8/14/2019 US Army: summer03 http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/us-army-summer03 1/20 The New York District Times Summer 2003 Vol. 28, No. 4&5 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District 9-11-01 District volunteers join FFE team abroad By Vince Elias O n the other side of the world, Corps of Engineers field force en- gineering teams continue to spend long days and arduous hours supporting military for- ward deployed units engaged in operations in Iraq. New York District contin- ues to provide significant support to our troops overseas through providing volunteers for FFE teams deployed in support of the Army at critical locations throughout the world. Currently New York District has deployed five individuals to the Middle East and Asia Minor in support of these critical missions. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Corps had FFE teams deployed to Turkey, Kuwait, and Iraq. The 18 th Engineer Brigade (Theater Army) deployed to Turkey as part of the Army Forces Turkey team. The brigade provided critical direct engineer support to ARFOR-T to facilitate the crucial movement of American com- bined forces land component command forces and supplies through Turkey into Iraq. “The Corps trains FFE teams to provide tech- nical engineering expertise and oversight of construc- tion contract administration during wartime, contingency operations, and disaster relief missions,” said Maj. Don Pincus, Project Management team leader. He served in Turkey as part of a USACE FFE team comprised of volunteers from various Corps dis- tricts. New York District volunteers were Maj. Dave Chestnut, Maj. Don Pincus, Mark Kucera, Andrew Smith, William Mathias, and John Kenney. Four vol- unteers from Philadelphia District were also part of the FFE team assigned to the 18 th Engineer Brigade — part of the Construction Management Section with- out the organization. Page 2 Continued on page 3 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided oversight of the construction of a bridge bypass in south-central Turkey. The bypass was emplaced to accomodate the flow of heavy military equipment. The passing of a Corps Icon In memoriam Inside ...
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District TimesSummer 2003 Vol. 28, No. 4&5 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District
9-11-01
District volunteers join FFE team abroadBy Vince Elias
O n the other side of the world,Corp s of Engineer s field force en-g ineer ing t eams con t inue tospend long days and arduous
hours supporting military for-
ward deployed units engaged inoperations in Iraq.
New York District contin-
ues to provide significant supp ortto our troops overseas throughproviding volunteers for FFEteams deployed in support of theArmy at cr i t ical locat ionsthroughout the world. Currently
New York District has deployedfive individuals to the Middle
East and Asia Minor in supportof these critical missions.
During Operation IraqiFreedom, the Corps had FFEteams deployed to Turkey, Kuwait, and Iraq. The 18th
Engineer Brigade (Theater Arm y) dep loyed to Turkeyas part of the Army Forces Turkey team . The brigadeprovided critical d irect eng ineer sup port to ARFOR-T
to facilitate the crucial movement of American com-bined forces land component command forces andsup plies through Turkey into Iraq.
“The Corps trains FFE teams to p rovide tech-
nical engineer ing expertise and over sight of constru c-t ion con t rac t admin i s t ra t ion dur ing war t ime,
contingency operations, and d isaster relief missions,”said Maj. Don Pincus, Project Management teamleader. He served in Turkey as par t of a USACE FFEteam comp rised of volunteers from various Corps dis-tricts. New York District volun teers were Maj. DaveChestnut, Maj. Don Pincus, Mark Kucera, AndrewSmith, William Mathias, and John Kenney. Four vol-
unteers from Philadelphia District were also part ofthe FFE team assigned to the 18th Engineer Brigad e —
part of the Construction Management Section with-out the organization.
Page 2
Continued on page 3
Photo:USACE
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided oversight of the construction of a bridgebypass in south-central Turkey. The bypass was emplaced to accomodate the flow
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New York District lost one of its most exper i-enced engineers with the passing of John H artman n,
Operations Chief on the even ing of Aug. 6.
“Throughout his long career with the NewYork District John Hartmann served his nation, the
U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
with distinction,” said Col. John B. O’Dowd, Dis-
trict Engineer.
“His experience and expertise will be sorely
missed,” O’Dowd add ed.
“I will also personally miss his positive atti-
tude and sense of hum or. Our thoughts and prayers
are w ith his wife Toba, and his family and friends.”
“As chief of the Operations Division, John’s leadership helped shape the
developm ent of our region’s waterfront and maintain the Port of New York and
New Jersey’s waterways,” said Stu Piken, chief, Programs and Project Manage-
ment Division. “But m ore important for u s was the leadership, m entoring and car-
ing he p rovided to all of us in th e New York District.”
