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Surveying the districtPage 2

GraduatesPage 3-6

Bits & PiecesPage 7

RetirementsPage 10-11

Safety CornerPage 17

ABOVE: Area Engineer Chad

Windham, Assistant Area

Engineer Freddy Herrera,

Andrews supervisor Cleon

Payton and Andrews

employee Danny Webb

inspect the overpass that

takes Highway 158 over

Highway 385 in northern Ector

County after an over-height

load struck several of the

beams of the overpass. The

overpass will be closed for

several weeks.

ODESSATHAT LEFT A MARK...

Back in the saddle

By Mike C. McAnally

District Engineer

It is that time again for me to have a little say in

this issue of the district newsletter, but I am going

to make this a short one. I know you are all very

busy, and I appreciate that more than ever.

I have been out through some of our areas, and

I just want to personally thank each and every one

of you for the outstanding jobs you are doing. It

seems that we have more of everything out on our

highways these days: traffic, trucks, trash,

potholes, mesquite, people, accidents, high

temperatures, rubber, and the list goes on and on.

Throughout all this, each of you continue to

work through some of the most difficult times I’ve

seen in 30 years and most of you are still able to

smile when I see you. Thank you very much for

the dedication and professionalism you are show-

ing.

As dedicated and hard working as you all are,

PLEASE do not forget to take a moment before

performing those job duties every day and make

sure that you and your co-workers are safe. Not

only are the roadways busier than ever, they are

more dangerous than ever, and it is my job to

make sure you stay safe!

Thanks So Muchand Be Safe!!

Surveying the district

A FEW WORDS FROM COL. GARY LAW: It has been a tremendously enjoyable occasion for me to

return to the TxDOT Family. I wish to thank everyone for your support of my service to our nation and

especially to my family during my absence. Without your continuous support, Citizen-Soldiers such as

myself could not serve in the Reserve Components of the Armed Forces, and that would create a

significantly greater challenge to our national defense as well as fiscal budgets. Together, we all serve

our nation. Myself in uniform, and you by filling to voids left behind and providing a wonderful

employment environment to return to. THANK YOU.

Director of

Operations

Bryan

Raschke, left,

chats with

Director of

Transportation

Planning and

Development

Gary Law

during a

breakfast

celebrating

Law’s return

from a

yearlong

military

deployment.

Law came

back to work

June 1.

High school graduatesAustin Ray Betancourt recently graduated from

Seminole High School, home of the Seminole Indians.

Austin is 18 years old and

is the son of Rick and Kristy

Betancourt. Rick is a recently

licensed engineer and works

in the Odessa design office.

In high school, Austin was

involved in football, track

and powerlifting. He also

played in the school band.

Austin’s hobbies include

skateboarding, stunts, writing

music lyrics, drawing and

helping dad with his never-

ending list of projects.

Austin plans to attend

South Plains College in

Levelland where he will start pre-engineering classes. He

hopes to transfer to Texas Tech University after completing

his basics and shoot for either a Civil or Petroleum

engineering degree.

& & &Jaekob Ladd Blewett recently graduated from Smyer

High School in Smyer, Texas. (It’s a few miles west of

Lubbock on Highway 114.)

Jaekob, 18, is the son of

Lance Jenkins, assistant

maintenance supervisor in the

Stanton section office.

Jaekob has been hired on

as a summer hand in the

Midland maintenance office,

so he’ll be hanging out with

dad and beating Lance at Wii.

After a summer of

working, Jaekob wants to

play baseball at a junior

college. So far he’s

considering Corpus Christi

Junior College, South Plains

College in Levelland, Howard College, Midland College

and Odessa College for his future diamond exploits.

& & &Dynesha Savon Dingle is the daughter of Luwana and

David Dingle of Kermit Maintenance.

She recently graduated from Kermit High School where

she participated in four years

of volleyball, cheer and

basketball as well as three

years of track, softball,

National Honor Society and

Student Council. She also

received the UIL Scholar

Award, was named All-State

Academic, won a Presidency

Award and was named

Student of the Month.

Dynesha plans to continue

her education at McMurry

University in Abilene on a

four-year academic

scholarship. She plans to major in Petroleum Engineering.

