Sally Lorton / January 2016

After reading a letter to the editor in the Vail Daily from a fourth-grader from Evansville, Indiana, Sally Lorton felt compelled to act. The boy was working on a school project about Colorado and was looking for unique items from the state. Sally not only gathered up items from the municipal building to send, but also reached out to Vail Resorts and the Welcome Centers to assemble an impressive package of materials that will represent Vail in a most hospitable way that will leave a lasting impression on this young boy. Thank you, Sally, for taking the initiative to bring cheer to a stranger.

Tammy Nagel / January 2016

A caller complimented Tammy on her expertise with the topic and her willingness to go above and beyond in helping the guest become familiar with what was required to obtain a liquor permit. She said that Tammy spent the time necessary walking her through each step with a full explanation of what was needed for the various sections. She also commented on Tammy’s great attitude as a wonderful example of Town of Vail excellent customer service. Tammy interacts with many, many people throughout her day, and does so with professional, experienced and pleasant skillsets, so thank you Tammy for always being there to represent Vail in a most “premier” way.

Alison Harakal / February 2016

The library was recently “mystery shopped” and earned a score of 100% thanks to the efforts of Alison Harakal. “I entered the library, and Alison immediately welcomed me and asked how she could help me today. She made good eye contact and gave me her full attention. I asked about applying for a library card. She showed me over to the computer and got it on the page where I filled out the form, and I then returned it to her to finish the transaction. Alison was able to get me a card immediately. She also gave me a pamphlet about the library and its services and explained all of them. She told me about the borrowing policies and the library hours. Alison also took me over to the computers and showed me the library’s site and how to get to the Mango Languages site and create an account. She was very professional and helpful.”

Mary McDougall / February 2016

A thank you note came to us as a result of our assisting the English Dept. at Battle Mountain Highschool. They had originally given us a list of about a dozen titles that they needed for their students and they asked that we please keep an eye out for copies coming through as book donations. I, in turn, did not wish for them to wait for that possibility to happen, rather, we opted to purchase a copy of each title and gifted these to the English Dept. so the students would not have to wait. It was a small investment on the library's part but it meant a lot to their teachers and students.

Lois Hart and Hannah Sorenson / February 2016

Kudos to Lois & Hannah who led the team of volunteers in the CarniVAIL Parade and won 1st place! To top it off, they plan to use the winning money to buy dog treats for the parking team to hand out at the structures!

Bob McKenna / February 2016

A guy from NY just came in and complimented Bob for calling him back about a parking ticket, he was so impressed he said it would never happen in NY. He was stoked and really appreciated it.

Amanda Biggs / February 2016

“Dear Chief Henninger, I wanted to make you aware that we were very impressed with Officer Amanda Biggs during our visit to Vail last Friday. She was especially kind, friendly and very helpful to our family.”

Nicola Erb / January 2016

I would like to nominate Nicola Erb for all of her hard work for coordinating this year’s Shop With A Cop program. Not only did she do a great job in taking over for Moses; she led the effort of expanding the program to include nearly 50 kids and three new agencies from all over the county. Thank you.

Luke Causey / January 2016

I would like to nominate Sgt Luke Causey for going above and beyond taking care of his co-workers. Tuesday night we received a 911 call from a suicidal male who stated he was going to hang himself. The dispatcher who took the call was able to delay him a bit, but ultimately he did what he threatened to do, hanging himself while on the phone with the dispatcher. Officers arrived on scene quickly and they were able to cut him down. He was transported to the hospital in good condition physically. This was an extremely tough call to deal with psychologically. Luke went out of his way to talk through the event with us. He shared his experiences and advice for self-care, and then went to VVMC so that we could get an update on the patient. Thank you Luke! I am extremely thankful and proud to work with you.

Randy Braucht / January 2016

Bad Kitty, Good Cop….. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Officers were very impressed by Randy’s response to the mountain lion call this morning. He was able to track the lion, coordinate animal control response, collect the remains, console the dog owner, calm the nervous neighbors and squeezed in responding to several motor vehicle accidents in the area all before returning to the Vail Police department sometime well after lunch. Significantly, your compassion for the dog owner was compelling. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Bill and Craig came by the station to tell me how much they appreciated your kind and consoling words to the owner. They said you are a credit to cops and our department specifically. They actually said you better be careful because you could give cops a good name. All this makes me really proud to be on the same team with you. Thanks for being a good cop.