(Clockwise) John Hartmann was involved in Corps operations such as debris removal at Ground
Zero, overseeing projects in the field, operations of the fleet of Corps vessels at Caven Point,
reach-back engineering, CAD, master planning, projectman agement, project schedu le developm ent, govern-men t cost estimate p reparation, project status report-ing, adminis ter ing the Kel logg Brown Root
construction contract and various other contracts in-clud ing job orders, and m ultiple award task order con-
tracts.
To enable CFLCC force flow, the U.S. govern-ment contracted KBR to serve as generalcontractor for the construction of num er-
ous facilities across a 700-mile stretch of rugged terrain in southern Turkey.
“The work included bui ldingprojects at comman d posts, seaports, air-
ports, and convoy supp ort centers alongroads and railways, and facilities for the-ater support logistics centers, and tacti-cal assembly areas,” said Pincus.
FFE members from the Corps’Europe District performed commandand control duties for USACE assets sup-porting the 18th Engineer Brigade, con-tract construction management such as job order contracts and multiple award
task order contracts, A/ E contract admin-istration, environmental comp liance, andquality assurance.
According to Pincus, the mission was ex-tremely difficult. However, the cohesiveness and ex-pertise of the FFE team, coupled with their diligenceand determination ensu red su ccessful mission accom-plishment.
“There were obstacles such as th e dan gers anduncertainties associated with war and combat, timeconstraints, restrictions imp osed by the h ost govern-
ment, and putting together a team to meet the de-
mands of deployment,” said Pincus. “FFE membersand the 18th Engineer Brigade staff dem onstrated ex-pertise, professionalism, and commitment to dutythrough out the op eration. This enabled ARFOR-T to
Photo:USACECEN
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successfully establish the initial operating conditionsnecessary for military forces to successfully move
throu gh Turkey.”
“I am extremly proud of all who volunteeredto sup port this importan t mission,” said Col. John BO’Dow d, New York District Engineer. “Their accom-
plishments once again demonstrate how the conductof our civil, military and environmental p rograms en-able us to support our troops when they are orderedinto harm’s way.”
FEE Team Turkey with Hodja Statue in background. “One
Team, One Fight,” as Corps employees and military members
work side by side. (l-r) Andrew Smith, N.Y.; Philip Breen, Phila-
delphia; Maj. Don Pincus, N.Y.; Lanier Drake, Philadelphia; Wil-
liam Matias, N.Y.; John Kenney, N.Y.; Emiliano Cruz,
Philadelphia; Mark Kucera, N.Y., and Maj. Dave Chestnut, N.Y.
Elements of ARFOR-T forces traveling to eastern Turkey (Mardin) to es-
Lt. Chris Hu rst and a consoli-dated team of 20 Army divers from Fort Eustis, Va.,were busy in late spring making underwater inspec-tions and necessary rep airs at N ew York District’s
Caven Point, N.J., term inal.
Caven Poin t serves as the New York District’s op erating base for its fleet of ves-sels. The du ties of the vessels vary w ith theprimary mission to keep the m aritime n avi-gation lanes free from obstructions in oneof the w orld’s busiest ports.
New York District tapped into theexpertise of the U.S. Arm y divers after it wasdetermined that the piers were in need of refurbishment and repairs to the quay w allwere necessary. The d ivers also completedund erwater sediment jetting in ord er to freeobstructions from a boat inlet, as well as
boat lift repair and construction. The diveteam spent three weeks from mid-May tomid -Jun e performing the crucial un derw a-ter patching, welding, pier removal, and re-furbishment—at times during inclementweath er conditions.
Few people in the military and evenfewer in the civilian comm un ity are awarethat Army d ivers exist and w hat their mis-sion entails. The training mission at Caven
Point involves just a few of those tasks. Portopening and clearance (salvage and lift),river and beach reconnaissance, search andrecovery, ships husban dry, und erwater ob-stacle emplacement and removal, demoli-t ions, and surveying all fall under the
diver’s capabilities.
Col. John B. O’Dow d, District Engi-neer, welcomed the divers. He also donneda wetsuit and made a dive during the in-
spection. He then took advantage of a long-s tand ing t rad i t ion o f p romot ing foursoldiers from th e d ive team : Pfcs. SeanRowley, Robert Parmenter, William H icken,and Bobby Strother were all promoted byO’Dowd to specialist.
