Kenny Kendall - Albemarle Fire Department Assistant Chief

For the first time in our City's history, Albemarle now has an Assistant Fire Chief. Taking on the new role is Kenny Kendall. As a boy, Kendall watched his father serve the community as a volunteer firefighter. Around the age of twelve, Kendall became a junior firefighter. Over the next nearly 38 years he climbed the ranks and has served the City of Albemarle since 1994. In this month's Employee Spotlight we talked with Assistant Chief Kendall about his new responsibilities and how the Albemarle Fire Department works to take a proactive approach to firefighting.

What attracted you to the fire service?

"I think it was the enthusiasm of the other fireman, seeing what they did, just the adrenaline and excitement of the calls. I think that's what inspired me to join the fire service, but then I didn't really catch on to the educational part until I was a little older, you know, maybe when I graduated in high school. I started seeing things that made me say I might want to do this for a career."

Some people might think the fire service is just about putting fires out, but there's a lot more to the job.

"We don't just sit in chairs and watch TV waiting for fires. We help with medical calls, medical situations. On the educational side, there's the fire risk reduction or community risk reduction work we do."

Explain how community risk reduction is meant to be a proactive approach to firefighting.

"There are many different ways of doing community risk reduction. We have training programs for small kids in the daycares talking about escape plans and how to get out of fires. We're able to get into the schools and teach, at a very young age, about fire prevention. When we talk to students at an older age, it's also an important recruitment tool for us to inspire them to join the fire service. I would also say, sadly it isn't only small kids that die in fires. There's a large number of adults that die in fires. We have different ways for them to be educated on how to make escape plans and how to check smoke detectors and learn about smoke detector options."

How does it feel to be the City of Albemarle's first Assistant Fire Chief?

"It feels good to be trusted that I can do the job. It's an honor to be able to be the Assistant Fire Chief. I feel that as I worked my way through the ranks in each position, I've learned about our City about our department."

How do you see the role of Assistant Fire Chief?

"There are many roles that the Chief has to do administratively so I'm looking forward to helping with that. I'm going to be over the training division. I'm going to still be able to be over recruit school, recruitment and retention. I'm going to administratively assist with the budget and assist with personnel."

What excites you the most about this new role?

"Being able to be there every day and interact with each shift and get to know the shifts better. Being able to assist the Battalion Chiefs with duties that they have. Each Battalion Chief has a part of the department that they manage and they can now call on me to assist them. I'm just able to touch all the areas of the department now."

Three quick questions:

What is your favorite word or phrase?

"You've got this."

What sound or noise do you love to hear?

"A fire Q siren."

What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?

"I think I'd like to be a historic tour guide."

Brittani McClendon - Planning and Development Services Department

The pandemic caused many people to reevaluate the way they live and work. For Brittani McClendon, that reevaluation led her to a job in the City of Albemarle's Planning and Development Services Department. In this month's Employee Spotlight, we talked to Brittani about what drew her to Albemarle and how the work of the Planning and Development Services Department makes life better not only for the people and businesses here now, but also for those who could one day call Albemarle home.

What brought you to Albemarle?

"I was living out in Denver, Colorado when the pandemic happened. I was away from family. After being out there for a year, living in isolation, I missed my family and they're here. We live three blocks away from City Hall. I have a master's of public administration and when I moved back here, I started applying to jobs in local government."

Why local government?

"I'm a first generation college graduate. I'm the oldest of seven children and there was a time in my life, where things were very difficult and school was the place that I felt safe and comforted. I always really loved school. So, I went to college and started working in higher education. When it was time to get my master’s degree, I didn't choose education, but I wanted to do something that I felt helped people. I couldn't be a doctor because I didn't like the sight of blood (laughs), so I settled on national public administration. The more I went to different classes, it seemed just very close to home. The closest way to help people is to be working for them, near them, living among them, feeling the impacts of the decisions you're making.”

How has the transition been going from your work in higher education to local government?

"So, it's really funny, because in higher education, I pretty much did marketing and recruitment, which either way you put it is sales. I did some volunteer management, but it was a lot of, you know, wearing very nice outfits, and smiling and people gathering. When I got here, Kevin Robinson (Planning & Community Development Director) is like 'you can buy some steel toe boots and we're gonna run around in the mud and you're gonna get chased by dogs.' So, my responsibilities vary."

What are some of those responsibilities?