She’s also a 2012-2013 Warhawk Cheerleader.

& & &Yumira Garcia is a 2012

graduate of Odessa High.

She is the daughter of

Jesus and Teresa Garcia.

Jesus works in the Odessa

Construction Office.

According to her dad,

Yumira won’t drift far away

to continue her eduction.

Jesus said Yumira will begin

her college career by

studying biology at UTPB.

Yumira has been known to

play a little soccer in her day.

& & &Grabiel Ray Salcido recently graduated from Balmorhea

High where he was in the National Honor Society, FFA and

the Texas High School Rodeo

Association.

The son of Candie and

Ruben Salcido (Balmorhea

maintenance supervisor),

Grabiel has qualified as a

team roper for the second

time to compete in the High

School finals in June in

Abilene.

Grabiel plans to attend Sul

Ross State and rodeo for the

university while studying to

be a game warden.

Congratulations

Austin Ray Betancourt

Jaekob Ladd Blewett

Dynesha Savon Dingle

Yumira Garcia

Grabiel Ray Salcido

High school (continued)We don’t exactly have

another Aggie in our midst,

but Kaylie N. Griner recently

graduated from A&M

Consolidated in College

Station.

Her dad is Joel Griner,

supervisor in the Pecos

maintenance section.

Dad said Kaylie is

planning on attending Blinn

Junior College with an eye

toward majoring in

elementary education.

Dad said Kaylie enjoys

shopping, reading and spending time with friends.

& & &Annebelle Hartwig walked across the stage with the

2012 class from Odessa High

School recently.

Annebelle is the daughter

of Lee and Carla Hartwig.

Lee works out of the Odessa

Construction Office.

Annebelle’s future plans

include attending Odessa

College with a goal of getting

into the Odessa College

Nursing Program. Her

lifelong dream is to be a

Registered Nurse, so that is

what she is aiming for.

While in school, Annebelle

was in the OHS choir for three years. She loves to read,

shop, hang with her friends and play with her pets.

By the way, dad Lee just finished his course work with a

goal of becoming a professional licensed engineer.

& & &Haley Lara is now a

Permian High School alum

after walking across the stage

with the Panther Class of

2012.

Haley is the daughter of

Becky and Lonnie Lara.

Lonnie is an inspector out of

the Odessa Construction

office.

Haley plans to attend the

University of Texas at San

Antonio. She plans to major

in sports medicine.

& & &Permian High School 2012 graduate Regan McNatt is

the daughter of Donnie (IT)

and Heather McNatt. She’s

also the granddaughter of

Don (Odessa TP&D) and

Rosemary McNatt. (Regan’s

older brother Michael worked

at the Odessa Maintenance

office last summer and is a

senior at North Texas.)

Regan was President of

her senior class. She also

sang with Permian’s “Black

Magic” and was the top

officer of Permian’s top

choir. A member of the

National Honor Society, Regan graduated in the top 10

percent of her class, was a Texas Scholar and served as vice

president of the French Club. Regan was also active with

Student Senate, served as vice president of the Junior

Board, played soccer for two years and was manager a third

year. Other accomplishments includes making 1st chair

Soprano I in All-Region her senior year and the Area Choir

the past two years.

She is active at First Baptist Church where she is a

member of the New Creation Ensemble, Student Choir,

FBC Youth and also teaches in the 4-year-old Kidzart class.

Regan loves music, fishing, sports and hanging with

friends.

Regan already has 30 hours of college credit. She will

attend Texas A&M in pursuit of a Nursing Degree. She

wants to be a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

& & &Brandon Munoz graduated with honors from Permian

High School in Odessa this

year.

Brandon was recognized

for his participation in the

dual credit and early

admissions college program

as a Silver Panther Scholar.

He was also recognized for

the numerous volunteer hours

he completed as a Texas

Scholar.

Brandon is the son of Roy

and Elaine Munoz. Elaine

keeps Operations in Odessa

headquarters going as the office manager.

Brandon plans to attend UTPB to study accounting and

hopes to work for a major corporation one day.

But that’s in the fall. For now he enjoys hanging out with

his friends.