Army divers keep boat terminal shipshape
The divers began their workday very early,
with w ork ending at times at midn ight, or even goinground the clock, dep end ing on the requirements.
Headed by Hu rst, members from the 86th ,569th and 511th engineer dive platoons made up
the consolidated team for th e mission.
“Army divers and the Corps, especiallythe N ew York District, have h ad a longstand ingmu tually-supp ortive relationship. At Caven
Point, we hav e an awesome op portu nity to trainon a w ide variety of tasks and in the p rocess, pro-vide the Corp s of Engineers with a high-qualityprod uct,” said Hu rst. “Army divers are alwayseager to d ive and enjoy this type of tough , realis-tic training.”
The divers began their four-week-longmission by splitting their team into two su b-teams:a jett ing team using“ s u r f a c e - s u p p l i e d ”
se t s and a p ierdeconstruction teamusing hydraulic tools.Soldiers rotatedt h ro u g h b o t h s u b -teams to ensure maxi-
mum poss ib i l i ty o f seeing a ll the aspects of the m iss ion. After-ward, the team recon-
solidated to begin thequay wall repair. Themetal wall , buil t de-cades ago, has recentlydeveloped severe rust
spots and the diverswelded new patches tokeep the wall intact.
After making 25 pa tches, the d ivers again splitinto two sub-teams. One team rebuilt the boat lift whilethe other inspected the cross bracing of the pier and
replaced m uch of the dilapidated beams and hardw are.Throughou t the m ission, boat captains also sought thedivers’ exper tise to correct fouled lines on the boat pro-pellers and assist in performing maintenance of the
shafts.
“One of our unique capabilities,” said Hurst“is the flexibility to respond quickly to new missionson site.”
The work was accomplished without disrup-
tion to the Corp s’ mission at Caven Point.
Divers (cont’d. from page 4)
(Above) Quay wall and parking lot at Caven Point. The divers
fortified the area which began to lose its fill and integrity due to
years of wave again in the tidal zone.
(Left) Divers use a
high-pressure water
blaster at 40,000 psi to
refurbish a boat lift.
They replaced the
decking, removed rust,
painted and made
repairs to the struc-
tural bracing.
Col. O’Dowd, District Engineer, donned a wetsuit and
New York District teamed with theNational Park Service and went on a plant-ing spree along the pristine Staten Island
shoreline in the early sum mer. Their mis-sion: To use natu re to combat the force of nature to shore up the sand dunes withplants.
They spent midday walking along-side a truck wh ose bed was filled with beau -tiful green plants. The plants were placed inthe sand along the shoreline of the Great KillsHarbor at the eastern shore of Staten Island .A variety of coastal specimens were plan ted
along the dun es. The plants were placed to restore thenatu ral plant life along the beach. The beach at GreatKills is part of the Gateway N ational Park area.
A newspaper reporter tagged along with the
group asking questions about the important environ-mental project.
Corps and Park Service personnel planting coastal specimens in the
sand dunes along the eastern shoreline of Staten Island. Planted were
seaside goldenrod, native bay grass, and bayberry bushes.
Photo:PeterShugert
Col. John B. O’Dowd, District Engineer ex-
plained that the plants help the sand d unes preventerosion from the p ound ing ocean sur f.
“The plants can stabilize the d un es and stopthem from eroding,” O’Dowd said. “Dun es provideprotection from storms, and can provide wildlifehabitat.”
EEO Update
Victoria GrossBlack Employment Program ManagerPeople with Disabilities Employment
Program Manager
Sandra MontagneCo-Chair Black Employment Program Manager
Cliff JonesCo-Chair Black Employment Program Manager
Joyce WoodardFederal Women’s Employment Program Manager
Johnny MartinezHispanic Employment Program Manager
Isabelita HuertoAsian Pacific Islander Employment Program Manager
Marty GoffNative American Employment Program Manager
Special Emphasis Program Managers
In June, Col. John B. O’Dowd, District Engineer signed
the agreement under section 111 of the Matituck feasibil-
ity study as members of the project team look on. The
study area is Mattituck Inlet, NY and adjacent shores.
Base in N ew Jersey is par tof the Air Mobility Com-man d w hose mission is toprovide rapid, global mo-bility and sustainment forAmerica’s armed forces.The C-17 program a tMcGuire is shaping up tobe one of New York
Dis t r ict ’s crowningachievements , wi th 11
projects un der d esign andconstruction totaling $85million.
