News, Vol. 9 [i.e. 12], no. 2 (Feb. 1999)

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February 1999
Ethics in Government Policy In Effect

VOL 9. NO 2
12..

for All GBA Employees

In one of his first official acts, Governor Roy Barnes signed an Executive Order on January 12 establishing an Ethics in Government Policy for employees of the Executive Branch of Georgia, including all employees of the Georgia Building Authority. The policy is intended to prevent all forms of impropriety, threats, favoritism, and undue influence.
While every GBA employee should have seen a copy of the Executive Order, the following is a brief summary and is not meant to replace the complete version of the Executive Order:
1) Employees are prohibited from knowingly accepting, directly or indirectly, a gift from any person, lobbyist, or political committee. There are a number of exceptions which are outlined in the Executive Order.
2) A gift may be accepted by an employee on behalf of GBA. A person receiving a gift on behalf of GBA shall not maintain custody of the gift for any period of time beyond what is reasonably necessary to arrange for transfer of custody and ownership of the gift.
3) Any employee who accepts a gift on behalf of GBA must file a report on the last day of each quarter for the previous calendar quarter in which a reportable gift is made.
4) If a gift is accepted on behalf of GBA, the value of the gift provided to the employee shall be determined using actual cost to the donor, less taxes and gratuities.
5) An employee of GBA shall not knowingly use his or her position in any manner which will result in financial benefit, direct or indirect, to the employee, the employee's family, or an individual with whom or business with which the employee is associated.
6) An employee of GBA shall not directly or knowingly ask, accept, demand, extract, solicit, seek, assign or receive anything of value for himself or herself or for another person in return for being influenced in the dishcarge of his or her official responsibilities.
7) An employee shall not solicit or receive personal financial gain, other than that received by the

employee from the State for acting in his or her official capacity, for advice or assistance given in the course of carrying out the employee's official duties.
8) An employee shall not disclose information that would affect a personal financial interest of the employee, a member of the employee's family, or a person with whom or business with which the employee is associated.
9) An employee of GBA shall make every effort to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
10) An employee shall not cause the employment, promotion, transfer, or advancement of a family member to a State position which the employee directly supervises or manages. An employee shall not participate in an action relating to the disciplining of a member of the employee's family.
11) Failure of GBA employees to comply with this Order may subject him or her to disciplinary action as allowed by Georgia law, including termination from employment.
Copies of the Executive Order are available in the Human Resources office at #1 MLK.
GBA Lends Assistance for Inauguration
As Georgia's 80th governor took the oath of office on the steps of the State Capitol on January 11, GBA breathed a collective sigh of relief as many hours of planning and preparation came to fruition. GBA's CAD Group provided continued assistance throughout the process with design layout, the Renovation Team built a bandstand and completed work on the podium, others put up chairs, barricades, and stanchions, GBA Capitol Police provided security assistance, and Landscape Services is replanting beds on the Capitol grounds. Over 526 man hours! Special thanks to all who contributed!

Congratulations to:
Tom Higdon (CPolice) and his wife, Luci, who will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary on February 14.
Edward Smith (CPolice) and his wife, Mary, who will celebrate 21 years of marriage on February 28.
Rodney Watson (CPolice) and his wife, Jan, who are the proud parents of a son, Preston.
Thinking of:
Paul Adams (MTNorth) during his recent hospitalization.
Walt Jones (MTNorth) who recently underwent surgery and is taking chemotherapy. He continues to work during this treatment.
Doug Smith (MTSouth) who is recovering from knee surgery.
Chris Farmer (MTSouth) whose grandmother, Isora Benson, is in serious health.
Randy Cofer (Administration) whose grandmother, Emily G. Neblett, passed away January 6.
Farewell to:
Greg Taylor (MTNorth) who resigned to take a position with the Georgia Baptist Convention.
Darrell Beam (MTSouth) who resigned to take a position with the General Assembly.
Zinita Candis (Facilities Planning) who resigned to take a position with the Governor's Office.
Transfers:
Kacy Marwede transfers from Capitol Police to Facilities Planning as a Roof Observer trainee.
Carl Watkins transfers from Central Energy Plant to MTSouth as an HVAC Technician.
Charles Astin (MTSouth) transfers from a part-time cleaner to a full-time parking lot cleaner.

