Wow! Some important stuff

TIME CARDS NOW!

Time cards are due absolutely no later than 8:00 am Friday, 04 September 2009. It is necessary to turn them in by this time in order to facilitate processing due to the Monday holiday upcoming. Those whose time cards have not been received in the office by 8:00 am Friday will not be paid for the current pay period until later.

Open Enrollment

There are some FTEs who have not yet completed the online enrollment benefits package. The deadline to complete this is Friday 04 September 2009. Failing to complete the benefits package will result in a loss of coverage. Reenrollment is required by all FTEs this year. Don't miss out!

From the HR website:
Enroll online.
To enroll in your benefits, log in to LOUIE using the link above and select Self Service > Benefits > Benefits Enrollment. An enrollment summary page will show your current coverage options and will show ‘no coverage’ or ‘waive’ for the new plan year.


Driver schedule posted

Friday, 04 September 2009
Click on image to enlarge.

Into the groove
88 says she LOOOVES driving a bus.

Route blues

Record enrollment means the University is scrambling not only for housing for its residents but also for classroom space. The library is maxxed out with classes there all day long. The bulging at the seams is evident with every class change when traffic at several intersections on campus gridlocks with pedestrians and bikes. Transit then isn't quite as "rapid" as we'd like.

BBQ & potluck

Time slips due today by 10:00 am. Contact 50 if you cannot meet this deadline.

The new Bus Only lane is now open and operational on Pine Knoll between Forestry and McConnell drive. I'm sure there will be some confusion for awhile among other motorists, but this should help us greatly during our rounds. Please note: The bus lane is exclusively for buses and bicycles, except as the lane approaches an intersection where it can be used by other vehicles for making right turns. Please be watchful for vehicles moving in to the bus lane at those locations.

Tomorrow, 21 August 2009, we will hold our final summer BBQ by also including potluck dishes. Please bring something. We will also have the barby fired up so bring your appetite. Should be cookin' sometime around 11:30 am.

Finally, looks like our staging rehearsals are giving us some hope of its success. We are finding some of the kinks and working to minimize troubles. What we have yet to see is how all our drills and planning will be affected by the traffic that is yet to show up. We'll know on Monday.

Thanks again to everyone for the good jobs we did throughout the summer! Best of luck to everyone in school and work for this coming semester.

Fulltimers return

Mandatory meeting: SATURDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER, is a MANDATORY meeting for all department employees. Those who have a conflict and cannot attend must contact Erin. Time and location TBA.

Friday, 21 August, we'll have a POTLUCK and BBQ, celebrating the return of all our friends and fellow employees, and concluding a very busy and profitable summer. Bring what you can and maybe a buck or two to help pay for the BBQ essentials, and have a grand time! We'll be setting up about 11:30 am Friday.

Point Of Our Policy: Clean the washbay after washing any of our vehicles. If you don't have the time to rinse out the floor and put all equipment back after washing a vehicle, then schedule the wash for another time. Under no circumstances should we leave the washbay dirty.

Van driver certification training will be taking place during all of next week (first week of school) as well as 31 August and 01 September. This means the south portion of the Dome parking lot will be coned off during that time. Please respect those who will be van training and leave them plenty of room to maneuver around that parking lot.

Those van drivers working for MCT who do not yet have a University van certification card will be expected to complete the course themselves as soon as possible. You can sign up for that class by going online to nau dot edu, looking up Transportation Services Center, and clicking on "Van Training."

Major detour: A major detour is coming to Route 2 when San Francisco will be completely closed off to traffic at the Rec Center beginning 14 September and extending for the next several weeks. Transit plans regarding Route 2 buses and Route 2 Express Vans will be discussed soon.

We have been practicing the new Staging departure scheme under 50's direction the past few days. More drills will be taking place with the new hires and returning FTEs this week.

Time cards are due Thursday, 20 August, no later than 10:00 am.

If you have any items for The Slack Adjuster, please submit them to 61.

We finally got the last major striping and curb painting job finished last Friday. Tinsley pullout got the white exclusion line painted after the resurfacing of Knoles adjacent to Tinsley Hall was completed. The final line at Tinsley is dedicated to 77, who loved painting and really misses it.

This offset driveway entrance will be the Communications bus stop for our transit when all the construction is done with the Comm building extension.