The project beganwhen Congress approvedthe pu rchase of 14 new C-17 Globemaster III aircraft which would be assignedto McGuire. The C-17 would replace McGuire’s cur-
rent contingen t of 10 C-141 Starlifters, some of w hichda te back to 1960. Following Congress’ decision, AirMobility Command app roached N ew York Districtabou t d eveloping select concepts for the C-17 projectand to verify their program bu dgets .
The execution of the C-17 program fully uti-lizes the Project Management Business Process withan assigned project manager and a fully integratedproject delivery team.
“With the new PMBP in effect, I feel the re-energized enthu siasm, pr ide, and p roject own ership
of the PDT mem bers to see the p rogram executed effi-ciently and effectively to support our Air Force com-mu nity in their mission,” said Stella Marco, the C-17
bed d own p roject man ager.
The project delivery team determined thatsome of the facilities to house and maintain the C-17would have to be built from scratch. In order to ac-comp lish this, engineer s from New York District trav-eled to Ch arleston Air Force Base in South Carolina aswell as McChord Air Force Base in Seattle. Both bases
are home to extensive C-17 programs, wh ich p rovidedNew York District w ith w orking m odels for McGuire.While there, the engineers carefully stud ied the facili-ties, spoke w ith base personn el, and got a feel for the
Major renovations at air force base
operational and functiona
need s of the Air Force.
Add itional topics of dis
cussion includ ed nu mber opersonnel , equ ipmenspecifications, sp ace allocation and lessons learnedFrom those meetings it wasdeterm ined that N ew York
District wou ld need to buildone new maintenance hangar, an inter im fu el cell, air
craf t maintenance shopcommunications supporcenter and a flight simulator.
“McGuire Air ForceBase is a major hub for cargo
and troop transport on the east coast,” Lt. Col. Rich
Keyes, depu ty d irector for the C-17 program pointedout in his interview w ith N ew York District. “Once wehav e access to the C-17 we’ll be even more effective.”
The C-17 mad e its debu t in 1991 and is cap able
of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types ofcargo to main op erating bases or directly to forwardbases in a d eployment area. It requires a crew of threebut can carry as m any a s six flight officers wh o w orkin alternate shifts. The C-17 is able to deliver tw ice amuch cargo as the C-141 at similar operating cost. I
has enou gh room to tran sport u p to 170,900 pou nd s ocargo, as well as the ability to take off and land onru nw ays as short as 3,500 feet and as narrow as 90 feetThe C-17 is also a ‘low-floor ’ aircraft m eaning vehiclesuch as tanks, jeeps and armored personnel carriers
can be driven d irectly into the cargo hold an d securedfor transport.
By comparison the C-141 has been the workhorse of the Air Mobility Comm and for more than 20years and a stalwart of McGuire’s fleet. It requires alarger flight crew of five but can transport combaforces and equipm ent for long distances as well. However, the C-141 can only transport 68,725 pounds of
cargo and it requires longer runw ays for landing andtakeoff.
(Continued on page 8
The Corps’ C-17 project includes building a new hangar and
renovating and altering existing hangars for the Air Force’s
C-17 aircraft. The aircraft is capable of rapid strategic deliv-
Additional projects in the C-17 program in-clud e a $1.7 million commu nications su pp ort centerthat will act as the nerve center for the C-17 project,
tying all the buildings into McGuire’s existing com-mu nication network. There will also be a $6 millionmaintenance training device facility for training me-chanics and technicians who will be responsible forma intaining th e aircraft. This building w ill serve as amaintenance-training site for C-17 personnel to hone
their skills on landing gear, cockpits, tail assembliesand other vital portions of the aircraft.
To support the C-17 flight crews, the Districtis also developing plans for a new $15 million con-
solidated flight line opera tions facility. The CFOF willbe home to McGuire’s C-17 squadron s and their sup-port staff. “Right now the pilots are living out of ahangar but recently lived in trailers,” said Keyes.“We’re trying to give them a perm anent h ome.”