"I do all of the addresses for the City of Albemarle. I'm the floodplain administrator, so I work with FEMA on regulations and state government. I oversee our Historic District. I also oversee our Historic Resources Commission, which hears cases relevant to our historic district. I also do planning, which is enforcing zoning regulations, permitted uses of building and land, assisting developers with questions, homebuilders, you name it."

How does your work benefit the people who live here?

"We're responding to what people in the community care about. I can get a call ranging from concerns about high grass and unsafe living conditions to a new homeowner wanting to know where to put their mailbox or developers wanting to know the best part of town to bring in a business. We get calls from a wide array of people who are all engaging with the City at different points in the process, looking for different things, but all making it a wonderful place to live."

What is your favorite part of the job?

"My favorite part of this job is the same thing that I've loved about any job that I've had before, and that's the people that you get to help."

What is the biggest challenge?

"We're very busy. Albemarle is going through a big boom right now with residential development and commercial development. That means a lot of plan review, walk throughs, inspections of different kinds, permitting and wanting to provide great customer service to all people."

What's it like working with the team in the Planning and Development Services Department?

"We have a great team here. We have great collaboration and information sharing. Everyone has great expertise in different areas that they've brought from different sectors of life. It's just amazing how we can all come together with our different expertise and get things done, but still be learning and still be seeking change to make things better."

Planning departments can sometimes be labeled as the place where customers are told what they can't do. How does the City of Albemarle's Planning and Development Services Department work to problem solve for customers?

"I think we're a department of what you can do. The reality is, we're here to help anyone get the best out of a situation. So, when there is a no, there's a no, for a reason, whether that's life and safety concerns, land, use concerns, or federal regulations. When people come in here, I ask them what they want to do and then we talk about how you can do it. For instance, I'll tell a customer 'maybe this parcel isn't right for you, let's look at other parcels' or 'maybe you can't expand the footprint of your house outward, but you could expand up.' We are a department of a variety of options, as long as you're willing to listen to the options."

Three quick questions:

What is your favorite phrase or word?

"Lock In." “My little brother has been saying that to me a lot lately, I guess it means focus.”

What sound or noise do you love to hear?

"I love the sound of birds."

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

"Writer"

Albemarle Parks & Recreation

Since 1985, the United States has celebrated July as the nation's official Park and Recreation Month. In our City, there's a lot to celebrate. Albemarle has 300 acres of park land shared between six different parks. Parks and Recreation also maintains two fully equipped indoor facilities. In this month’s “Employee Spotlight,” we're featuring some of the people who make up Albemarle Parks and Recreation Department.

For 26 years, Lisa Kiser has worked in Parks and Recreation. For the past five years, Kiser has served as Albemarle's Parks and Recreation Director. Her department has a clear mission. "We provide quality programming and facilities that help enhance people's quality of life, said Kiser. "There are three pillars that we like to focus on. One pillar is health and wellness, the second is conservation of the environment, and the third is equity, making sure all people have equal access to all of our parks and programs."

Albemarle Parks and Recreation's maintenance staff plays a key role in making sure parks and recreation facilities are ready to welcome visitors. "Every morning we go through, we pick up all the trash. We clean up the bathrooms. During this time of year, we do a lot of mowing. We also take on other maintenance projects as they come up," said Todd Sullivan, Albemarle Parks Superintendent. 

While it can be a difficult job in the summer heat and cleaning up can be less than enjoyable at times, the maintenance staff still loves their work. "There's nothing I really dislike about the job. I don't wake up in the morning and dread coming in," said Leon Strickland, Parks Crew Leader. "I would advise any young person to seek employment with the city. It's a good opportunity."

Jordan Criso started with Parks and Recreation about a year and-a-half ago as a Parks Maintenance Worker. He believes enjoying nature makes the job truly worthwhile "I can't stand being locked up inside," said Criso. "I just love getting out and being in God's creation and his masterpiece, I just love it. You get to see wildlife and you get to talk a lot of people and I don't mind talking to people." 

Parks Maintenance Worker, Justin Griffin, feels a special sense of satisfaction when he shares his work with others. "Living in a place where you can see the work you've done, getting off work and being able to take and show your family and show them what you've done and hearing all the good comments and feedback from the place you live is the most satisfying part," said Griffin.

Like any job there are challenges, especially when it comes to funding, but Billy McRae, Program Supervisor at the EE Waddell Community Center has been able to find solutions. "Just reaching out to other departments. Using the resources out there to find out if others have been in the same situation. Using NRPA (National Recreation and Park Association) programs to ask questions and then speaking with staff so that we can team up and handle the situation." 

