crosscurrents - united states army affairs/crosscurrents...photos above and right by peter verstegen...

CrosscurrentsVol. 32, No. 4 October 2009

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Crosscurrents October 2009

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Photo by Kirby Bauer

Children flocked to Bobberthe Corps’ Water SafetyDog during its introductionat the Summer AwardsCeremony and Picnic,June 25. Elliott Stefanik’sson, Brody, gets a hugfrom Bobber, worn byShannon Bauer, publicaffairs. Stefanik works inproject management.

Crosscurrents

Crosscurrents is an unofficial publication,authorized under the provisions of AR360-1. It is published monthly for theSt. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers.

Editorial views and opinions are notnecessarily those of the Corps ofEngineers, nor of the Department ofthe Army.

Address all inquiries to:

Editor, CrosscurrentsU.S. Army Corps of Engineers190 Fifth Street EastSt. Paul, MN 55101-1638

Phone: 651-290-5202

District Commander Col. Jon ChristensenPublic Affairs Chief Mark DavidsonMedia Specialist Shannon BauerEditor Peter VerstegenE-mail: [email protected]

Team, I want to share some upcoming changes that will

affect the way we do work in the planning, realestate and contracting functional areas.

In late 2008, the Mississippi Valley Division looked ahead to theirresponsibility for delivering the largest civil works program in the historyof the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The division fiscal year 2009program included the simultaneous delivery of the massive HurricaneStorm Damage Risk Reduction System, a huge but unknown AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Program and the “annual” regional program.

The scope of this effort is essentially three times the Corps’ totalannual civil works program. In order to deliver the unprecedented programfaced over the next few years, the division has had to find a way to focusthe entire resources of the region on efficient and effective programdelivery.

Successful program execution would require a significant change fromthe historical “district centric” business processes and procedures to amore regional focus. This more regional focus will also prepare thedivision for the potential program reduction in 2012, when the hurricanestorm damage risk reduction system and ARRA construction arecompleted.

This management organizational structure realignment is effectiveOct. 31, with positions being realigned beginning Nov. 8. Specifically:

� ��The purpose and intent of this realignment is to effectively utilize the

regional resources and expertise through regional interdependence andalignment of resources to accomplish the mission and enhance regionalplanning capability. The division commander’s intent is to effectively utilizeregional resources and expertise through regional interdependence andalignment of resources to accomplish the mission.

The management organizational structure realignment will consist of aRegional Planning Division North with St. Paul District as the lead districtfor the St. Paul, Rock Island and St. Louis districts, and a RegionalPlanning Division South with New Orleans District as the lead for theNew Orleans, Vicksburg and Memphis districts.

Planning positions will be aligned through the rating chain from eachdistrict’s sections and/or branches through a designated regional planningdivision chief to the designated lead district commander. Both the planformulators within project management and the environmental branch willrealign under the new planning organization. No employees will berequired to move.

Command column, continued Page 9

CrosscurrentsOctober 2009

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�� By Peter Verstegen

The St. Paul District introducedBobber the Water Safety Dog andSeamoor the Sea Serpent at theSummer Awards Ceremony andPicnic at Lake Elmo Park Reserve,Lake Elmo, Minn., June 25.

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Photo above by Jon Lyman; photo below by Peter Verstegen

At right, Shannon Bauer insideBobber the Corps’ Water SafetyDog costume, pats Seamoor theSea Serpent on the back.Below, Marie Kopka, operationsdivision, worked with Seamooron water safety tips for children.Both Bobber and Seamoor drewattention to the Corps’ watersafety message. Kopka was onthe committee to organize theawards picnic.

October 2009


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Above, from left at theregistration table are: EricNorton, Jill Clancy, Dan Munson,and Marie Kopka. All work inoperations division.Photo at right are MarcusPatterson (left), operationsdivision, and Mark Davidson,public affairs.