Jeff Campbell / December 2015

I received a voice mail from a guest to compliment Jeff Campbell, Code Enforcement Officer, on returning his son’s wallet. He said the wallet still had all the money and credit cards it along with his son’s ID, which was critically important to allow him to fly home. What makes this story such a good example of excellent customer service is that after having the wallet turned into you, you found a Keystone room key called Keystone and found the guest and arranged to get the wallet back to them. It would have been easy just to turn the wallet in to the found property room, but you went out of your way to track them down! A good Random Act of Kindness!

Police Officers / December 2015

As part of an attempt for the Vail Police to interact more in the community (and because it's fun) a few of us have volunteered to be Sherpas for SOS. That includes being assigned a group of 5 kids and skiing/snowboarding with them 5 times a year. During their ride days we are asked to have conversations about the values of: Integrity, Courage, Compassion, Humility, and Dedication with them. The kids are given their passes and in return they have to volunteer in the community to “earn” them. We organized a group of the kids to bell-ring for Salvation Army at Safeway last Sunday. Officers then met with the kids and discussed the importance of helping people and looked for opportunities to show the kids the good work they have already done. It was a great conversation, and a time when our officers took time out of a busy (snowy) night to make an impact on a few kids. It was a total success.

Lee Demarest / December 2015

"Hello. On December 22nd, we were on our way to Denver. We were stopped at the bottom of Vail pass to chain up (my husband is a truck driver). A semi pulled out in front of a car and to avoid an accident, the car went into the median. With all of the semis, things got kind of hectic down there and the Vail police responded to the area. A police officer, Lee Demarest, got a snow shovel and assisted the stranded driver to get their car out of the median. It was an amazing act of kindness for the officer to do that so I just wanted to share." Great work, Lee. Way to go above and beyond!

Nicola Erb and Gail McFall / January 2016

I would like to nominate Nicola Erb and Gail McFall for their outstanding effort, while assisting me with a welfare check. I was dispatched to a check the welfare of a female who had not been seen or heard from in several days. In speaking with the reporting parties and her family, a fairly grim outlook appeared to be on our horizon. When attempting to contact the female at her apartment, she answered my knocks but was unwilling to open the door to speak with me. Nicola was already on scene and began dialogue with the distressed female. After about 20 minutes, Nicola requested assistance of Gail. Both Nicola and Gail have specialized training in dealing with individuals who are in mental crisis. Both Nicola and Gail showed incredible fortitude and practice of their craft, for over an hour. Eventually, the female we had been called to check on opened the door and met with Nicola and Gail. I was both humbled and moved by the care, compassion and resilience they showed in checking on this young female. Their efforts should not go unnoticed and should serve as testament to a shift in law enforcement in the 21st century. The young lady’s family, friends and employer all told me how impressed they were with the effort Nicola and Gail displayed in their daughter, friend and coworker’s well being......(I would add that Gail and Nikki followed up with this woman the following week, to see how she is doing.)

Street Maintenance / January 2016

I would like to submit the Public Works maintenance crew for their outstanding positive energy during the frigid frozen days of these past weeks. I have seen the guys bundled up - out and about shoveling the walkways and stairs around town; picking up trash; and clearing built up ice from areas. They do so much to make the Town of Vail beautiful and safe for the residents, guests and fellow workers. I know this is their job, but again during these past below zero days – theses employees are still smiling, talking and assisting people when many people have their hands stuffed in their jackets looking down at the ground and not acknowledging people they pass on the streets. Kudos to the team for demonstrating the Town of Vail spirit!

Street Maintenance / January 2016

Hats off to the Maintenance crew for pulling over to pick up a coffee cup off Frontage Road East before turning in the Public Works shop yard. This Golf Course resident had stopped on the Golf Course Bridge and witnessed the act. He said it was “Way Cool” to see them stop to pick up a single piece of litter! Shows the pride they have in the community and their jobs. Also, wanted to thank their boss for training well done!

Art Chavez and Chris Delles / January 2016

While driving down the South Frontage Road in the pitch black during our last snow storm on January 7th, some how got confused and went into the wrong lane which lead her into a snow bank to only get high centered! Thinking she would have to call a tow truck, Art Chavez came along in the loader. Art plowed away the large piles of snow from around her car and then continued to shovel it out by hand until she was unstuck. Chris Delles also stopped by to give a helping hand. The East Vail Resident said “they could have just left me but instead they helped me, which was not a small task and saved me a tow fee!”

Dave Richardson / December 2015

I wanted to nominate Dave Richardson for the rewards program. He has always gone above and beyond to help keep the recycling drop off site clean. Today, there was an above normal amount of illegal dumping that had taken place resulting in a very unsightly mess. Before we had a chance to get it cleaned up, Dave had the whole thing cleaned up.