Kaylie N. Griner

Annebelle Hartwig

Haley Lara

Regan McNatt

Brandon Munoz

High school (continued)

William Lee Payton and Jason Wayne Payton are now

ex-Mustangs after graduating recently from Andrews High

School. They are the twin sons of Cleon Payton, supervisor

of the Andrews maintenance section.

Jason Wayne Payton is on the left in the green shirt. He

plans to attend West Texas A&M University in Canyon. His

plan is to study theater. After college, his plan is to pursue a

career in direction or teaching theater.

William Lee Payton is on the right in the blue shirt. Like

his twin, he plans to attend West Texas A&M University in

Canyon. Unlike his twin, he plans to major in business.

& & &Branson Yates recently accepted his diploma as a

member of the 2012 graduating class of Permian High

School in Odessa.

Branson is the son of

Melissa and Trent Yates.

Employees of TxDOT’s

Odessa District know Melissa

as the director of the Human

Resources office in the

Odessa headquarters.

Branson was quite the

soccer player while kicking it

for the Permian Panthers. A

three-year varsity player, he

was an honorable mention

All-District selection his

senior year. As a freshman,

he was voted most valuable

defender on the junior varsity team.

He wants to pursue soccer, but he is undecided in his

choice of majors right now. He also hasn’t nailed down

where to go to college just yet, but he has already been

accepted to Lubbock Christian University, so he has that

option to consider.

& & &

Tiffany Rodriguez is a graduated Panther of a different

stripe — the Fort Stockton High variety.

Tiffany is the daughter of

Felipe and Araceli Rodriguez.

Araceli is the office manager

in the Fort Stockton section.

Tiffany is the reigning

Miss Fort Stockton and is

busy with all the functions

involved in representing her

city. Tiffany is preparing for

her last go-round in the

annual Water Carnival Show,

an event that involves a short

play with synchronized

swimming and dancing

routines. She has been a part of the show since she was 5

years old.

She plans to attend Angelo State University and major in

Physical Therapy.

Middle school gradMayra Alejandra

Rodriguez, 14, will be going

into Sanderson High as a

freshman next fall. Mayra is

the daughter of Maria and

Juan Rodriguez, a 15-year

TxDOT veteran.

Mayra keeps busy by

participating in cheerleading,

Student Council and UIL.

She also played basketball

and tennis and ran track.

She hasn’t set a career path

yet, but she’s got four years

of high school to think on it.

Pre-school gradJonathan Rumbaugh, 5-

year-old grandson of Pecos

design technician Gary

Rumbaugh Jr., graduated

from Lamar Early Education

in Odessa. Jonathan is the son

of Gary Rumbaugh III and

Darlene P. Edwards.

His hobbies are riding his

bike and WWE wrestling.

Grandpa said Jonathan has a

profound interest in human

anatomy so we may have a

doctor in our future.

Tiffany RodriguezJason Wayne Payton William Lee Payton

Branson Yates

Mayra Rodriguez

Jonathan Rumbaugh

Bates

College graduatesMeet Amber Bates — or should we make that Dr. Amber

Bates.

Amber has earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Agronomy

from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. And she did that

while working as an instructor at Texas Tech.

Amber is married to Kevin Bates. If you follow the

family tree, that makes her the daughter-in-law of Earl and

Phyllis Bates. Phyllis works in the Odessa Construction

Office and has been with TxDOT more than four decades.

Amber and Kevin plan to live in the Dallas area.

& & &Collin Wade Greene recently graduated from Texas State

Technical College in Abilene where he earned a degree in

Digital Imaging and Design.

His parents are James and Ralaine Greene. We all know

Ralaine from her work in Human Resources.

Collin is back in Odessa now working for Vista Sales

and Service.

& & &JoVanna Lambert is a member of the latest crop of

nurses graduating with associate’s degrees from Odessa

College’s nursing program.

JoVanna is the daughter-in-law of Jack and Jeanna

Lambert, both of whom work in Odessa headquarters. Jack

is the environmental guy, and Jeanna works in traffic safety.

JoVanna’s husband is Ben Lambert.

JoVanna will be working at in Labor & Delivery at

Midland Memorial Hospital.