Photos above and below by Jon Lyman

Rick Magee, operations,controlled Seamoor’s voiceand motion via remote control.

Photo by Peter Verstegen

Photo by Peter Verstegen

Wedged in a sandwich board,from left, are Morgan Peterson,Sierra Pittman and SamanthaPeterson.


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Photo by Chris Afdahl

The awards picnic offered golf. One foursome who played, from left: Darrel Morey and Paul Madison,both engineering and construction; Joe Dvorak, retired lockmaster; and Ferris Chamberlin, engineeringand construction.

Photos above and right by Peter Verstegen

At volleyball, from left: Andrey Kravets, engineering; Sera Shane’sbrother, Liam Shane; Mike McGarvey, logistics; Nathan Campbell,operations division; Todd Vandegrift and Karl Berg, bothengineering and construction. Sera Shane works in design branch.

Crosscurrents

Photo by Peter VerstegenAlicia Spinelli and GarrettBlomstrand, both engineeringand construction division,teamed up for horseshoes.


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Photo at right:Col. Jon Christensen, districtcommander, presented DanielBoone, operations division,Fountain City, Wis., theMeritorious Award for CivilianService, recognizing his tour ofduty in Afghanistan.

Photo below:Col. Jon Christensen, districtcommander, presented TeriAlberico, emergencymanagement, a certificate ofappreciation for the district’ssuccessful emergency responseeffort on the Red River of theNorth and Souris River floods in2009.


Photo by Jon Lyman

Rick Hauck, engineering andconstruction, and Shua Xiong,project management, received10-year Length of Servicerecognition.


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�� ! ��By Kurt Brownell,Natural ResourceSpecialist

Col. JonChristensen, St.Paul Districtcommander,

Photo by Tom Sully

Keith Niemyjski, of rural Viroqua,Wis., accepts the Good SmaritanAward from Col. Jon Christensen,district commander.

"�#�� $�� $�� By Sonya Goines, Jacksonville District

Bill Kriesel, head lock and dam operator, Lock andDam 5A, Fountain City, Wis., has worked for theCorps of Engineers for 33 years. Since that time hehas taken cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPRtraining, several times over the years but never had touse it – until this May.

“We had just completed dinner at our annual bowlingbanquet when my 88-year-old father took ill,” saidKriesel, who is also a crane operator for the St. PaulDistrict.

Kriesel said his father was talking with anotherbowler when he started to collapse and was helped toa sitting position on the floor.

Kriesel and his brother, John, who happened to stopin for a few minutes, were at his father’s side in aninstant.

“My CPR training just took over I guess,” saidKriesel. “I was asking him questions and feeling hisforehead. He was very warm.”

An ambulance was called and Kriesel continued totalk to his father and assess his status. His father toldhim that his knees had given out.

Kriesel said he felt his father’s forehead again; butthis time, it was very cold and clammy. His father thenjust closed his eyes and his chin fell to his chest.

Kriesel said he and his brother laid their father onthe floor.

“My brother could find a very faint pulse,” saidKriesel. “I instructed him to start CPR, and I wouldgive chest compressions.”

After several minutes of CPR, Kriesel said hisfather started to vomit and opened his eyes.

A short time later he said his father was jokingaround and said, “Lets bowl,” which drew a laugh anda sigh of relief from the crowd.

Several days later, his father was fitted with apacemaker – something he was told about 10 yearsago that he may someday need. His father is doingfine today.

Said Kriesel, “You never anticipate doing CPR toanyone; but had it not been for my training provided bythe Corps on Engineers, the outcome could have beenmuch different.”

presented Keith Niemyjski, of rural Viroqua, Wis., withthe Good Samaritan Award at the district’s NaturalResources Office in LaCrescent, Minn., Sept. 2.

Niemyjski was performing contract loggingoperations at Goose Island, a Corps’ project just southof La Crosse, Wis., on March 13, when a maninterrupted his work to report that a woman had fallenthrough the ice at Wigwam Slough, on the west side ofthe island.