The CFOF will also be home to squad ron op-erations, aircraft m aintenance u nits, life sup port ar-eas and surv iva l equ ipment s to rage . Ai rcraf t
maintenan ce will occupy app roximately h alf the firstfloor and consist of administrative services, training
tool storage and small comp onent rep air. The remainder of the first floor will be occupied by life supportand survival equipment storage. Items such as para-chutes, life vests, life rafts and bio-chemical warfareequipm ent will be foun d h ere. Flight crew equ ipmen twill be stored and maintained in this portion of the
facility. Squadron operations will be located on thesecond floor that will hand le mission p lanning, crewscheduling, briefings, training and administrative sup-port.
Some of the bu ildings at th e base date back tothe 1950s and can no longer keep u p w ith the deman dsof moder n techn ology. Engineering challenges in-clud ed rem oving asbestos and PCBs from older structures during demolition. Other challenges included
relocating utilities and water m ains, up grad ing commu nications and digging n ew storm drains.
Facilities for the C-17 program are scheduledto begin opening in the Fall with aircraft slated for arrival in Au gust of 2004.
C-17 (cont’d from page 8)
Col. John O’Dowd and members of the Green Brook Project Delivery Team attended the Green Brook Bridge cer-
emonial ribbon cutting in Boun d Brook, NJ. in July.
The celebration marked the comp letion of the restoredand elevated Green Brook Bridge, a major milestone of theDistrict’s Green Brook Flood Con trol Project tha t is expected to
take over 10 years to complete an d will cost in excess of $400million.
All gathered un der a canopy, not far from the brid ge,“where 10-feet of standing rain water was during Tropical
Storm Floyd in 1999,” remem bered Peter Palmer of the SomersetCounty Board of Chosen Freehold ers. O’Dowd, state politicians,the N ew Jersey Departm ent of Environmental Protection com-missioner, and members of the Green Brook Flood ControlComm ission spoke of the bridge’s imp ortance to the region’seconomic future and the teamw ork that made the d ay a reality.
“This bridge is more than just concrete. It brings two
commu nities together, Bound Brook and Midd lesex Borough.It’s a bridge to the future,” said Bruce Sadowski, president,Middlesex Borough Council.
Flood control project bridge opens at Green Brook
Cutting the cermonial ribbon symbolizing the open-
ing of the new bridge. (r-l) Col. John B. O’Dowd, Dis-
trict Engineer; Peter Palmer, director, Somerset
County Freeholders; David Crabiel, director,
Middlesex County Freeholders; Vernon Noble, chair-
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers • New York District10
Meet David Leach, of Constru c-tion Division wh o wa s nam ed U.S.Army Corps of Engineers employee of
the year.
Leach was selected from hun-dred s of nominees from Districts and Di-visions worldwide, and becomes the
second recipient to be chosen back-to-back from N ew York District. Joseph J.Seebode w as the previous w inner fromNew York District.
Leach received the award for fos-tering teamw ork and creating synergis-
tic relationships, and is credited withmaking v i t a l ly impor tan t work p ro jec t s movesmoothly an d expeditiously.
Leach is remembered for being on e of severalCorps employees working on the response to the at-
tacks against Amer ica in Septem ber 2001. In just onemon th it w ill be two years since the Corps was calledin to assist the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency and th e City of New York. Surv ey and debris
Leach named Corps Employee of the Year
David Leach
boats ferried victims away and struc-tural engineers advised and assisted.
FEMA assigned the d ebris mis-sion to the Corp s at th e Staten Islandlandfill and Leach was assigned asarea engineer, overseeing work by theCorps’ pre-placed d ebris man agement
contractor, Phillips & Jord an of N ash-ville, Tenn .
There they executed the mis-s ion and set up and operated the
equivalent of a base camp on the h illof the land fill. Over one million tons
of debris, ranging in size from mas-sive pillars of steel to wallet-sized ph o-tograph s, were taken to th e landfill.
He w as described by many as a brilliant man-ager, clearing u p a w ork backlog in just four w eeks.
The debris management mission w as consid-erably more difficult because the landfill was also acrime scene, but David Leach had the u nique abilitythat brough t people together as a team.
The battlefield simulation center at Fort
Drum, N.Y. will be a state-of-the-art fa-
cility that will support both battle simu-lations for maneuver units and combat
support simulations. The project will
provide necessary training for Army di-
vision, Guard and Reserve units. The
facility replaces an undersized and de-
teriorating complex, which is currently
housed in eight separate buildings.
(Look for an article on the BSC in the
next issue of the District Times).