Sometimes the biggest challenge can be the unexpected "I guess really not knowing what will come in through the door. Having to talk to some patrons that come in and not knowing how they'll react to what you tell them," said Recreation Assistant Luz Banos. 

Through it all, the Albemarle Parks and Recreation staff is focused on the mission of enhancing quality of life for everyone. "I like the opportunity to create for kids. The opportunity to create, for adults, all things, athletic, all things adventurous, all things education," said Brent Kirven, Community Programs Supervisor. "I think Parks and Rec is one of the few departments that you can kind of grab a little bit of every aspect of everybody's life."

Amanda Lukach, Senior Systems Specialist

City of Albemarle Senior Systems Specialist Amanda Lukach is what you’d call a lifelong learner. It comes with the territory as someone who works in the field of technology. Understanding the newest cell phones and apps is a key part of her job. Recently, Amanda chose to expand her professional development outside the world of tech. In this month’s “Employee Spotlight,” Amanda shares how the benefits of continuing education stretch beyond what’s learned in the classroom.

How would you describe your job?

What I do is challenging and fun every day. We're tasked with doing a lot of different things, so it's never dull, which I really like. I mainly do application support, I do active directory which means setting up new users, onboarding and offboarding, user transfers from one department to another. I also look at all of the applications (apps), we have. I bring in new applications. I work with the MDM, which is our mobile management system so we can manage all of the City cell phones.

What got you interested in technology?

"So in eighth grade I had a teacher in computer class say, 'Amanda, come here and take this apart.' So, I took a computer apart and was kind of hooked. I maxed out all the computer class I could take in high school, but I never got a technical degree. I went into criminal justice. So, I have an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice Technology with forensics. I have a Criminal Justice bachelor’s degree. My goal was originally to do probation or forensics for a police department."

How has that experience helped with the work you do for the City?

"It helps a lot with the police department. I understand a lot of their procedures, how they're doing things, why they're doing things. They're on the road, they get a call, they don't need any issues with their equipment, and it helps me understand the importance of what we're doing."

Tell me about the professional development program you’re taking part in now.

"It's the Certified Government Chief Information Officer program at the (UNC) School of Government. We started in August and graduation is next month. I'm still amazed that I'm in this program. Owen (Squires) recommended me for it. The City sponsored me, which I was so thankful for. The program is about learning how we can become managers eventually. We learn how we can grow and become better workers, but also how to be better leaders. The instructor is Dr. Shannon Tufts. She is phenomenal. If I could have a tenth of her knowledge, it would be amazing. She is knowledgeable in the law and IT. You can walk up to her and ask her questions and she is just very down to earth. I can’t speak highly enough of the School of Government.”

What piece of advice would you give to someone interested in professional development?

Talk to people here at the City, they have lots of knowledge of what's available. Dana Chaney (Human Resources Director) has been a big advocate of asking 'what do you want to learn?' The City has always had my back. Talk to the School of Government. Any training you can get, go after it. It's never going to hurt you. The people you meet, the network that I've been able to build, the people I've been able to call you know, and say 'hey we're facing this issue, have you seen it before?' I've been able to call and say, 'I don't need to know how you made it work. I need to know what you did that didn't work. That's been my favorite question to ask everybody lately. 'What did you do that didn't work?' I don't want to fall into the same traps."

What's the biggest challenge of your work?

"I want to be good at everything. I want to be an expert at everything I'm touching, I but can’t always do that. Our biggest challenge right now is just maintaining 12 departments, all the devices, but we're a team and we make it work. I can only do a good job if my team is doing the same. Corey, Owen, Nhia and I are all on one team.

What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?

"When we finish a product and somebody says, 'thank you.' When they say, 'this made my life easier' or 'this is going to save us time' or 'this is going to benefit us,' that makes it worth it every single day." 

Where do you see technology in the City going in the next five years?

"It'll continue to grow. It's amazing how things have changed. For example, our meter technicians are using tablets. Now, you never would have thought five years ago that we would be doing that. I see our device count going up. I see the City really being more technologically engaged with workflows and getting away from paper. I think in five years we'll see less paper in the City and more 'let's use our tablets.' Just use the technology we have available and share information better, that way it's not 'hey go find that paper in the filing cabinet' it's 'let me just share it with you.' I'm hoping for more transparency and ability to share collaborate with others."