& & &

Paul Michael Martinez is a Summa Cum Laude honor

graduate of Odessa College. Paul earned an associate

degree in Radiologic Technology and compiled a 3.95 GPA

in the process. In addition to being on the President’s list,

Paul is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and has been a

member of Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Chi and the

Newman Center.

He also volunteered for the H-E-B Feast of Sharing.

Paul is the son of Anita and Freddie Martinez. Freddie

works in Fort Stockton maintenance.

Sixth-grade grads (below) Nick Sinclair, 11-year-old son of Kris and Heather

Sinclair (engineering supervisor), graduated sixth grade

from Fannin Elementary in Midland.

Nick received awards for “A” Honor Roll for the year,

Perfect Attendance for the year and Perfect Attendance for

the all of his seven years in elementary school!

& & &Rachel Ann Spraggins graduated the sixth grade from St.

John’s Episcopal School. She will be attending the

Monsieur Middle School of Odessa for the 7th and 8th

grade. She is 12 and her parents are Keith and Teresa (IT).

Rachel was on the “A” honor roll, won St. John’s

Science fair, placed second in the Region Science Fair and

went on to State Competition in San Antonio.

She is a Cadet level in Girl Scouts. Her hobbies are

reading, camping, playing volleyball, hanging out at the

Permian Playhouse and playing with her dog, Ace.

This summer she will be taking Girl Scout PA training,

attending Girl Scout camp at Mitre Peak, Church Camp in

Oklahoma and Camp Tatum.

Collin Wade Greene JoVanna Lambert Paul Michael Martinez

Nick Sinclair Rachel Ann Spraggins

LEFT: A contractor places

YIELD AHEAD markings

on the JBS/BI-20 overpass

as part of a pavement

marking contract.

MIDDLE LEFT: Jack

Lambert gets his

appreciation award for 30

years with TxDOT.

MIDDLE RIGHT: Crane

supervisor Joe Hinojos

checks out where the

needle will soon be as he

donates in the May blood

drive. The drive collected

13 units.

BOTTOM: Maintenance

engineer Mike Stroope

caught this image after a

pickup plowed into the

traffic light at East Loop

338 and University.