Niemyjski immediately stopped work and ran towhere the woman was reported to be, a distance ofseveral hundred yards.

Upon finding the woman, who had been immersed inicy water over her head for quite some time, Niemyjskientered the water to rescue her. At great personalrisk, he waded into water that was neck deep and wasable to grab her, pull her to solid ice and eventually todry land.

Wigwam Slough is an area with very deep holes anda strong current, especially during spring snowmelt.Niemyjski’s brave actions very likely saved thiswoman’s life.

Kurt Brownell, natural resource specialist in theLa Crescent Field Office, provided oversight for thelogging operation. When Niemyjski briefed him of theincident, he nominated Niemyjski for an award.


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��The Regional Command Council approved a concept of operations

in contracting that will improve the acquisition planning process. Thisprocess will require the upper three districts, St. Paul, Rock Islandand St. Louis, and the lower three districts, Memphis, Vicksburg,New Orleans, to develop consolidated sub-regional acquisitionstrategies.

This planning effort will be led by St. Louis for the upper threedistricts and by Memphis for the lower three districts. Thecontracting division chiefs at St. Louis and Memphis will lead thesub-regional acquisition planning process serving as the contractingcenter coordinator. The goal is to increase the number of sub-regional contracting tools.

There will be no change in current organization or structure and nochange in the rating chain. Contracting is a national organization.

�� Real estate division within the division is transforming from six

district-centric organizations to two regional organizations. The leaddistricts are Vicksburg District for the regional Real Estate SouthDivision and Rock Island District for the regional Real Estate NorthDivision.

The purpose for this transformation is to:(1) Enhance delivery and quality of real estate products and

services to customers,(2) Maintain and increase technical competency,(3) Achieve economies of scale, and(4) Drive interdependence among the districts.No real estate staff will incur any loss of pay or be required to

move as a result of the transformation.There are still many unknowns out there as we launch into these

major changes. I ask that you be patient as we work out the details.As we receive more clarity on the specific organizations, we will getthat information out to you as expeditiously as possible.

Thanks for all you do.

��&�' � �� (�� $��By Shannon Bauer

The U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers Headquarters inWashington, D.C., awarded St.Paul Districtemployee MollyMcKegney,office of counsel,its 2009 JosephW. KimbleAward in July.

McKegneyThe Kimbleaward recognizesa Corps of Engineers attorney whohas demonstrated the highestpotential for future legalachievement and is a rising star inthe Corps legal field of practice.McKegney became an attorneywith the St. Paul District shortlyafter her graduation from theUniversity of Wisconsin LawSchool in 2003.

McKegney was recognized forthis award for a number ofaccomplishments but primarily forher performance during the spring2009 flood fight in the Red River ofthe North river basin.

“Molly [McKegney] proactivelydeveloped standardized emergencylevee construction contracttemplates that could be drafted andreviewed in real time in order tosend contractors to work onemergency construction but stillprovide essential protections to theCorps, contractor employees andsuppliers,” said Joe Willging,McKegney’s supervisor. “Molly’sinitiative and efficiency, especiallyin a crisis, is second to none.”

Save Dec. 17 for awards ceremonySave Dec. 17 for the St. Paul District’s annual Holiday Awards Ceremony,to be held at The Prom Center, 484 Inwood Ave., just north of I-94,Oakdale, Minn. This year’s theme is “The Gift of Giving.” Teri Alberico andKristin Kosterman, both in operations, are co-chairs. Social hour starts at11 a.m. The event ends at 3 p.m. Watch your e-mail inbox for moreinformation.


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� �� **�Thanks to Jeff Gulan, formerlyoperations, and Jim Roloff,formerly contracting, whonominated Tina Guillot,contracting division.

Col. Jon Christensen, districtcommander, and Tina Guillot,contracting.