Army training facility takes shapeMilitary ProgramsUPDATE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers • New York District14
History is being mad e right now in the Port of New York and NewJersey, which is the largest container p ort on th e East Coast. Curren tly, there
are approximately 80 pieces of dredging-related equipment in the harbor,includ ing d redges, drill boats, survey boats, tugs and scows. It is arguablythe largest concentra tion of equipm ent in one area in th e entire 200-year his-tory of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Many pieces of equipment areworking to d eepen th e three active contract areas in the Kill van Kull to 45feet, which stretches eight miles from Up per New York Bay into N ewark Bay.Eventually, using a creative “piggyback” contract by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a portion of the KvK channel will be the firstcompleted 50-foot chann el in the p ort.
Years before the mobilization of the first d redge, before the first project
area was aw arded to a contractor, the KvK team worked together to produ ce
a Project Management Plan du ring the p lanning and design p hase. Now, the Project Delivery Team h as executedan aggressive, accelerated schedule, which by 2004 will complete the deepening project ahead of schedule and
under bud get.
“We w orked closely w ith other agen-cies, including the Port Authority engi-neers, to identify and evaluate a numberof opportunities to accelerate the sched-ule,” said Steve Weinberg, EngineeringTeam leader, New York District, who has
worked on the p roject since its first phasein the early ‘90s. “We optimized the con-
struction contract size and sequence, whilesimultaneously minimizing the impact onthe environment through environmentalwindows. We also modified equipmentand d eployed innovative methods of dis-posal op tions that increased th e project ex-ecution capabilities wh ile m aintaining
nav igation safety.”
The dedication and teamwork of allthe m embers is credited for this huge accomplishment, loggingcountless hou rs to keep th e project moving forward . The team
includes Corp s staff ranging from Contr acting Division to Coun-sel; Engineering to Construction; and Real Estate to Logistics.Also it includes several ou tside agencies such as the p roject spon-sors, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; the U.S.Coast Guard; Sandy Hook Pilots, and the New Jersey Depart-men t of Transp ortation.
The first phase of this project began in the mid 1980s anddeep ened the KvK to 40 feet. Now, because of the dem and of thelarger vessels calling a t the port, contractors have been workingto constru ct a 50-foot channel in certain areas.
Making way for bigger shipsBy Carolyn Vadino
(Continued on page 15)
Rock glacial till material being taken from the Kill
van Kull. (Photo: Larry Baier, NJ DEP)
The Kill van Kill project area map. The Kill van Kull is a waterway that separates
New Jersey and New York states between Bayonne, N.J. and Port Richmond,
N.Y. The waterway is used primarily by container vessels laden with goods
entering or exiting important ports in the metropolitan area.
Post-Panam ax vessels, which to the outside eyecan appear no different from 10 years ago, actuallywill carry 8,000 containers, compared to 3,000 typi-
cally loaded on tod ay’s Panam ax ships.
The Kill van Kull is one of the most heavilytrafficked channels in the p ort, where d redging, dr ill-ing and blasting occurs d aily. While the Corp s and itscontractors work to deepen the channel, it remainsopen to daily vessel traffic. In order to ensu re safe ves-sel movement requ ires daily commun ication betweenthe Coast Guard and the pilots navigating the p ort. Itis a challenge that often goes u nnoticed by those notdirectly involved in th e deep ening p rocess.
“Joe Citizen may read in the pap er or see the
vessels within the channel moving back and forth or
floating stationary, and to them , it looks pretty m un -
dan e,” said Tom Costanzo, a project manager with th ePort Authority who has been working on the d eepening p roject since the first phase in 1980. “The on ly rea-son it looks mundane is because the Coast Guard isdoing one hell of a job to m ake sure channel closuresand restricted channel passages are working to the
optimal degree possible.”Additional challenges range from navigational
and environmental imp acts that could h ave halted theprogress of the project, to quality-of-life impacts af-fecting surrounding communities as a result of con-tinuous drilling and blasting. Team members creditthe constant comm un ication interna lly, as well as withthe affected communities, as one of the key successfactors of this p roject.
“There have been challenges because thisproject is highly visible in th e pu blic eye,” said H arold
Haw kins, of the Harbor Program Branch.
One of the nation’s most popular symbols, the Statue of Liberty willbe the focus of one of New York District’s civil works p rojects. In OctoberNew York District will begin making repairs to the seawa ll that su rroun dsthe national pa rk of Liberty Island . The d istrict w as asked by the N ationalPark Service to rep air the Liberty Island seawall, “in the shad ow of the great
statue,” said Anthon y Ciorra, project man ager, PPMD.