What is your favorite word or phrase?

"A funny thing I like to say is 'where's my swimmies?’ I say that when we're getting into solving a problem and it’s something in the deep end."

What sound or noise do you love to hear?

"Rain, not thunder, just rain."

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

"Forensic Detective."

National Police Week occurs every May. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to the law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. The Albemarle Police Department has a mission to protect and serve the people of our City every day. In this month's employee spotlight, we talked to Officer Jonathan Bernal. Born in El Salvador, Officer Bernal shared his unique journey to becoming an officer with APD.

What brought you to the United States from El Salvador?

"My dad is a pastor. He has been a pastor for 40 plus years and he also was going to different countries and different places all the time to preach or to teach. Whenever he came to the U.S. a supervisor in North Carolina asked him if he was willing to come to a church in a town named Harmony, North Carolina in Iredell County. In 2003, when I was 12-years-old we moved (from El Salvador) to Harmony. Whenever I came here to the United States, I didn't speak any English. That was a big challenge for me, learning English.

What inspired you to become a police officer?

"Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a police officer, so I could help people. Most of the time people will say that you can help people without being a police officer. That is true, but as a police officer, you have more resources to help. For example, let's say somebody breaks down in the middle of the road with a flat tire. Anyone can help them, but it's also dangerous because people may not see you. Now, if I'm in my patrol car, I can turn my blue lights on, and people are aware. That's one reason."

How did you get your start with the Albemarle Police Department?

"Back in 2011/2012, I became a corrections officer. I worked at Brown Creek as a correctional officer, then I went to Lanesboro correctional and worked there from 2012 to 2017. I also worked for the Sheriff's office here in Stanly County and that's where I met some Albemarle Police Department officers. The officers said, 'you should try working with us.' I put in my application for APD and they asked me, 'do you want to come train?' I got hired in 2018."

Tell me about a typical day as an officer.

"Well, it all depends, every day is different. Actually, for me, it would be night. I'm on the night shift, which is great because I don't like waking up early. With the night shift, you're busy, but it can change it. Every night is something different."

What are the hours?

"We start at 5:45 p.m. for lineup roll call and then work 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., a 12-hour shift."

What would you say is the biggest challenge of the job?

"The biggest challenge is calls involving children. Whenever I was just starting, I had just finished BLET (basic law enforcement training) I was riding with another officer and a call came out from EMS for a two or three-year-old child choking on a grape. We were the first responders there. The other officer started doing CPR. I was translating for the child's family because they didn't speak English and I speak Spanish. Later on, that same day, the child passed away. He didn't make it and that really touched my heart."

I understand you were able to help save a life recently.

"We got a call at Walmart and were the first responders there. There were some people trying to help a woman lying there. I said, 'hey, let me jump in.' I started doing CPR. That's when the fire department and everybody else came. We just took turns doing CPR."

How do you keep a balance between your professional and personal life?

"My family is what helps me there. My wife, tells me 'you're here with me now and this is your day off, so don't worry about what's going on at the job." Whenever that child I mentioned earlier passed away, I went and told her and tears were coming out of my eyes. She said, 'it's okay,' you know. She will tell me, 'you have your kids here, they want you here for them.' So that's what actually helps me balance. She is understanding."

What's been the most enjoyable part of the job with APD?

"The most enjoyable part is when the community comes and says, 'thank you for your service' or 'thank you for what you do.' Sometimes, I go eat dinner and I'll go and pay my bill and they tell me your bill already has been paid. Also, when we call the police and something is going on and you can see the look on people when you show up and you can see the relief on their faces. It's like 'he's here.' and that makes me feel good."

A few more questions:

What is your favorite word or phrase?

"Man, Yeah."

What sound or noise do you love to hear?

"I like the sound of waterfalls, but I also like the sound of motorcycles."

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

"At one point, I was thinking of becoming a pilot, but I decided on law enforcement."

Some of the best work Chris Palmer and his team do for our City will probably never be seen - that's because they're responsible for water and sewer systems. Learn more about how Chris and his team manage what happens beneath the surface of our City's streets, homes, and businesses.

What's your current job title?
"I'm a general supervisor for water and sewer systems."

How did you get your start with the City?
"I put in my job application when I was 17 and they had to wait on me to turn 18 to hire me. I was mainly a "ditch man" relaying sewer mains and doing water maintenance/sewer maintenance."