We are nominating Tina Guillot,contracting officer, supply andservices division branch chief incontracting, for Employee of theMonth for her exceptional supportto the locks and dams projectduring the end of fiscal year 2008.

With fewer contracting staff dueto reassignments, deployments,etc., the locks and dams projectdidn’t hear, “We don’t have thepeople resources to accomplishthese tasks, especially at the endof the fiscal-year end.” Insteadshe stepped up to the plate andwas able to process numerousacquisitions for the locks and damsproject and successfully awardthem.

This effort was especiallynoteworthy because the contractawards were accomplished duringthe September – bumping upagainst the end of the fiscal year –which is a hectic time with closingout contracts and getting othersready to be on-line when the newfiscal year begins. She continuallykept on top of the acquisitions andworked tirelessly right up to thelast minute of the last hour of thelast day of the fiscal year andsuccessfully overcame thechallenges of the year-end closeout and contractor and vendorquestions – all the whilemaintaining a professional, positiveand calm demeanor. Her “CanDo” attitude and dedication to theorganization, especially during thebusiest and most critical month ofthe fiscal year, is greatlyappreciated by those who work inthe locks and dams project. Sheexceeds expectations, making hermore than deserving of thisrecognition.

With the end of the fiscal yearand without the aid of thecontracting division chief, aconstruction branch chief, twocontract specialists and apurchasing technician due to adeployment and vacancies, shepulled together the remainingcontracting team members toreview the workload and prioritizeand divide it. By the end of thefiscal year, expected obligationswere met, including threeconstruction contracts, andcontracts for lock and dam parts,

among countless otherrequirements. Because of thiseffort, citizens of Dawson, Minn.,and Montevideo, Minn., will soonhave critical flood protection, thesensitive electrical equipment inthe Central Control Station at Lockand Dam 1 will be protected with anew roof and the district’s locksand dams now have a safe supplyof spare parts for gates to keep theMississippi River open fornavigation. As acting division chief,she also provided reach backsupport to the Louisiana RecoveryField Office by inputting into theprocurement system several of theCorps’ advanced contract initiativecontracts and vendors. Thisallowed the contracting cell in theRecovery Field Office to awardtask orders to repair the first roofsjust six days after HurricaneGustav made landfall. Theoutcome meant thousands ofLouisiana residents had a safer,drier, healthier environment.

In addition, this rear support waskey to the RFO expediting awardsfor generators to immediately bringpower back to hospitals, nursinghomes, lift stations, and sewagetreatment plants. This preventedpatients in several healthcarefacilities from being evacuated andpossibly threatening their medicalconditions.

EOM, continued on Page 11


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7�� **�Thanks goes out to the dredgecrews who nominated him.(See write-up below.)

Crews one and three of theDredge Goetz would like tonominate Steve “Turkey” Englerfor Employee of the Month.

At the beginning of our dredgingseason, Capt. Arley Martin retired.The assistant became our actingcaptain, and Steve Engler receiveda 120-day temporary promotionfrom mate to acting assistantcaptain.

Under his leadership, the twocrews flourished. He is anexcellent communicator – alwayskeeping the crew informed of whatwe are to do for work, how it willbe done and where. Since he hasbeen at the helm, there has beenlittle to no conflict among crewmembers. This is a testament tohis ability to command the absolutebest from his crew – and, we giveit to him.

He may have a rough and gruffexterior, but he is fair in anydecision. He listens to all sidesbefore making a judgment. Hisnatural ability to navigate theMississippi River with the GeneralWarren is almost second to none.He is the quintessential “RiverCaptain” and would make a greatcaptain.

Crews one and three of theDredge Goetz just want to say“Thanks, Turkey, for a job welldone.”