Employees of the Month
December 1998
Congratulations to John Sojka (Shared Services}, Michael Sowell (Capitol Police), and Johnny Wright (Motor Pool) on their selection as Employees of the Month for December 1998. Albert Bynes {MTSouth) and Walt Jones {MTNorth) are not pictured.
Braggin' Rights
Son of Brett Jones Achieves Eagle Scout
Very few young men achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest advancement rank in scouting. Only 2.5 percent of all boy scouts ever attain this prestigious rank because it takes time, commitment, and dedication. Johnathon Ocker, son of Robin and Brett Jones (MTSouth), joins the ranks of such notable Eagle Scouts as former President Gerald Ford, NBA star John Koncak, Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell, former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, H. Ross Perot, and film director Steven Spielberg.
Johnathon, a 15 year old freshman at Haralson High School, will receive his official award in a ceremony held during Scout Week (February 7) in his hometown of Tallapoosa. He began his scouting career at age 11 and currently serves as Senior Patrol Leader of Boy Scout Troop 123.
To earn the Eagle Scout rank, a boy scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills. A service project consisting of at least 50 hours of planning and 50 hours of participation from his peers is required. Johnathon planned and supervised a project that benefitted Troop 123's sponsoring church. He installed a water line, electrical outlets, lights, and six picnic tables in a new pavillion on the church grounds. To accomplish this project, he contacted local contractors for donations of materials and labor and sponsored a spaghetti dinner to finance the project. Congratulations to Johnathon! And his parents, too!

Anniversaries

Daniel Bell ........................ 19 years Terry Carter ....................... 18 years Ben Ramsey .. .. .. .. .............. 18 years Brett Jones ......................... 17 years Robin Scott ........................ 17 years Dorothy Barcus ................. 16 years Jack Kitchens .................... 16 years Joseph Vance .................... 16 years Gloria Banks ..................... 15 years Willie Lyons ...................... 14 years Ray Klimczak .......... .. ...... .. 14 years Ruth Maxwell ................... 13 years John VanHorn ................... 13 years Richard Ashby .................. 13 years Mary Malloy ..................... 13 years Anthony Sutton ................ 13 years Taryn Wingo ..................... 13 years Willie Moon ...................... 12 years Melissa Turner .................. 12 years Bruce Cunningham.......... 11 years Scott Poitevint ................... 11 years Curtis Bivins ..................... 11 years Mary Rivers ....................... 11 years Patricia Smith ................... 11 years Ken Walls .......................... 11 years Andrew Sampson ............. 11 years Eddie Sampson ................. 11 years Stacy Williams .................. 10 years Tony Myles ........................ 10 years

Ken Slaughter 29 years
Earnestine Smith 26 years

Jane Conn 28years
Marjie Wright 25 years

MTSouth Honors Outstanding

Service and Performance

Maintenance Team South, at their recent Christmas luncheon,

bestowed "Team South

Awards" on employees who

were voted by their peers as

exceptional employees.

Employees were asked to

vote for one individual in their

section that exhibited out-

standing performance and

served as a good role model for

other MTSouth employees.

1998 award recipients include

Tony Edwards and James Sanders who tied for the

Pictured leff to right. Tony Edwards, James Sanders, Gloria Banks,

maintenance section, Gloria

Tray Polk, Mary Rivers and Breff Jones.

Banks for custodial and Mary

Rivers for administration. Brett Jones received the Manager's Choice

Award, given by Tray Polk, Facilities Manager for Maintenance Team

South.

"Our employees really seemed to appreciate this small recogni-

tion of their efforts," notes Polk. "We plan to make this an annual

event to let each employee realize the significance of their contribu-

tion and dedication to the team."