Liberty Island is where th e national m onu ment stands. The 12.7-acreisland sits in the Upp er Bay por tion of New York H arbor. Over the centuriesLibety Island h as been called d ifferent nam es including “Minnissais” by the
Mohegan Ind ians, Great Oyster, Love Island , Bedloo’s Island , and todayLiberty Island, just to name a few. and has had various owners such asAmsterd am, England, France, and the United States.
The island has served dif-
ferent p urp oses – as a defense for-t ification to protect New York
Harbor in th e 19
th
century, as a tem-porary quarantine station duringthe sma llpox epidem ic, as a refugefor Tory sympath izers dur ing
England ’s occup ation, and also asa summ er home by a private owner.
In the late 19th century, theisland was chosen to be the home
for the Statue of Liberty, a gift of in-ternational friendship from thepeop le of France.
District to fortify seawall around Lady Liberty
The Statue of Liberty national monument, and the seawall surrounding Liberty
While remediation wasongoing, measures were taken toprotect the surround ing popula-
tion from mercury contamina-tion. Measures included settingup an air han dling system to fil-t e r ou t mercury vapor ; su r -rounding the bu i ld ing wi th
scaffolding and covering it withshrink wrap to eliminate dustmigrat ion; placing s idewalk closings, a perimeter fence, andconcrete barriers around the site;mon itoring the a ir for contami-
nants and n oise du ring the work
day; and establishing a water treatmen t plant to pro-cess water that came in contact with m ercury-contami-nated m aterials.
The non-hazardou s solid w aste and asbestos-con ta in ing mater ia l tha t was removed dur ingremediation was transported to waste management fa-cilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and mercury-containing debris was shipped to hazardous wastelandfills in N ew York an d Alabama. Elemen tal mer-
cury w as recycled.
“So far th e project has been successful. The resi-dents are happy and we have made s ignif icantprogress on the remediation of the site and restoration
is imminent . We are cont inuing to sample andremed iate the soil at the site and in neighboring yard s.
The project is estimated to becompleted by Spring 2004,”said Ravensbergen.
The project’s success isa resul t of teamwork be-
tween the various agencies,“As a team w e developed anunderstanding of each oth-er ’s concerns and needs and
worked together with theEPA and GE to resolve issuesand manage the work andprovide a safe work environ-men t,” said Ravensbergen.
“Our working relation-ship has been excellent. The
Corps’ staff, when reporting any problems, alwayssuggests technically-feasible and sound solutions,”said Jon Gorin, remedial project manager, EPA RegionII. “Also, over the years, I’ve found th at the engineersfrom the Corps hav e a good sense of when an issue isimportan t, and w hen it is something relatively minor.
I’ve not always found that to be the case when w ork-ing w ith oversight staff from private firms.”
“I have worked at several Sup erfund sites andthis has been a real success in terms of removing aser ious hea l th hazard to the pub l ic ,” added
Ravensbergen. “Not only was this building not struc-turally sound, but the mercury contamination wasoverwhelming and truly a health hazard to anyoneon or aroun d it. It’s a sham e to loose a piece of historybut it w as a benefit to the overall environment.”
The building’s windows were removed and the brick
surfaces beneath inspected for mercury contamina-
tion.
Remediation (cont’d from page 16)
Photo:NeilRavensbergen
TidbitsBy Mary Stavina
Did you know?
Robert E. Lee was a U.S. Army engineer officer
from 1829 to 1855. Born Jan. 19, 1807 in Stratford
Hall, Westmoreland County, Va., Lee’s father was
Revolutionary War hero Henry “Light-Horse
Harry” Lee. Home-schooled by his parents until
he was 13, he then entered an academy in Alex-andria, Va. After a year at a Quaker prep school, he entered the U.S. Military Academy,
West Point, NY July 1, 1825. An excellent student, Lee graduated number two in the
class of 1829 and entered the Corps of Engineers.
His first assignment was as assistant engineer of fortification work on Cockspur Island in
the Savannah River. For a time he worked under the command of Lt. Joseph Mansfield,
Corps of Engineers, who would be killed at Antietam leading a Union Army Corps.