Dredge crews one and three:• Jacob Bernhardt• Connie S. Brantner• Travis Brantner• Tony Broxson• Thomas Fetting• Craig Firme• Joseph Dale Gurin• Rick Hager• Phyllis Hedberg• Dan Hentges• Bill Heublein• Brian Krause• David P. Kriesel• Robert Kupietz• Jon Ledford• Jeremy Loesel• Bruce McFarlin• Rick Mezera• Jon Miller• Joel Miller-Oates• Ilona M. Moen• Thomas Pawlak• Scott Ressie• Nick Stanton• SherryAnn Tarte

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/ �� **�Thanks to Jimmy Rand, locksand dams project, whonominated George Braunreiter.

I am nominating GeorgeBraunreiter, head operator, Lockand Dam 4, Alma, Wis., forEmployee of the Month.

At a critical time, he stepped upto the plate and accepted theposition of union president.

Responsibilities of this jobrequire endless attention duringnon-duty hours and entails untoldhours of research andcommunication. In conjunctionwith his “open door policy” and hison-going challenge of trying to findcommon ground on issuesaffecting bargaining unit members,his efforts have resulted in positiveworking relationships betweenemployees and management.

As someone with minimal unionofficer experience, he hasprovided assistance to field

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Steve Engler and GregFrankosky, both operations,Fountain City, Wis.

Col. Jon Christensen, districtcommander, and GeorgeBraunreiter, operations, inAlma, Wis.


EOM, continued from Page 10


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6��**%Thanks goes out to KeithLeClaire, geographicinformation systems, and MarkDavidson, public affairs, whonominated Holly Zillmer,geographic informationsystems, for January 2009Employee of the Month.

Col. Jon Christensen, St. PaulDistrict commander, and HollyZillmer, geographic informationsystems.

Both the public affairs office andproject management-environmental branch nominateHolly Zillmer for the employee ofthe month.

During the ACE-IT transition,she was asked to continue toprovide district web managersupport because ACE-IT had yetto take over that role. The webmanager duties increased anddemanded more of her time thanoriginally estimated. Holly hasbeen very efficient and responsivein managing these competinginterests for her time. She worksclosely with the public affairsoffice and the project managers

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� � �� **�Thanks to Teri Alberico whonominated Bryan Peterson.Both work in operations.

Col. Jon Christensen, St. PaulDistrict commander, and BryanPeterson, maintenance andrepair, Fountain City, Wis.

I’d like to nominate BryanPeterson, operations, for Employeeof the Month for his workthroughout the 2008 flood andhurricane seasons.

Starting in June, he coordinatedthe pump preparation anddistribution during the June flashfloods. He was available 24/7 forcalls from the EmergencyOperations Center to ensure pumpswere ready for communitiesneeding assistance. As that eventmoved downstream, he was finallyable to turn his attention to thehome repairs required from theflash flooding in August 2007.Then, his name came up for aposition supporting the CriticalPublic Facilities mission in CedarRapids, Iowa. Off he went to serve30 days in Iowa throughout July.

As Hurricane Ike bore down onthe Texas and Louisiana GulfCoast, he was again contacted tosee whether he could deploy aspart of the temporary housingproject response team, or PRT.This time he was unable to supportthat effort; he was already on animportant mission. He was onleave, delivering personally-ownedgenerators to friends in Texasaffected by Ike.

The St. Paul District works as ateam and there are many that haveprovided significant support duringresponse and recovery missions.But to me, he embodies the spirit ofthe district by going that extra mileto help friends in need. He canalways be counted on, by co-workers and friends alike.

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employees beyond what isexpected. Although his duty stationis at a lock and dam, he needs tobe aware of the job-specificconcerns of employees within themaintenance and repair unit, aswell as the dredge fleet. Theseissues vary greatly from those at alock and dam.

This is an example of hissensitivity to the district’s fieldemployees and an awareness oftheir needs. His position as unionpresident is in addition to his dailyrole as head operator at Lock andDam 4. He is doing his part toanswer the challenge ofLt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp,chief of engineers, by taking theCorps from “Good to Great.”

Anyone who steps up and takeson these kinds of challenges is inmy eyes more than deserving ofEmployee of the Month.