In driver news, we've had two more former bus drivers tie the knot. Drivers formerly known as 79C and 84 (was it??) were married over the past weekend. Pictures to come.

In other news, 67 was injured while unicycling last Friday. Luckily, the injury was to her left foot, so she still hasta drive haha. Close one, 67.

Also, current driver and newlywed 84 (pictured below) had surgery to remove some malignancies on his forehead. He is doing fine, and boasted of receiving (how many was it now?) something like 26 stitches during the operation. Ahh, war wounds!

All of our returning summer workers and drivers and our newly returning FTEs, plus the new hires, met with our department manager Erin on Monday. She welcomed us all back and encouraged us to emphasize good customer service as we go about our routes. Thanks for stopping by, Erin!

Finally, driver 96 made a chilling discovery when a massively monster beetle decided to take a hike on him on Monday.

Panicking slightly, he quickly decided to remain calm and to provide the best customer service possible, recalling what our department leader had encouraged us to do earlier this morning.

Nevertheless, 83 found the challenging situation for our slighly panicking driver highly amusing.

In the end, 96 realized it was nearing lunch time, and decided to dispatch the critter in Rambo fashion.

Announcements and deadlines

Time cards due Thursday, 25 June 2009, by 10 am please. If the office is closed please place your time card in 50's box before the deadline.

Thanks to everyone wishing 61 well while sick over the weekend! Most appreciated!

If you are intending to apply for one of the FTE driver positions just posted, delay no more! One of the positions closes later tonight, 24 June 2009. The other two FTE positions remain open and will continue to accept applications after today.

The big driver news is now public! 84 has announced nuptials to his lovely fiance R. !! A list has been started for all those interested in attending the wedding. See 84 for more info. RSVP to 84 if you will attend and how many there will be in your party NO LATER THAN Tuesday 30 June 2009. Thanks!

Skillz at work. During the Road Xtreme Skillz course, 84 skillfully tucked this bus perfectly next to the curb in one smooth move. This part of the course requires backing around a corner and aligning the bus body parallel to the curb and no farther away from the curb than the concrete gutter. 84 nails this one. Nice job!

Above two photos courtesy of 84

We were fortunate to have an old-timer join us for a week before the National Park Service called him in for their employment. 79C helped us with odd jobs and route driving. Good luck to you on your new post!

We have a new member of the family! Christened Van 520, this sleek and shiny brand-new unit will promote additional service for our customers using The Lumberjack Express and the College-Shop Hop (CCC and Wal-Mart). A big-time THANK YOU goes out to everyone at EMSA for supporting the Transit program and providing the vans and buses to do it!

We broke in two more events this week for this summer's Xtreme Skillz course at the Dome. The first event was the Forward Offset lane maneuver. After a couple tries, 77, 91 and 84 succeeded in snaking through this without tapping a cone. *Cheering section was provided by 87 and 80 at no extra charge*

This was followed by an adaptation of the old CDL Alley Dock, tightened up to make it more challenging. The approach calls for backing a bus into an extremely short "alley" from the driver's side without using any pull-ups. 91 readily shows that it is possible to do, making it look easy, but it is certainly not a cakewalk.

Then we attempted to do what had never before been tried in the history of humankind: An Xtreme Skillz Blind-side Alley Dock. 84 is visible from the driver's seat clearing the pole during backing. (Get a haircut lol.) The feat eludes conquest. Still, we think it is possible.

61 here indicates the elusive geophysical end-goal of the Blind-side Alley Dock.Above photo by 84

Watch for future pictures of the near-impossible Skillz Left Turn and Right Turn to be posted soon right here. Also, two new events, the Excessively Horrible Way Far Beyond Anything Ever Imagined Left Turn and Right Turn, suggested by that lovable sadist 79, will soon be incorporated into the Skillz Maze. Get that adrenaline flowin'!

Coming along

The ol' office is coming along. The carpet is nearly finished being installed. Tiling of the lounge is next. I believe that Paint wants to touch up after the carpet and tiling are all done. Then we can move our stuff back in. Will that be on a Friday? or a Monday? Stay tuned!

Time cards
Reminder that time cards are due in the morning of Friday, 29 May 2009.

Bar-B-Que
If the weather cooperates, we will BBQ Friday around noon. We will paint lines if it is warm enough before that.