Tell me more about your team's responsibilities.
"We are responsible for all of the routine maintenance on your sewer system and your water system. We normally wash and camera inspect a little over 23 miles of sewer per year. The state actually requires, I believe 10% of your system, we do double that and that's a constant job, it never stops. I'm over the meter techs who do all the reading for your water and electric. We've been working on cleaning the routes up and making them more efficient and that's going really well."

What do you enjoy most about your job?
"The main part of what makes my job so great is my crew. I mean these guys here have my back. They make me look good because they know what they're doing. The biggest part of my success, as a supervisor, is the guys respecting me and doing their job. I really enjoy my job, I wouldn't have been here for 18 years if I didn't."

What's the biggest challenge?
“Sometimes you have to deal with irate customers. They're not happy with what we have to tell them.”

How do you handle those situations?
"The first thing I always do is sympathize with the customer and let them know, we're doing all we can. We walk customers through the steps they need to do in the future as far as getting with a plumber, trying to help the customer as much as possible. That's why we do what we do. If we didn't, if we didn't love what we did for the customers and doing it for the community, we obviously wouldn't be here doing it. So that's the toughest part but also the best part - explain to them that the City did all we could to make sure it wasn't our issue and to help the customer along the way as far as we can."

A few more questions:

What is your favorite word or phrase?
"Good job fellers.' It actually kind of became my catchphrase because they give me a hard time about it when they do a job. They wait to hear it now. They don't leave until I tell them 'good job fellers."

What sound or noise do you love to hear?
"Probably when it's quiet. I know the job is over and we've got it done."

What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
“Having people complement our work because, you know, sometimes they don’t see us in here doing the work. We’re taking pride in our work and you want people to see it too.”

Springtime means flowers in bloom, green grass, and the busy season for our Public Works downtown maintenance crew. They’re responsible for upkeep at the properties you see every day and some places you might not expect. We recently caught up with Kevin Luther, the downtown maintenance crew leader to talk about the work his three-person crew does to keep our City looking sharp.

What got you into this line of work?

“Well, I worked with Piedmont Landscaping over a summer when I was in high school. I was actually on a landscape crew and I thought it was pretty neat to see how things can be spruced up and color can be added. I liked seeing all the different people's houses, their yard, you know what their landscape looks like and just trying to beautify it.”

How would you describe your job?

“You get the joy of being outside, being outdoors. I'm not a person that works, you know, inside walls. I like being outside in the open. You get people coming down the sidewalk that say ‘hey you’ve got the place looking good’ or y'all really took care of things and that's what makes you feel good. You know, you’ve got your name on these properties.”

Tell me about the properties you and the crew are responsible for.

“We're doing, you know, Market Station, we do Liberty Gardens and City Hall. We also have the new Police Station, which is a big job. We still take care of the old Police Station, you know doing lawn maintenance and turf care there. We actually have two cemeteries, one on the east side of Albemarle and one off of Pee Dee, which is called Pee Dee Cemetery. We also cover Azalea Park. You’ve got the new Pee Dee parking lot, which has a lot of pruning there. We also take care of the Warehouse, we do every bit of that and that's mowing, spraying, and pruning there.”

What’s the biggest challenge of your work?

“I would probably say the pruning and the mulching and just getting every job to look good that day. Make it something where people can stop and say, this looks really nice, it's freshly mulched, the grass looks good, everything is edged correctly, there are no clippings on the sidewalk or the pavement. Just making sure everything is tidied up in the way it's supposed to look in one day.”

Tell me about the other members of your team.

“We’ve got Josh Swaringen. He's been here coming up on a year. He picked up lawn care and landscaping pretty quickly. He’s a really great guy and a hard worker. Everything about this is a team. You’ve got to know where everyone is going, that kind of thing. We’re hoping to get one more crew member in and train them up and be a good team of three.”

What’s the most rewarding part of your work?

“Having people complement our work because, you know, sometimes they don’t see us in here doing the work. We’re taking pride in our work and you want people to see it too.”

A few more questions:

What is your favorite word or phrase?

“Let's do it.’ That's the one thing we'll say when we get to a job – ‘Let's do it.”

What sound or noise do you love to hear?

“There’s not a better sound than a chainsaw. You know you're going to work then.”

What profession, other than your own would you like to attempt?

“I’m really into learning about mechanics. We service our own equipment, as far as mowers and stuff and I enjoy doing that. It’s taking care of what you're using and making sure everything is on point when you go to use it.”