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8 ��**%Thanks goes out to Pat Foleyand Cheryl Yeschenko whonominated Marilyn Caturia asthe February 2009 Employee ofthe Month.

We nominate Marilyn Caturia forEmployee of the Month for hercontinued efforts supporting theHydraulics and Hydrology Branchand for her work welcoming newadministrative staff.

Throughout her long career shehas always done her utmost toprovide quality and caringadministrative support to everyonein the H and H branch. She tookon other branch’s administrativeworkload during a lull in the hiringprocesses. Unselfishly, Marilyntakes care of travel orders andvouchers, CEFMS and MIPRs,time sheets, mail, etc. She isalways willing to take on extraduties to lighten someone else’sload and never asks for help tolighten hers. Marilyn is one of thefirst to arrive and the last to leavein H&H and never takes off atimekeeping day. During thismonth Marilyn helped one newEngineering and Constructionadministrative staff member and aPM administrative staff membermake a smooth transition into theirnew duties and offices. Shecontinually checked if they hadany needs and made sure they feltwelcome. She did a lot of researchto make sure that she gave themthe right answers to all theirquestions.

Having Marilyn here makes it agreat joy for everyone to come towork. She maintains a greatattitude even when her workload ispunishing. Her selfless service isan inspiration to her co-workers,who want to strive to have herwonderful attitude.

with placement, writing and postingof content to the district’s publicWebsite. She continually meetsshort deadlines and pleasescustomers with the quality andtimeliness of her work. She keepsher chain of command informed ofpotential conflicts to help avoiddelays.

Her professional approach andfriendly style make her a greatmember of the MVP team. HollyZillmer deserves to be the St. PaulDistrict employee of the month.

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&��**%Thanks to Al VanGuilder,Kevin Ressie and ChrisLennon, all from operations,who nominated Brandon Olson,operations, for MarchEmployee of the Month.

Brandon Olson, operations, andLt. Col. Kevin Brown, districtdeputy commander.

From the period of March 2 toMarch 21, the survey crew fromFountain City, Wis., was tasked tocomplete a sedimentation survey atTrinidad and John MartinReservoirs in Colorado for theAlbuquerque District.

Brandon Olson started as atemporary employee in June 2008.

He has impressed each andevery person who has had thepleasure of working with him. Itwas during this temporaryassignment that he stepped up tothe plate and went above andbeyond the normal scope of work.Before working in our outfit, hehad limited surveying experience,but his ingenuity and his “can do”attitude are traits that havecontributed to his success.


Col. Jon Christensen, St. PaulDistrict commander, andMarilyn Caturia, engineering.



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While on this assignment, wewere working 12 hours a day,seven days a week and the workwas rigorous, but he consistentlykept a positive attitude, even in thelight of less favorable conditions.

Normally it would be unheard ofto let a temporary employee surveyon his own, but he proved time andtime again that he has theintelligence, integrity, responsibilityand know-how to use the surveygrade Global Positioning Systemsfor completing work. The surveyran into difficulties while at theJohn Martin Reservoir due to verythick brush in the river bottom. Thebrush was so thick that we neededto use an ARGO, an eight-wheelall- terrain amphibious vehicle, totravel through the brush, aswalking with survey equipmentwould have been difficult.

After the hydrographic surveyportion of the project wascompleted, we separated into twocrews, with Olson leading thesecond crew. With having asecond crew, we did not have asecond ARGO.

Olson took it upon himself towalk through the brush and swampto complete our project.

No matter the task, he alwaysbrings his “can do” attitude, awillingness to learn, offersalternative solutions and is notafraid to get his hands dirty.

We are honored and privileged tohave such a fine young man asBrandon on our staff and in ourorganization.

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��**%Thanks goes out to Capt.Adam Rasmussen, formerlyproject management, whonominated Diana Tschida,project management, for April2009 Employee of the Month.

Col. Jon Christensen, districtcommander, and Diana Tschida,project management.

