FY2021 Merit Awards Presented at Fall Town Meeting
The FY21 Merit Awards were presented at Fall Town Meeting. Two of the recipients could not be in attendance, however, we did have them all come to Town Hall for a group photo.
Templeton Honors Employees of the Year
Select Board Chair Michael Currie and Town Administrator Adam Lamontagne presented the Fiscal Year 2021 Merit Awards to four employees at the November 3rd Fall Town Meeting. The honorees were chosen from those nominated by the general public and fellow employees as those who have gone above and beyond in the areas, Communications, Efficiency, or Pinnacle of Excellence. The Town usually presents one award in each category, however this year due to the Pandemic the Town Administrator made the decision to call it a tie in the Communications category when two members of the TCTV team were nominated and both were so well deserving of the award.
The Communications Award, for those showing a commitment to assisting the public and transparency in government including improving and/or devising new ways to communicate information within the organization and to the public at large, was presented to Mr. Steve Castle, a 12-year town employee who serves as our Cable TV/TCTV Station Manager for his commitment to facilitating excellent communication within Templeton Community Television and the Town through the successful operation of Zoom Board/Committee meetings over the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic. He took meetings to a new level with his research, work, and implementation of the Meeting Owl. Comments from nominations included “Steve has a great attitude, is efficient, helpful & cooperative with great communication skills”. The second award was presented to Ms. Hannah Bennett, who started with the Town just under a year ago, for her commitment to exemplary communication and her fast-learning skills within Templeton Community Television due to her work broadcasting meetings and producing events with new technologies and testing them on unfamiliar systems during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Her help to the various Boards and Committees—as well as her cooperative demeanor—have not gone unnoticed. Comments from nominations included “Hannah is diligent and takes extra care to make sure our meetings and community video productions are of the best quality possible. She is an asset to our community.”
The Efficiency Award, for those displaying a commitment to ensuring we operate proficiently and efficiently by “stepping up” and “stepping in and/or suggesting ideas that result in ease of processing, and savings of time, material, and storage requirements, was presented to Mr. Paul McAuliffe, a 10-year town employee for his creative, out-of-the-box thinking and can-do attitude with the Department of Public Works, as well the respect he gives to his fellow co-workers. Comments from co-workers included, “Paul is always willing to do what it takes to get the job done correctly” and “Paul is always a pleasant person who takes things in stride-he is always willing to speak up & think outside the box.”
The Pinnacle of Excellence Award for those who display a willingness to make extraordinary efforts in the ongoing improvement of the organization, assisting other staff members or departments to complete new or ongoing assignments and often requires the person to “stretch” to learn new computer programs, methodologies or processes, was presented to Ms. Rhonda Parenteau, a 2-year town employee who serves as the Senior Administrative Assistant in the Development Services Department for her hard work and positive attitude. Rhonda ran her office within Development Services well at a time of historic growth in the Town, all while providing needed assistance to the residents and her fellow co-workers. Her assistance at the COVID-19 vaccination clinics did not go unnoticed. Among comments from the nominations were “Rhonda takes efficiency and multi-tasking to a whole new level” and “Rhonda is a hard worker, dedicated, organized and positive. She is a role model and asset to the Town”.
The Merit Awards were created in 2018 to publicly honor the finest examples of the Town’s many exemplary employees the Town is proud to have in its employ. In addition to being named publicly, the employee is honored with a Certificate of Recognition and a one-time award of $250.00.
Recipients were: To view the Award page, click here.
Pictured Left to right: Steve Castle, Hannah Bennett, Rhonda Parenteau, Paul McAuliffe 