NUREG-0980, Informs of Nomination of Ci Grimes & Rt Neville for Congressional Award for Exemplary Svc to Public.Nominating Statements for Each Nominee Encl
| ML20196D735 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 11/30/1988 |
| From: | Zech L NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20196D738 | List: |
| References | |
| RTR-NUREG-0980, RTR-NUREG-980 NUDOCS 8812090178 | |
| Download: ML20196D735 (6) | |
Text
'
% 4p 8 'l n UNITED STATES io, e' .E NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON. D.C. 20666 CHAIRMAN November 30, 1988 U.S. Office of Personnel Management Ince.tive Awards Division, Poom 5468 1900 E Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20415 Gentlemen:
It is my sincere pleasure to nominate Christopher I. Grimes and Rhea T. Neville for the Congressional Award for Exemplary Service to the Public. The dedication and initiative exhibited by fir. Grimes and Ms. Neville are char 3cte: istic of their fine performance and make them outstanding candidates for this distinguished award.
I have enclosed nominating statements for each nominee. If you need further information, please call Mr. Duane Potter, our agency's incentive awards administrator, on 492-8930.
Sincerely, W. k'.
Lando W. Ze , Jr.
Enclosures:
As stated 4
l' l 9912090178 G31130 PDR COMMS NRCC CORRESPONDENCE PDC
Congressional Award for Exemplary Service to the Public Name of Nominee: Grimes, Christopher I.
Job
Title:
Director, Comanche Peak Project Division Rank: SES Employing Agency: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Organization:
Office of Special Projects Mailing Address: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Brief description of employee's exemplary service to the public:
Christopher I. Grimes of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission assumed the directorship of the Comanche Peak Project Division, Office of Special Projects, in March 1987. Thir, position was created specifically to focus the agency's attention on and to manage the licensing process of a nuclear power plant at which particularly complex and controversial issues had developed.
Although a major portion of Mr. Grimes' efforts was devoted to organizing and directing his staff to address difficult and often longstanding technical issues, he also effectively and responsibly managed f.he task of interacting with the public. Because of the numerous problems u1 covered and the extended licensing process at Comanche Peak, the public, represented r,rincipally by intervenors, and the media had expressed increasine, distrust and skepticism of NRC licensing and inspection activities. Also, e, the time Mr. Grimes became Director of the Comanche Peak Project Division. ilew issues had been raised about NRC inspection coverage at the facility.
Mr. Grimes expended considerable personal effort to reestablish viable comunication channels with the media and intervenors involved in the hearings for the operating license. His efforts contributed significantly to the public's increased confidence in the competence, integrity, and forthrightness of the NRC in its oversight of licensing activities at Comanche Peak. Mr.
Grimes organized and served as the senior NRC representative at a number of public meetings that were held, in part, to increase the public's awareness ar.d understanding of activities at the site and to bring the remaining NRC and public concerns clearly into public focus. Furthemore, the meetings provided a forum for a genuine dialogue between the public, the NRC, and the NRC
' licensee. Also, Mr. Grimes frequently comunicated with the principal intervenors in the licensing hearing in order to enhance comunications, to provide an easily accessible path for presentation of issues, and to keep the
! intervenors better ir: formed of the status of NRC actions. His open and candid approach with the public, including the prers, enhanced NRC's public image and the public's confidence in the agency's actions, i
f i
--- - -. ,, ,. -- ,,_.~,. - - - - . _ . _ - - - - - - - - - - , .
In July 1988, the NRC, Texas 'Jc111 ties Generating Company (the licensee for Comanche Peak), and the principal intervenor in the licensing hearing filed a joint motion for dismissal of the hearing. The hearing dismissal was based on a settlement between the parties that included a process to deal with tne remaining issues. Had there not been an environment of mutual respect, trust, and open communication, the settlement would not have occurred. Mr. Grimes '
efforts from March 1987 until July 1988 contributed significantly to establish an environment in which settlement could be reached. The settlement greatly benefits public interests in that it allows for a more efficient and timely process for resolution of ongoing issues at Comanche Peak.
