thrusday meeying Notes on Water Utility Operations, Graphic Design, and Administrative Procedures

Discussion on Social Media and Professional Design

YEP Assignment Interview: Skyler was interviewed for a YEP assignment, which is expected to be posted. The participants discussed the visual presentation of this interview.
Departmental Branding and Titles:
- The group discussed the labeling for the Water Utility Department.
- Specific departmental codes mentioned include WA, WW, and WU.
- There was a request to modify the graphic by moving the word "Utility" to a second line and deleting the period at the end of the department name.
- Discussion occurred regarding how employees are co-listed in different areas (e.g., Water utility vs. Wastewater) and how they are paid by the water department specifically.
Watermark and Branding: The group reviewed a watermark on a final graphic, noting that it improved the visual quality of the content.

Wastewater Wednesday Graphics and Safety Standards

Grease Disposal Safety:
- The discussion focused on how to visually communicate that cooking grease must cool before disposal.
- Verbatim Standard: Cooking grease needs to be cooled to room temperature before disposal.
- Visual Logic: Suggestions included using icons for grease, a clock timer, or a snowflake. Ultimately, they decided to center the grease icon, remove the snowflake, and use the text "Room Temp" with the degree symbol to save space.
Temperature Specifics:
- Information from Amanda provided PDF ranges for cooling grease.
- Participants researched room temperature ranges: some sources cited $68\,^{\circ}\text{F}$ to $77\,^{\circ}\text{F}$ , while others cited $60\,^{\circ}\text{F}$ to $72\,^{\circ}\text{F}$ . The group settled on a general target of $70\,^{\circ}\text{F}$ .
- One source suggested cooling grease to below $120\,^{\circ}\text{F}$ , but participants noted that $120\,^{\circ}\text{F}$ is still hot enough to potentially melt a garbage bag.
- The goal is to reach a temperature ideally below $50\,^{\circ}\text{F}$ for solidification, though room temperature ( $70\,^{\circ}\text{F}$ ) is the target for general safety.

Water Utility Infrastructure and Educational Infographics

Water Treatment Process (Thursday Post):
- The infographic details the journey of water from Lake Michigan to the consumer.
- Step 1: Water intake from Lake Michigan.
- Step 2: Transport through intake pipes to the treatment plant.
- Step 3: The treatment plant process, involving several treatment and filtration steps.
- Step 4: Water quality testing to ensure safety.
- Step 5: The distribution system, which includes water mains and storage in water towers. Water towers act as a "pit stop" before arriving at homes.
- Step 6: Delivery to homes, schools, and businesses for consumption.
Design Feedback for Infographics:
- Visual Flow: There was a consensus that "Step 1" should begin on the left side to follow standard reading patterns.
- Graphic Elements: Discussion of using a "snaked" path or a diagonal timeline to connect the steps. Use of white arrows was suggested for better contrast against the background.
- Specific Imagery: The graphic includes a house image identified as common in Amsterdam and St. John's, Newfoundland (Canada).
- Filtering Imagery: A specific image of "filter beds" was discussed, which shows the layers of filtration media used in water treatment.

Personnel and Departmental Roles for Video Production

Day in the Life Video Project: Skyler is planning a video to showcase the water treatment steps. The following personnel were identified as key contacts for specific steps:
- Step 4 (Water Quality Testing): Talk to Amy in the lab.
- Steps 2 & 3 (Intake and Filtration): Talk to Joel because of his expertise in filtration, particles, and plant maintenance. Ty was also mentioned for plant maintenance.
- Step 5 (Distribution): Chris (the sampler) goes out to the distribution system and brings samples back. Jerome was also suggested for his role in distribution.
- Step 6 (Metering): Dan is the meter manager. He handles water measurement, usage, leaks, and turning service on or off.
Production Logistics:
- Equipment: A camera is available at HR (Leslie or Lizeth are the contacts). A tripod is available via Victor.
- Audio: There is a need for tiny microphones to improve audio quality, specifically those compatible with cameras or phones via Bluetooth or packs.
- Consultation: Sheila Malone was recommended as a contact for filming techniques, as she recently filmed at the wastewater garage.

Administrative Procedures and Scheduling

Microsoft Outlook Scheduler:
- Participants were trained on using the "Scheduler" tool in Outlook to view team availability (indicated by purple lines).
- This tool allows for scheduling meetings when all participants (Brandy, Skyler, etc.) are free simultaneously.
Paid Time Off (PTO) Protocol:
- To request or mark PTO, create a "New Event" in the calendar.
- Select "All Day."
- Under "Show As," mark the time as Free so it appears as a strip at the top of the team's calendars rather than blocking the whole day.
- Use the initials OOO (Out Of Office) in the title.
T-Mobile Service Issues:
- USCellular has been bought out by T-Mobile, leading to a natural transfer of services.
- Operational staff report poor reception, particularly in basements and at the water plant.
- Reports describe audio distortion (sounding like "talking through a metal pipe") and dropped calls. These issues will be escalated to MIS (Management Information Systems).

Human Resources and Time Management

Pay Periods:
- A recent pay period covered July $5$ to July $18$ .
- The current pay period is July $19$ to August $1$ .
Makeup Hours:
- An intern needs to make up approximately $10.5$ hours within the current pay period to ensure proper payment.
- The possibility of staying late at the office or working during budget meetings (which can run until $8:00\, \text{p.m.}$ ) was discussed.

Operational and Technical Issues

Canvassing Materials:
- The team is suffering from a shortage of door hangers for canvassing.
- Tony found a folder with $23$ remaining hangers.
- Jessree was contacted to arrange for more printing, as the office is currently out.
Content Calendar:
- Goal is to maintain a consistent posting schedule.
- Fridays are reserved for "Behind the Scenes" or "Meet the Team" posts.
- Mondays may feature specific personnel blurbs, such as the "Water Answer/PR Answer" person.

Questions & Discussion

Question: "Can you magnify it a little bit?"
- Response: Skyler adjusted the screen to show the water utility department listings on the spreadsheet.
Question: "Should I sit over here so I'm not smacking in your ear?"
- Response: A lighthearted exchange about seating proximity and noise levels during the meeting.
Question: "How do you feel about doing like horizontal design too like for a comparison?"
- Response: The team discussed using a timeline or horizontal path for the water cycle infographic to simplify the visual flow.
Question: "What should I get for lunch?"
- Response: A discussion followed regarding a desire for fresh vegetables/Caesar salad contrasted with the "produce parasite" issue.
Question: "Is it bad to sleep in [contacts]?"
- Response: Participants agreed it is unsafe, leading to infections. They also noted that users with astigmatism (which makes the eye "pointy") often have difficulty with contacts shifting.

Personal Details and Observational Asides

Cereal Marketing: A "Ghost Protein Cereal" (Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Peanut Butter flavors) was discussed. It has $17\, \text{g}$ of protein and costs $10\, \text{dollars}$ per box (often sold with a $3\, \text{dollar}$ coupon).
Vision and Optometry:
- Participants discussed their eye prescriptions, mentioning values around $-3.5$ , $-3.75$ , and $-4$ .
- Mention of Lensmart as an affordable online source for glasses.
- One participant shared an anecdote about their glasses floating in a river long enough to be retrieved.
Dining Reviews:
- K Pop (Korean BBQ): Highly recommended for food quality and speed, though criticized for poor ventilation and "greasy" floors/walls. The restaurant uses tablets with timers to manage the time limit for all-you-can-eat patrons.
- Food Delivery: Frustrations were expressed regarding DoorDash and grocery delivery fees ( $25\, \text{dollars}$ ), cold food, and drivers making too many stops.