Bits & Pieces

Service AwardsApril

John I. Jaquez Jr. ..........Andrews Maintenance ................25 years

Austin L. Rubio ..........Balmorhea Maintenance ................5 years

May

Matt Carr ............................Odessa TP&D ......................25 years

James Lance Jenkins ....Stanton Maintenance..................20 years

Zane R. Honeyfield ......Stanton Maintenance..................15 years

Juan J. Rodriguez ........Sanderson Maintenance................15 years

Lydia C. Fuentes ......Regional Warehouse/Shop ............10 years

New HiresApril

Name Job Title Section

Charles Vick ......................Gen. Eng. Tech ....Fort Stockton Area

James Duncan ................Maintenance Tech I..................Andrews

Luis Lopez ....................Maintenance Tech II ..........Special Crew

Armando Rangel ............Maintenance Tech I ..........Fort Stockton

May

Name Job Title Section

Gabriel Hernandez III......Gen. Trans. Tech I....................Midland

Angelica Mendoza ..........Gen. Trans. Tech I....................Midland

Linda Webb........................Office Manager ..................McCamey

Araceli Rodriguez..............Office Manager..............Fort Stockton

Adrian Pena ........................Summer Hire ..........................TP&D

Daniel Aaron ......................Summer Hire ..............Midland Area

Jacob Benavidez..................Summer Hire ......Fort Stockton Area

Marcus Beltram ..................Summer Hire....................Balmorhea

Roxanne Rodriguez ............Summer Hire ....................Sanderson

Larry Martinez Jr. ................Summer Hire ............................Pecos

Patrick Ramirez ..................Summer Hire ..............Fort Stockton

Taylor Spinks ......................Summer Hire ........................Stanton

Dawson Weaver ..................Summer Hire ........................Stanton

Position changesApril

Noel Ramirez ......................transferred from Midland to Andrews

Fred Herrera ........................promoted to Assistant Area Engineer

On Down the RoadApril

Name Job Title Section

Gonzalo Guzman ........Maint. Section Asst. III................Midland

Antonio Rodriguez ........Maintenance Tech II ......................Iraan

Robert Miller ................Maintenance Tech III ....................Crane

Hector Raygosa ................Gen. Eng.Tech I..Odessa Construction

May

Name Job Title Section

Russell Tidwell ..............Gen. Trans. Tech III ..................Midland

Ruben Rodriguez ......Trans. Maint. Crew Chief ......Special Crew

Evan Ortiz........................Maintenance Tech ................McCamey

Here’s what Chad Windham said about Freddy Herrera’s

promotion: I am pleased to announce that I have selected Freddy

Herrera as my Assistant Area Engineer. Effective April 1, 2012,

Freddy will oversee the Odessa Construction Office.

Freddy was working for the Odessa district central design unit.

He has 15 years experience with TxDOT. Most of his time was

spent in the Midland Area Office where he had a wide array of

experiences ranging from routine maintenance contracts to com-

plex interchange designs. He also has a good background in con-

tract inspection, project management and laboratory testing.

Freddy and his wife, Lori, have two children: Jaedon, 18, and

Zoey, 3.

Please welcome Freddy into his new position with TxDOT.

v v vHere’s what Bryan Raschke wrote about Mark Barnes switch-

ing positions: Please help me welcome Mark Barnes as the new

PMIS coordinator for the Odessa District.

Mark comes to use from the Midland Area Office and prior to

that from the City of Midland.

BirthsArnulfo Valdez, regional facility coordinator, had a special

birthday June 26 when his granddaughter Eleanor Swing showed

up early to share a birthday with her grandpa. Arnulfo was off to

North Carolina to visit his daughter Trista Swing and her hus-

band, Tim. According to Wanda Stewart, mom and baby are both

fine, and Arnulfo Grandma Dean were “chomping at the bit” to

see their new addition.

Congratulations!

DeathsRon Sartor, the father of former TxDOT employee Kristi

Wink (District Accounting), passed away May 7 after battling

cancer. Funeral services were May 9 at the Fairmont Park

Church of Christ in Midland. Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral

Home in Midland handled the service.

v v vMary Garcia, mother of Monahans section employee Roy

Garcia, died May 20. Mary Garcia was honored with Mass on

May 24 at St John’s Catholic Church in Monahans. Rosary was

said on May 23.

v v vOscar Garcia, brother-in-law to Midland Area Office inspec-

tor Orlando Padilla passed away June 10. Oscar Garcia was 58

and lived in Midland. Rosary was June 13 at Heavenly Gate

Chapel. Mass was June 14 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic

Church. Interment was at Serenity Memorial Gardens. Funeral

Services were handled by Heavenly Gate Funeral Home.

v v vMark McCollum, former TxDOT regional fleet manager,

passed away June 16 at his home in Odessa. Services and intern-

ment were June 20 at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Odessa. Mc-

Collum accumulated more than 31 years of service time in his

tenure at TxDOT, including 18 years as fleet manager.

It’s the People

Mark’slast drive

Mark McCollum’s funeral service

was as unique and classy as he was.

Many of the details of the service

showcased Mark’s love of golf and

racing, including:

>> Mark’s golf bag standing sentry

inside the chapel next to the casket;

>> Golf clubs as part of the wreath

that adorned his casket graveside;

>> A portrait of Mark superimposed

on a background that featured a

checkered flag and a solitary race car

circling an asphalt track;

>> The dropping of golf balls into the

grave before the casket was lowered;

>> Several friends and family

members hitting golf balls to signify

Mark’s last drive.

>> His two good friends and former

bosses Lauren Garduno and Mike

McAnally heading up the service.

Farewell, Mark. You will be missed.

He’s the guy with the ZZ Top beard

and the quick wit. And now he’s a

former TxDOT worker to boot.

“It’s not the model of car you drive,

it’s the road the son of a gun’s been

down,” Rusty Tidwell said in

explanation of why he’s retiring from

a 20-year career he never really

planned on. He was working in the

mining industry in Colorado when he

“walked into work one day and they

handed out 6,000 pink slips.”