Please consider Diana Tschida,project management, for Employeeof the Month. I have workedclosely with her for more than twoyears on all of my operations andmaintenance projects and havebenefitted greatly from herknowledge and proficiency in theCorps’ ominous project set-up andresourcing processes. Upon myreceipt of a project, she is oftenthe very first person I talk to. Shesets up all the project labor codesand purchase requests andcommitments. She knows whatneeds to be done, she’s gotanswers and she’s usually right.

Her institutional knowledge isirreplaceable, and her knowledgeof program and project histories

helps ensure they are fiscallymanaged and resourced in themost streamlined way. Sheincreases the efficiency of theproject management branch.

She is detail oriented and veryorganized. I can count on her tokeep me by the book in all of mytedious work requests. And one ofthe best things about her is shealways responds to a request witha quick phone call, short e-mail orPost-it® note – a rare but mostvalued trait in a good organization.She keeps her co-workers “in theknow” and doesn’t leave themwondering if something will or willnot get done.

Diana is generous and was quickto lend a helping hand every time Icome to her. I consider Diana anunsung hero in this district. Sheworks tirelessly, but she neverdemands recognition even thoughshe carries a significant portion ofmany project managers’workloads. You won’t find her outon high-visibility taskings, throwingsandbags during a flood fight, orseeking photo-ops with mayors, butyou will find her behind the scenesarduously working with programsthat no one else can or will, andshe is one of the “them” thatseamlessly makes it all possible.She has been absolutely vital in therapid reception and processing ofthe American Recovery andReinvestment Act projects theproject management branch hastaken on this spring. Sheempowers any team she works on.She is loyal, and fun to work with.




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6� ��**%Thanks goes out to Jim Roloff,formerly contracting division,who nominated Patricia Simon,a contract specialist, for June2009 Employee of the Month.

Col. Jon Christensen, districtcommander, and PatriciaSimon, contracting.

Patricia Simon is a contractspecialist in the Army CivilianTraining, Education, andDevelopment System, orACTEDS, the intern program. Shecame to the contracting divisionarmed with no contractingexperience, just an obvious intellectand skills that have helped proveher worth to the St. Paul District.

With just a few monthsexperience buying smaller-dollaritems and services, it was apparentthat she could easily handle alarge-dollar, negotiatedprocurement. By April, sheawarded the $3 millionBreckenridge, Minn., stage 2B1/2B2 levee construction contract. Amonth later, she awarded the Pool8 Islands stage 3A contract for$2.5 million and exercised threeoptions with Recovery Act funds,

bringing the Pool 8 Islandscontract total to $5.5 million. Shefollowed up that award with the$1.7 million Wahpeton, N.D.,Stage 3A levee constructioncontract.

She received praise from anumber of customers, projectmanagers, and the office ofcounsel for her accurate andtimely work. She challenges hersupervisors and is often consultedby her peers. Her progress in thecontracting division made her aneasy choice for contract specialistassigned to one of the two design-build projects currently beingsolicited to fix navigation safetyissues and Mississippi Riverembankments at Lock and Dam 3,near Red Wing, Minn. Projectssuch as these, worth approximately$70 million in Recovery Actfunding, have never beenaccomplished in the district usingthe design-build method.Nevertheless, a crucial milestonein the first phase of the two-phaseprocess was accomplished onschedule. She has also taken thelead on the Devil’s Lake flood riskmanagement project, which couldbe worth approximately$20 million.

Her extensive knowledge andinquisitive nature has proveninvaluable to the contractingdivision and to the district inachieving heavily trackedmilestones, not to mention thebenefits to the communities ofWahpeton and Breckenridgereceiving timely flood protection,and a reduction of risks toMississippi River navigation.

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&��**%Thanks goes out to RachaelTjepkes, regulatory, whonominated Joe Lind, informationtechnology, as the May 2009Employee of the Month.

