News Briefs, Nov. 8

Police enlists volunteers for speed enforcement

Boulder City Police Department is working with a team of 12 trained volunteers through its new Neighborhood Speed Watch Program to monitor traffic with radar detectors.

According to the city, the program encourages citizens to take an active role in changing driver behavior on neighborhood streets by helping raise public awareness and educate drivers about the negative impact of speeding.

Using radar detectors, volunteers will determine whether vehicles are speeding. If they are clocked over the speed limit, volunteers will report the license numbers and give descriptions of the vehicles to the police department. The department will send the registered owner a letter detailing the observed violation and encouraging them to drive at or below the speed limit on residential streets.

The group will not issue citations.

Communications staffer added

Keith Paul joined city staff as a communications specialist earlier this week.

According to Lisa LaPlante, communications manager, Paul will work 15-19 hours a week, earning $15 an hour. She said she expects his earnings to be less than $14,200 a year, which is significantly less than the $86,400 annual contract with 10e Media that provided many of the same services.

Previously, Paul worked as a newspaper reporter and public information officer for the Henderson Police Department and the city of Henderson. He has been recognized for his in-depth reporting, thoughtful storytelling and desire to improve the communities where he lived and worked.

“Keith has experience that will complement the work our communications manager has initiated,” said Al Noyola, city manager. “His knowledge will be a great benefit to our community as we continue to increased our efforts to share information and be transparent and open.”

Armantrout wins Top Tech award

Brok Armantrout, the city’s special projects coordinator/contracts manager, was named the winner in the government division of the eighth annual Las Vegas Top Tech Exec Awards, which were presented Nov. 1 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

Nominated by his peers, Armantrout was recognized for his work to connect city facilities and add high-speed connections. The project allowed the city to move its network servers to cloud services, creating a recovery option in case of a critical event.

“It was a tremendous honor just to be recognized with a nomination among such a dynamic and brilliant group of Southern Nevadans,” said Armantrout, who started working for the city in 2004 and was named contracts manager in 2017.

“Brok brings an enthusiasm to his work every day, and I appreciate the institutional knowledge he provides in his work,” said Diane Pelletier, finance director and his supervisor.

The awards are a partnership between Cox Business and Vegas, Inc to celebrate excellence among Southern Nevada technology executives.