After that he was scraping by in a

bad economy and got so fed up that he

contacted his good Marine Corps

friend Jerry Allen. Jerry said things

were good in Texas, so Rusty and wife

Rita packed up and moved south.

Now that he’s stepped away from

TxDOT, he plans on traveling again –

this time to the Laughlin, Nev., area.

He’ll take along his trusted metal

detector as he explores the desert and

area ghost towns.

“We’re going to see if we can’t find

some junk in the ground. We’ll do that

as long as health holds out for me I

guess,” he said, adding that the plan is

set in stone. “It’d be hard to tell the

wife no at this point – I’d get shot.

She’s more ready than I am.”

And even though he’s ready to

change his life, the emotion was

evident as he choked up when talking

about what he’d miss most about

TxDOT.

“The people. Yeah, a lot of good

people. They’ve been closer than my

family in a lot of cases. They’ve been

there for me in the bad times; they’ve

been there for me in the good times. I

can never express how humbled I am

by some of them. They’ve been damn

good to me. I don’t get emotional

about a lot of things,” he said after

composing himself. “I’ve spent more

time with some of them than I have my

wife – not that I’d kiss any of them.”

It’s that kind of humor that Tidwell

brought to work with him. He did

what he could to make work a better

place, whether it was supply work in

the Midland Maintenance Office or

handling Midland’s Adopt A Highway

groups.

“The people you work with make

the job. They can make it good, and

they can make it bad — it’s a double-

edged sword,” he said. “If you do what

you’re supposed to do, you keep

plenty busy. Even on the slow days,

there is always a lot to take care of.”

Now it’s off to a different desert to

mine a different future. Somehow his

chasing buried treasure isn’t that much

of a reach. The only thing missing will

be the opportunity for him to pull out

his quick wit and laundry list of unique

colloquialisms he loves to fire off.

Guess Rita will hear plenty of

those.

“I torment that poor thing

endlessly,” he said of his wife of some

40 years. “I tell everyone she’s mean,

but look what she has to put up with. I

wouldn’t put up with me if I didn’t

have to.”

The Tidwells will also have more

time to spend with their three

grandchildren. Their daughter Renee

lives in Fort Collins, Colo., and has

two boys and a girl.

Their son recently completed his

second master’s degree at the

University of Nevada Las Vegas. He

doesn’t have any children, which

prompted Rusty to call him the “smart

one.”

Even his son’s name – Russell

Tidwell Jr. – gave dad a chance to

pontificate: “I couldn’t think of a

better name or I didn’t put much

thought into it – I don’t know which.”

RustyTidwell

turnsanother

page

Butter Burton, left, and

Rusty Tidwell help each

other on a recent project.

Time to gear up for another rideTo steal from Steppenwolf, Ruben

Rodriguez may not have been born to

be wild, but he sure wants to get his

motor running.

After stepping away from TxDOT

after 32-plus years (33 with leave

time), Rodriguez wants to go back to

school and get certified as a

motorcycle mechanic.

His dream is to build his own

motorcycle from the ground up.

Orange County Choppers might get

some Texas competition if Rodriguez

ends up opening his own shop as he

hopes to do one day.

Rodriguez has plenty of experience

with motorcycles already. He owns

two motorcycles and rides with the

Legion Riders of Odessa. In addition

to joining motorcycle rides to honor

veterans and servicemen, the Legion

Riders are involved in philanthropic

activities across Odessa and some of

the surrounding area.

Leaving TxDOT isn’t the only

major change coming up in

Rodriguez’s life. After 34 years in the

military, he’s also leaving the National

Guard when he retires in August. All

told he’s been deployed five times –

three times to Iraq and twice to work

with the border patrol along the

Mexican border.

His military career has already

helped his daughter pay for schooling

at Baylor University and now

Rodriguez can use the GI Bill to pay

for some of his own schooling as he

trains to be a professional mechanic

instead of just a weekend one.

Rodriguez has spent the bulk of the

past 20 years running the striping

machine for the Odessa District. That

afforded him the opportunity to know

almost every employee in every

section – not to mention his familiarity

with the 3,000-plus miles of roads

throughout the Odessa District.