Col. Jon Christensen, districtcommander, and Joe Lind,ACE-IT.

I would like to express theBemidji Field Office’s greatappreciation for Joe Lind, fromACE-IT, or Army Corps ofEngineers-Information Technology.

He goes above and beyond byaddressing our questions, concernsand help tickets in a timelymanner. He follows up with us andis readily available to troubleshootour issues. He knows what he isdoing and is very sympathetic withus. He also expresses greatpatience regarding how to resolveissues or troubleshooting problems.

Every time that he has helped me,if a problem is not fixed, he will try tofind a solution. I am thankful that heis in the district, and I believe hedeserves recognition for his positiveattitude, customer service andperformance.



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��-�.��/0�� By Peter Verstegen

One year complete, two to go. Sofar, so good, said agency officials.

The Army’s Engineer Researchand Development Center,Vicksburg, Miss., has anenvironmental lab, with an office atthe St. Paul District’s Eau GalleLake and Recreation area, SpringValley, Wis. ERDC joined theWisconsin Department of NaturalResources on a three-year programto selectively control invasiveplants at Half Moon Lake, EauClaire, Wis.

“Our strategy allows for selectivecontrol of invasive plants andresurgence of the native plantcommunity,” said John Skogerbee,research scientist with the ERDC.

The treatment, which startedApril 22, applies herbicidesdesigned to control targeted

John Skogerboe (left), Engineer Research and DevelopmentCenter’s Eau Galle Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Spring Valley, Wis.,and Neil Trombley, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources,Eau Claire, Wis., survey aquatic macrophytes in Half Moon Lake.The Eau Galle lab is a satellite office of ERDC EnvironmentalLaboratory, Vicksburg, Miss.

Photo by Neil Trombly, Wisconsin DNR

After treatment, still intactfragments of cedar shinglesfrom the old shingle factory canbe clearly seen on May 6. Thenearby Eurasian Water Milfoilappears stricken.

Before treatment on April 22,the reddish buds of EurasianWater Milfoil green up at thesurface. The plants are ready tofragment and colonize.

within the city of Eau Claire.It is one of the most popular

natural resources in the area,offering residents a prime fisheryand water recreation andrelaxation.

The explosive growth of theinvasive pondweed each spring andan expanding infestation of exoticmilfoil resulted in poor waterquality. The invasive plantsthreatened to choke off largesections of the lake and replacenative plants important to the fishand wildlife habitat.

The city worked with the DNRand the Corps to restore andpreserve the lake.

“ERDC has a cooperativeresearch and developmentagreement with the DNR, and weare working together as part of afield demonstration to monitorherbicide residues and determineeffectiveness of a combinationtreatment using environmentalcompatible herbicides in HalfMoon Lake,” said Skogerbee. Thechemicals, endothal and 2-4-D,were applied at precise watertemperatures and before nativeplants became vulnerable to lowlevels of herbicides used.

Wisconsin DNR photo

invasive plants without harmingnative aquatic species.

The first target was the invasiveCurly-leaf pondweed over theentire lake. The second wasinvasive Eurasian Water Milfoil,first discovered in the lake in thesummer of 2008. The milfoilspread was apparently limited tothe eastern half of the lake byspring of 2009, reported the DNR.

Half Moon Lake, 154 acres ofwater in the shape of a horseshoe,surrounds historic Carson Park

Photo by Neil Trombly, Wisconsin DNR


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Postcard from Iraq Gulf Region2009

Baghdad, Iraq

I hope this will work for a “Postcard.” I am working out of

the Baghdad office. It is a change from working in the

field, but I like it. Please say “Hi!” to all, for me. We are

working 10 hour days for the most part. It is a busy time

with so many changes taking place and more coming up.

Talk with you later.

D.J. Moser, lockmaster, Lock and Dam 7

LaCrescent, Minn.

crosscurrents - united states army affairs/crosscurrents...photos above and right by peter verstegen...

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