February Birthdays
Sandy Smith .............................. 1st Randy Crocker .......................... 2nd Ralph Harper ............................ 2nd Willie Mae Wiggs ..................... 4th Robert Gardner ......................... 5th Robert Haney ............................ 5th Debbie Hegwood ...................... 6th James Askew ............................. 7th Antonio Hatchett...................... 7th William Marbut ....................... 7th Billy Reagin .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7th Roderick Sheffield ... .. .. .. .. ........ .. 7th Carolyn Williams .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. . 7th Dorothy Pitts ............................. 8th Lavonia Will ............................. 9th Tony Myles .............................. 10th Ben Ramsey .. .. .. ................. ..... 10th Cheryl Keller .. ................ .. .. ..... 11th Anthony Franklin ................... 12th John Meadows ........................ 13th Constance Roberts .................. 14th Terry Payne ............................. 15th Vickie Price ............................. 15th Donald Henry ......................... 16th Augustine Wallace ................. 16th Rudy Gilley ............................. 18th Donald Holcombe .................. 18th Ricky Green............................. 19th Tawona Lowery ... .. .. .. .. .. ......... 19th Rodney Morrow ....................... 21st Michael Pritchett ..................... 23rd Bill Campbell .......................... 24th Charlie Randall ...................... 26th Thomas Higdon ...................... 27th Debra Mitchell-Watson .......... 27th Hank Treece ............................ 27th Ed Smith .................................. 28th

Employee Recognition

Program Stopped

Effective January 1, 1999, the

Human Resources Division has

suspended the Employee Recogni-

tion Program for GBA

employees. Accord-

, ' ' 1/ ,

ing to Lynn Allen,

Assistant Director

for Human

Resources, "Em-

ployee incentives

will be reviewed at a

later date and a new

program implemented."

The most recent program began

in March 1997and has recognized

approximately 120 employees for

outstanding performance.

Employees of the Quarter
October, November, December 1998

Stacy Williams Capitol Police

Newell Lee Food Service

Johnny Wright Motor Pool

Good Nutrition Avoids An
Energy Roller Coaster
Do you feel as if you ride an energy roller coaster all day longsometimes at peak energy, but other times down in a slump? Some
changes in energy level are natural, but if your slumps inhibit your ability to get things done, one place to look is your diet. First, start the day with breakfaststudies show better concentration in people who do. If you can't face a full breakfast, or don't have time for one, even a small snack to start the day-a bowl of cereal, piece of fruit, or a glass of juice and slice of
toast-can help get your day off at a higher energy level. After that, avoid going more than four or five hours without food. This may mean planning a mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon snack.
Second, each meal should be based primarily on carbohydratecontaining foods: vegetables, fruits and grain products (bread, rolls, crackers, rice, and pasta). These are the best sources of low-fat energy, as well as the nutrients that we need in greatest abundance. Your energy level will hold out best if you also include a modest portion of a protein source in each meal, such as lean meat, fish or poultry, lowfat or skim milk, cheese or yogurt; or dried beans such as kidney or garbanzo beans.
Third, if you are really getting low on energy reserves, you will not be working at your best if you ignore how you feel and keep going. Sugar and caffeine are not the answer. However, they give you a temporary rise in energy, but then you go plummeting quickly back down. Instead, learn to recognize when you need a snack. If you start to slump at the same time each day, intervene just beforehand. Vending machines don't generally supply nutritious choices, so try some fresh or dried fruit, raw vegetables, graham crackers, or pretzels. Sometimes, energy revival is simpler than that. You may just need water breaks or the mental break of a five-minute walk.
Switching to regular low-fat, high-carbohydrate meals, with healthy snacks as needed, takes some attention at first. But if you've been riding a daily roller coaster, you will probably find it well worth your while for a chance to get off the ride. Not only will developing healthful eating habits help keep your energy at a proper level, it can also lower your risk for cancer and other serious diseases. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, simply by eating the recommended five servings of vegetables and fruit each day could lower your cancer risk by as much as 20 percent.

Bobby Golden Retires to Play Golf!
Inquire about the retirement plans of Bobby Golden and the immediate answer is golf! Golf plans to be Bobby's number one priority. That is, right after Betty, his wife of 40 years, and grandchildren. He's already lined up to keep his grandchildren two days a week.
Bobby bids GBA farewell after a 10 year career that began in the Security Division (now Capitol Police) in 1988. Prior to that, he spent 27 years on the road as a truck driver. His responsibilities at GBA included making daily mail and bank runs for various divisions of GBA.
While Bobby will miss everyone he's worked with, he admits he's really looking forward to improving his 30 handicap. He might come back and visit his friends at GBA. That is, after he finishes playing golf that day.