City of Farmington Hills

Congratulations to the City of Farmington Hills Employee of the Year, Hannah Muth! The City of Farmington Hills recently held its 48th Annual Employee Recognition and Service Awards at the Longacre House to celebrate employees for their excellence, dedication and service to the City and the community. 🏆 Hannah Muth was selected as Employee of the Year. Hannah is the recreation supervisor of aquatics and facilities in the City’s Special Services Department. She oversees the City’s Aquatics Division, including recruiting, training and supervising over 100 part-time lifeguards, swim instructors, and water exercise staff. She also oversees pool and splash pad maintenance and all swim lessons, programs, and exercise classes. Colleagues who nominated her for the award said she leads by example, which motivates them to work harder and ensures guests have great experiences. Hannah has been with the City of Farmington Hills since 2022. Hannah is pictured here with City Manager Gary Mekjian, P.E. (left) and Ellen Schnackel, director of Special Services (right).

Last night at the beautiful Longacre House, the City of Farmington Hills celebrated the hardworking employees who serve the community every day at the 48th Annual Employee Recognition and Service Awards. Some of these dedicated public servants were recognized for milestone service anniversaries from five to 35 years with the City. The event also honored the employee of the year, firefighter of the year, police officers of the year and four outstanding employee award winners for 2024. These eight winners were nominated by their peers. Over the course of the next week, these winners will be featured in posts on the City’s page to introduce the community to some of the exceptional people who keep the City running day in and day out.

Today is National Intern Day. This summer, five engineering interns are bringing their energy, talent and fresh perspectives to the City's Public Services Department. They're supporting City projects, learning new skills and exploring careers in public service. These future leaders are students at Lawrence Tech College of Engineering, Michigan State University College of Engineering and University of Detroit Mercy. It's great to have them as part of the team this summer!

Congratulations to Sgt. Robert Gerak on his well deserved promotion from acting sergeant! Sgt. Gerak has been with the Farmington Hills Police Department since 2006. Since then, he has earned 49 citations and commendations for excellent police work. He’s pictured with Assitant Chief Brian Moore, Capt. Richard Blendea and Chief John Piggott. (Left to right)

Congratulations to Mirandi Alexander (white shirt, center), who recently completed the requirements and examination to become a licensed professional civil engineer! Upon completion of the licensure requirements, Mirandi was promoted to civil engineer II. The City’s other professional engineers recently took Mirandi to lunch to celebrate her achievement. Thanks for continuing the City’s tradition of excellence and professionalism, Mirandi!

The Farmington Hills Police Department is launching its first-ever Youth Police Academy and applications are open now! The two-week program will be held in the evenings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the first two weeks of August. Designed for pre-teens and teens, 12 to 16-years-old, the Youth Police Academy will give students an inside look at what it's like to be a police officer. They'll explore a variety of law enforcement career paths through interactive sessions and demonstrations with K9 officers, drone operators and even learn how to collect evidence, like fingerprints and shoe prints. The goal of the Youth Police Academy is to help shape young leaders and inspire future careers in public service. Interested? Email Community Engagement Officer Kean at mkean@fhgov.com for the application and more information!

Want to make sure uneaten or spoiled food doesn't go to waste? 🍌 The City of Farmington Hills is working with Make Food Not Waste to create a blueprint for reducing food waste and we want to hear from you! The City is launching a survey for businesses and community members to share their input through Friday, July 25. The survey will help the City gauge awareness about food waste, learn more about how residents and businesses handle food waste, and explore interest in a future composting program. You can find the community and business surveys on the City's website at https://lnkd.in/gi6FWwTt. Both surveys are open through July 25.

Congratulations to three City of Farmington Hills lifeguards who were recognized this week with an American Red Cross Michigan Region Lifesaving Award for their heroic actions that saved the life of a coworker at the Costick Activities Center who was showing signs of cardiac arrest last September. Using their CPR and AED training, Fana Rombou, Amy Gunn-Gill and Vanessa Hersey-Tartt jumped into action and helped their co-worker, Janet Dabish, regain consciousness before paramedics arrived. All three are lifeguard instructors who train the next generation to be prepared to save a life. Their courage and quick thinking are powerful reminders of the impact of lifesaving skills and why training matters. Thank you to the American Red Cross for recognizing these heroes! Inspired to learn CPR? The Farmington Hills Special Services Department has babysitter and lifeguard training courses, and the Farmington Hills Fire Department hosts monthly CPR and AED classes to train community members.

Everyday is a training day at the Farmington Hills Fire Department.   Earlier this week, the Farmington Hills Fire Department executive staff attended Phase II Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Training: Aircraft Accidents for First Responders at Willow Run Airport.   This course was presented by FAA accident investigators and pilots who helped first responders identify special hazards related to an aircraft incident, accessing patients who may be trapped in the aircraft and an overview of what to expect during the investigation process managed by the FAA. Phase I was an eight hour class that was completed in March of this year.   Additionally, first responders were able to familiarize themselves with different types of aircraft, how to access the cockpit, fuel capacities and emergency shut down procedures.      The Farmington Hills Fire Department is continually preparing to mitigate a variety of hazards as the scope of the Fire Department’s response has expanded far beyond only fighting fires and responding to EMS calls.

Today is International Women in Engineering Day. The City of Farmington Hills is lucky to have outstanding women engineers as part of our team! Thank you for your hard work and contributions to the Farmington Hills community, Karen Mondora, Tammy Gushard, Mirandi Alexander and Natasha Sonck. #INWED25 #TogetherWeEngineer