Suggested citation describing tne achievement:
Mr. Grimes' achievements in organizing NRC regulatory activities for Comanche Peak and in representing the agency before the public demonstrate his exemplary service to the public. His management of the Comanche Peak project has significantly contributed to establishing an effective and viable process for resolving remaining licensing issues and providing a forum for public participation. His actions also served to enhance the agency's public image as a finn, objective, and competent regu ' tory authority.
bV SignatureofAgencpead g Name of person to contact regarding nomination: James G. Partlow, Director, OSP Phone: 492-0722 W
Congressional Award for Exemplary Service to the Public Name of Nominee: Rhea Teresa Neville Job
Title:
Assistant Chief / Head of Reference Services Public Document Room Branch Employing Agency: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Organization: Office of the Secretary Mailing Address: Washington, D.C. 20555 Brief description of employee's exemplary service to the public:
R. Teresa Neville, au Head of Reference Services in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Public Document Room Branch (PDR),
l provides high quality service to members of the general public who setk information concerning the use of nuclear materials for commercial purposes. NRC's public document room is housed in a modern 'Jacility of 10,500 square feet. It currently contains over 1.5 million documents in paper or microfiche and is growing at a rate of approximately 260 new items per day. The reference staff consists of eight full-time employesc, all of whom hold a Master's Degree in Library Science. In an t'erage month, the ,
reference staff responds to about 1300 queries, retrieves about 3,000 documents / files for the public, and generates 160 customized bibliographies upon request by the public. Document reproduction services have grown by 25% during the pest two years to a current annual rate of 4.1 million pages. Each year, the number of users has increased and, as the collection has expanded, there has been more demand on the reference staff for greater customized, personal service. To handle this increased usage of our facility without staffing increases, Ms. Neville has directed the implementation of several programs or policies to ensure efficient, accurate, and courteous service to all PDR users.
- A Subscription Service has been instituted to provide members of the public with automatic distribution of certain documents. This saves time and effort for these users and also frees the Reference staff to devote more time to requeste from the other patrons.
- A reorganization of the workflow has been initiated to increase the staffing level in the PDR Reading Room itself for direct assistance to on-site patrons and to reduce the turnaround time by more than half in responding to letter requests.
~
An upgraded and formalized program has been inplemented to train users in the use of the automated Bibliographic Retrieval System (BRS) -- an on-line catalog to over 1.5 million public documents. Currently, more than 60 remotely-located organizations and individuals have been trained to effectively search the PDR catalog via dial-in services.
Total user sessions have risen to 2500 per month as a result of this program. As with the Subscription Service program, this service allows these users full access to document information while freeing the reference staff to assist others more fully.
The time available to reference staff has been expanded to perform professional computer searches and produce specialized bi'oliographics upon request by a member of the public.
- The PDR was recently relocated to new quarters. Ms. Neville was instrumental in the planning and design of the new facility to ensure the best possible working environment for the public and for the staff. The public reference room was expanded. File accessibility by the public was continued and improved by the addition of over 1500 linear feet of shelving space, allowing for orderly collection growth and better layout. To serve growing public interest, additional computer terminals, microfiche reader-printers, and seating were provided. Her advocacy for "quality of work life" has helped improve the efficiency and attitude to the staff as they assist the sometimes demanding public.
Ms. Neville is not a behind-the-scenes manager. Her contrJbutions and innovations come from day-to-day overnight and personal contact with the public. Last year, in recognition of her outstanding assistance in preparing for a Commission meeting '
with Congressional and gubernatorial speakers attending, she received a personal letter of appreciation from Chairman Lando Zech for professional and officient service. She often works long hours and with the reference staff to assist patrons to obtain the information they want in a timely mannor. She sets the standard for her staff by har own performance and attitudo.
She insists that the PDR reference staff make overy reasonable effort to obtain docunents for members of the public whi :h are not yet in the PDR. This requires extra offort to locate the document source and to guide it as quickly as possible through the concurrence chain for its release to the public.
She carefully selects, trains, and integrates new Reference Librarians to ensure that they develop a helpful attitudo and fostor en environment in which citizens' needs are attended to
with courtesy and responsiveness. Ms. Neville has instilled in them a team spirit; all working together to balance the load and serve their clients. Attached are some of the compliuents received in letter form.
Ms. Neville has been the guiding force behind the creation and molding of a team of outstanding public servants. She has instilled in her staff the same professionalism she has exhibited throughout an excellent career; she has, by example, fostered an attitude of professionalism and service to the public in each of her team members.
Succested Citation In recognition of her outstanding contributions to public service within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Public Document Room.
G..dar Ms. Neville's direction, NRC's Public Dccument Room hac developed a highly capable, knowledgeable, and dedicated l reference staff that has been the recipient of numerous expressions of commendation for the quality of service provided to the public. As a result of Ms. Neville's professionalism and dedication, and her ability to instill in her staff those same qualities, the PDR has improved its public service to a point where it is cited as a model reference facility by user communities and other federal agencies.
Signature of Agongy Head Name of person to contact regarding nomination: John C. Hoyle, Assistant Secretary to the Commission, Phone: 492-1969.
i I
,,