During his retirement luncheon,

Rodriguez drew praise for a job well

done from District Engineer Mike

McAnally.

Rodriguez also took – and gave –

plenty of ribbing at the hamburger

cookout. When McAnally said

Rodriguez did a good job on the days

he decided to actually show up to

work, Rodriguez just said he learned

his work ethic from his mentor – Mike

McAnally.

The respect was obvious throughout

the good-natured ribbing. And while

Rodriguez said he’d miss TxDOT and

his co-workers, he said it was just time

to move on to another life.

“I still feel young enough; I can do

this,” he said.

PLAN NAME PREMIUMSTATE PAYS

YOU PAY

HEALTHSELECTSM OF TEXAS

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You & Child(ren) 830.86 325.31 505.55

You & Family 1,369.26 459.91 909.35

COMMUNITY FIRST

You Only $ 400.22 $200.11 $200.11

You & Spouse 857.94 314.54 543.40

You & Child(ren) 706.70 276.73 429.97

You & Family 1,164.42 391.16 773.26

SCOTT & WHITE HEALTH PLAN

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You & Spouse 993.30 364.12 629.18

You & Child(ren) 818.10 320.32 497.78

You & Family 1,348.22 452.85 895.37

Part-time Employees/Retirees, Graduate Students/

Teaching Assistants,Post-Doctoral and Adjunct Faculty

PLAN NAME PREMIUMSTATE PAYS

YOU PAY

HEALTHSELECTSM OF TEXAS

You Only $ 470.38 $470.38 $ 0.00

You & Spouse 1,008.78 739.58 269.20

You & Child(ren) 830.86 650.62 180.24

You & Family 1,369.26 919.82 449.44

COMMUNITY FIRST

You Only $ 400.22 $400.22 $ 0.00

You & Spouse 857.94 629.08 228.86

You & Child(ren) 706.70 553.46 153.24

You & Family 1,164.42 782.32 382.10

SCOTT & WHITE HEALTH PLAN

You Only $ 463.18 $463.18 $ 0.00

You & Spouse 993.30 728.24 265.06

You & Child(ren) 818.10 640.64 177.46

You & Family 1,348.22 905.70 442.52

Plan Year 2013 Rates

HUMANA DHMO

DENTAL CHOICE

You only $ 8.52 $23.58

You & spouse 17.05 47.16

You & children 20.45 56.60

You & family 28.98 80.18

PLAN NAME FULL-TIME

PAYSPART-TIME

PAYS

KELSEYCARE ADVANTAGE HMO*

You Only $ 0.00 $142.71

You & Spouse 141.60 355.11

You & Child(ren) 141.60 355.11

You & Family 283.20 567.51

HUMANA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE*

You Only $ 0.00 $129.11

You & Spouse 128.00 321.11

You & Child(ren) 128.00 321.11

You & Family 256.00 513.11

Medicare Enrolled Retirees Dental Employees/Retirees

Full-time Employees/Retirees

*You must be enrolled in Medicare Parts A & B

HEALTHSELECT COMMUNITY FIRST

SCOTT & WHITE

KELSEYCARE ADVANTAGE

HMO*

HUMANA MEDICARE

ADVANTAGE*

Spouse only $538.40 $457.72 $530.12 $283.20 $256.00

Children only 360.48 306.48 354.92 283.20 256.00

Spouse & children 898.88 764.20 885.04 566.40 512.00

HUMANA DHMO

DENTAL CHOICE

Spouse only $ 8.52 $ 23.58

Children only 11.93 33.02

Spouse & children 20.45 56.60

Surviving Dependents

*You must be enrolled in Medicare Parts A & B

HEALTHSELECTCOMMUNITY

FIRSTSCOTT

& WHITE

COBRA

You only $ 477.52 $ 405.96 $ 470.18

You & spouse 1,026.69 872.83 1,010.90

You & children 845.21 718.57 832.20

You & family 1,394.38 1,185.44 1,372.92

COBRA DISABILITY

You only $ 702.24 $ 597.00 $ 691.44

You & spouse 1,509.84 1,283.58 1,486.62

You & children 1,242.96 1,056.72 1,223.82

You & family 2,050.56 1,743.30 2,019.00

HUMANA DHMO

DENTAL CHOICE

COBRA

You only $ 8.69 $24.05

You & spouse 17.39 48.10

You & children 20.86 57.73

You & family 29.56 81.78

COBRA DISABILITY

You only $12.78 $ 35.37

You & spouse 25.58 70.74

You & children 30.68 84.90

You & family 43.47 120.27

COBRA/COBRA Disability

Plan Year 2013 Rates

OPTIONAL TERM LIFE*

0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20

0.06 0.12 0.18 0.24

0.06 0.12 0.18 0.24

0.08 0.16 0.24 0.32

0.12 0.24 0.36 0.48

0.19 0.38

0.33 0.66 0.99 1.32

1.14 2.28

0.93 1.86

1.48 2.96 4.44 5.92

2.41 4.82 9.64

3.92 15.68

13.58

90+ 21.14 42.28

DEPENDENT TERM LIFE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM DISABILITY**