Tom Kassmel / December 2015

On December 24th, a women from Illinois walked into the Public Works office asking where the Golf Course Nordic Center was...obviously she was lost! She had walked from the Village Parking Structure (in extremely cold temperatures!), thinking it would be a nice short walk from the directions she received from the Nordic Center. While asking directions back to the Nordic Center, Tom Kassmel dropped what he was doing and did even better .... drove Linda over to the Golf Course. Thank you Tom for showing this guest such outstanding guest service!

Cincy King / February 2016

I am writing in support of an outstanding bus driver, Cincy King, of the town of Vail transportation services. As a long time resident of East Vail I want to commend ‘Cincy’ as one of the best bus drivers we have. Cincy’s awareness and professionalism is what we appreciate most. As we approach the transportation center he comes on the microphone to inform the riders of the surrounds, our location, how to access the Gondolas, lifts and in town buses as well as the time and location for departing buses during the day. Newcomers on the bus mention how helpful the information is as they begin their ski/board day in Vail. I hope he will be recognized for the Town of Vail Rewards Program. We also love his music selections for the ride.

Peter Winkeller / January 2016

I would like to nominate Peter Winkeller and Ian Milligan (Transit) whose vigilance probably saved a woman’s life last night. Around 1 am with temperatures quickly falling into single digits, these East Vail bus drivers spotted a woman crouched down passed out in front of the garage hidden behind a berm of snow in the Ford Park parking lot. She was wearing little more than a thin t-shirt and who knows how long she had been there by the time help arrived and got her to the hospital. Without their vigilant attentiveness the outcome could have been much worse.

Vail Public Safety Communications Center: Best in State

The Vail Public Safety Communications Center was recognized as Colorado’s 2015 Communications Center of the Year by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officers and the National Emergency Number Association. The award was presented in April during a kickoff to National Telecommunicator’s Week, April 12-18. The Vail 9-1-1 Center was recognized for its contributions to professionalism, training accomplishments and its efforts during the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships. Staffed by 18 telecommunicators, five supervisors and one director, the Vail Public Safety Communications Center answers all 9-1-1 and non-emergency telephone for Eagle County emergency services. This was the first time the Vail Center has received the prestigious award. There are 96 communications centers in Colorado.

Outstanding Public Safety Professionals

Police Officer Craig Westering and Sgt. Chris Botkins were presented with a Lifesaving Award by the Eagle County Rotary Clubs of Vail, Edwards and Eagle, for their efforts in helping an intoxicated man avoid serious injury after breaking his fall from a seventh floor balcony during an incident in February. Also receiving recognition by the Rotary Club was Rebecca Pacheco of the Vail Public Safety Communications Center, who was presented with the Distinguished Service Award. The Rotary’s annual Leadership Award was presented to Police Chief Dwight Henninger for his work in heading the Safety and Security Committee for the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships.

Roadside Baby Delivery

Kelly Klein, a dispatcher for the Vail Public Safety Communications Center, was awarded a pink “stork” pin by supervisors after assisting a motorist who had called 9-1-1 to report his wife was in labor. Klein calmly and expertly assisted the caller with the roadside delivery of a baby girl before paramedics and firefighters arrived on scene. The caller, Eagle Police Chief Joey Staufer, was grateful for the assistance. Their heartwarming story was relayed by news outlets from across the country.

Tourism Professional of the Year

Kelli McDonald, economic development manager, was named Tourism Professional of the Year by the Vail Valley Partnership in 2015. McDonald is responsible for leading the town’s marketing and special events initiatives which has resulted in record visitation and sales tax revenues. She’s held the position since its creation in 2007.

Colorado Safety Awards

In recognition of the town’s emphasis on a safe work and home environment, the Town of Vail’s employee Safety Committee was recognized with the coveted Safety Champion Award, presented by the Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency (CIRSA). The town has received the award eight times for its positive safety practices across the organization. What’s more, Charlie Turnbull, street superintendent, was the recipient of the CIRSA Safety Manager of the Year. Turnbull was nominated by co-workers who commended his dedication to safety throughout his 38 year career with the town. Recent accomplishments of the Safety Committee have included increasing the number of AEDs (automated external defibrillators) in public buildings and around town, improved lighting in the police garage and a successful and safe delivery of municipal services during the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. In addition to Turnbull, Safety Committee members include Lori Aker, Paul Cada, Ernie Chavez II, Mark Hoblitzell, Rusty Jacobs, Nick Kettinger, John King, Sean Koenig, Sally Lorton, Albert Maes, Krista Miller, Keven Reijonen, Joyce Rihanek, Todd Scholl and Jordan Winters.