, low immunization rates and low percentage of women choosing to breast feed. Diabetes Control Program Dr. Chris Szwagiel Halifax County joined with several other public and private agencies and with other counties to implement a program of care for the population with diabetes who needed education, medication and complications prevention. The players included the United Way, a local Diabetes Control Program Advisory Committee, a local hospital, county health departments, and the N.C. Office of Rural Health. The Halifax County Health Department has reached out to six rural health or community clinics, two county health departments and private physician referrals. Fire Awareness Resistance Education Program (F.A.R.E.) Beverly Williams The Harnett County Fire Marshall Office began the FARE Program in response to a rash of fires, particularly woods fires, started by juveniles. The Fire Marshal wanted to educate children in grades K-5 about the dangers of fire. Staff began visiting K-3 classes during Fire Prevention Week and the rest of the year. However, they soon realized that their $500 for educational supplies wouldn't last long. Help came from the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center, which purchased the Learn Not to Burn curriculum for each classroom in grades K-5. This amounted to $16,821. General Government Cooperative Children's Services Connie D. Curtis The McDowell County Public Library in Marion and the county's Family, Infant and Preschool Program found that they had mutual needs and challenges. From that they created a partnership that solved both groups problems. The library was in the process of getting approval for a renovation that included children's area and offices on he local level. Meanwhile the Family, Infant and Preschool Program was losing its location at a local elementary school. Education Compact Tom Robinson Each year counties and school boards wrangle over the appropriation for education. Pitt County is no different. But the county wanted to try something that would guarantee adequate funding and ties that to performance and accountability. Pitt County is classified as a low-wealth county with a tax base per capita that is approximately 75 percent of the state average. Consequently the per pupil local current expense funding is below the state average as well. The commissioners wanted to increase its funding to the school system uses this additional funding to improve student performance. The county manager suggested developing an education agreement, or compact, tying increases in funding over a certain period of time to educational performance goals. This would help the commissioners and the school board develop common education goals, and improve cooperation and communication. Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Landfill Leachate Paul Marlow From 1994-1999, the New Hanover County Department of Environmental Management in conjunction with North Carolina State University and Sea Grant conducted a pilot study in which constructed wetlands were used to treat liquid leachate from the landfill. That pilot and another study confirmed that surface flow type constructed wetlands are effective in removing certain pollutants from leachate. Construction and Demolition Recovery Facility Michael Etheridge Pasquotank County wanted to ensure that every piece of reusable material from construction and demolition site got into the right hands in the most efficient manner. To that end, the county built structure where materials are displayed on racks just like a commercial store and staffed it with inmates from the jail. |