***

VOLUNTARY ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT (VOLUNTARY AD&D)**

90+ 500

HHarassment

Retaliation

Discrimination

It is the policy of the Texas Department of Transportation to provide equal opportunity to its employees, customers, contractotheir employees, and the public, and to provide a work environmentof discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Unlawful discriminator harassment on the basis of race, sex, age, national origreligion, disability or veteran status is prohibited. All employees will trother employees, customers, contractors and their emplopublic with courtesy, dignity, and respect.

Employees who have a concern about, are subjected to,or witness discrimination or harassment in the workplace must timely repoit to their supervisor, Human Resources Office, Human ResourceOffice of Civil Rights or Office of Compliance and Ethics.

Texas Department of Transportation policy and applicable laws aregulations prohibit retaliation against anyone who repoor complains about a discriminatory practice, submits a complaint or grievance aboua workplace issue, including harassment or discrimination, or participates in an investigation. Retaliation includes but is not limited to an adverse or material personnel action, difference in treatment, threintimidation, reprisal, or denial of service.

Office of Civil Rights

123 Safe Days of Summer Rolls on!

The 123 Safe

Days of Summer

campaign is off and

running.

— Eddy

S FETYCORNER

Historically, collisions and injuries increase

during the summer months. Most of this can

be attributed to the increase in road work

activity, a higher volume of traffic and a large

number of summer employees hired.

New employees and summer hires are in a

high-risk group for injuries and collisions.

This is mainly attributed to their limited

experience.

History also indicates that tenured

employees can be a high risk when they

become complacent.

Last year from May 1 through Aug. 31, there

were 1,111 lost work days, 296 summer

vehicle incidents and 130 summer injury

incidents totaling $434,000.

This summer we need to drastically improve

those numbers.

Before beginning any operation, you should

conduct a brief tailgate meeting. This will

identify the safety strategy for the traffic

control concerns of that day. Also conduct a

Job Safety Analysis (JSA). This process will

identify the correct sequence of steps to

complete the job. In addition, the potential

hazards can be identified along with a plan on

how to address the identified hazards.

Feel free to contact me for a list of

numerous JSAs.

For safe summer driving operations,

remember these tips:

>> Perform a pre-use inspection of your

vehicle or equipment.

>> Ensure adequate levels of coolant in the

radiator.

>> Always drive within the posted speed

limits.

>> Remember that stopping distance is

affected by vehicle weight, vehicle condition,

your reaction time and weather and road

conditions.

>> Whenever possible, do not drive your

vehicle into a position that forces you to back

up; park so you can drive forward — whether

you are at a job site or refueling.

>> If you must back up and your view is

obstructed, use a spotter, especially when

driving a dump truck or heavy equipment.

>> Remember to close your door and set the

brake – even if you are intending to be away

from the vehicle only a few minutes.

>> Always plan ahead for lane changes and

use your rear and side mirrors for maximum

visibility of other motorists.

>> Look careful at all intersections and be

aware of driver “blind spots.”

>> Wearing your seat belt is not only state

law and TxDOT policy, but it can literally be

the difference between life and death.

When you look at your face in the mirror,

remember that you are looking at the person

most responsible for your safety each and

every day.

Make safety personal.