In 1831 Lee went to Fort Monroe, Va., as assistant engineer responsible for the outworks
and approaches to Fort Monroe and preparatory work for construction of Fort Calhoun,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers • New York District18
New York District moved forward with theimplemen tation of PMBP by training em ployees to be
facilitators for the small group discussion portion of the PMBP employee training. “The PMBP is aboutpeople working together in teams including th e cus-tomer an d together creating plans to accomp lish thegoals of the project,” said Col. O’Dowd. “The smallgroup discussions are an invaluable w ay of learning
abou t th e PMBP.”
Earlier this year, over 45 New York Distr ict em-ployees received tra ining tobecome PMBP small group
discussion facilitators andfound i t to be useful. “I
l earned tha t you rea l lyhave to plan, plan, planyour facilitated sessions,not monopolize the discus-sion, and try to get othersto open up,” said GregoryGoepfert, project manager
PPMD, and faci l i tator .Monique Wiggins, an ac-countant in Resource Man-agement and faci l i tatorsaid that she did the train-ing because she likes chal-
lenges . She learned thedifference betw een facilita-tion, teaching and aboutvarious facilitation tech-niques.
John Chu bb, Assistan t Chief, PPMD, BaltimoreDistrict came to N ew York District to conduct the fa-cilitation training with his partner, Alan Koppel, pro-gram man ager. “Alan and I co-facilitated small groupfacilitation training a t all six districts in th e North At-
lantic Division. I think the facilitators ensure that wehave open an d h onest dialog as we d iscuss our respec-tive and diverse views about teamwork.” He adds,“The bottom line is we all need to be pu lling togetherto ensure we remain tru ly the best. The world is moreand more competit ive and our customers have achoice.”
The small group facilitated discussions beganin early Spr ing and New York District emp loyees were
Group discussions a catalyst for program successBy JoAnne Castagna
In the spring of 2003, discussions began with employees organized into small groups.
Photo:V
ince
Elias
organized into group s. They talked abou t the topics
outlined in the inter-active, multi-media PMBP CDcurriculum that employees reviewed prior to the
meetings. Topics included “Why PMBP?” and “Teamsand Me.”
The small group discussion attendees hadpositive things to say as well. When asked if they arebenefiting from these discussions, Robert Philbrick wh o just attend ed h is first discussion answ ered, “Adefinite yes.” Philbrick, a project engineer with Engi-
neering Division add ed, “This process encourages em-ployees to hear others’ points of view on each top icand provides an excellent format for employees to
define PMBP in their own word s.”
O’Dowd stated that in the near future the
PMBP will be supp orted by P2, a new autom ated sys-tem for m anaging p rojects, and following the sm allgroup discussions em ployees will be able to obtainfurther PMBP mentoring and coaching from theirmanagers and supervisors. He add ed, “When it comesto the small group discussions, there is somethingpositive to be gained in taking a few h ours to d iscusswh ere the Corps is going in the future and to improve
wh at w e are doing as a district, which in turn effectswh at we are doing for the nation.”
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers • New York District20
A Friendly Remind er from Your Security Office...
Do not process, store or transm it classified inform ation on non-secure telecomm un ications systems. OfficialDepartm ent of Defense telecomm un ications systems — including teleph ones, fax machines, comp uter net-
works, and mod ems — are subject to monitoring for telecomm un ications security pu rposes at all times. Use
of official DoD telecomm un ications systems constitu tes consen t to telecomm un ications security mon itoring.
Attn: PAO, Rm 2113
26 Federal PlazaNew York, NY 10278-0090
EMPLOYEE HOTLINE
Emergencies
Inclement Weather
Building closure
(888) 700-0029
Julie Ha, PPMDGenaro Paulino Perez
Shawn Stumpf, PLJames Bennett, Ops
Herman Wine, PPMDFrancis Delfino, PAODavid Seng, Ops
Farewell
Welcome
New York District was informed by a letter from Mrs. RuthSchwartz of the passing of her husband Max Schwartz.
Max Schwartz was a World War II veteran and was with the
Corps of Engineers for 45 years prior to his retirement in 1985.
Taps
V . P
e r r
e r a Where on the road in New York
may a bicyclist drive?
The law requires that bicyclists drive with traffic (Sec. 1234(a)).
Bicycling against traffic is a leading cause of bicycle accidentsGoing with traffic makes bicyclists more visible, and their move-
ments more predictable, to motorists. Pedestrians are required
to use sidewalks when they are provided and safe to use. Where
sidewalks are not provided, a pedestrian is required to walk on
the left side of the roadway facing traffic (Sec. 1156). Source