eau galle recreation area hosts summer awards...

CrosscurrentsVol. 29, No. 7 July 2006

Eau GalleRecreation Areahosts summerawards picnic

Crosscurrents July 2006

2

CrosscurrentsCrosscurrents 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. Michael PfenningPublic Affairs Chief Mark DavidsonMedia Specialist Shannon BauerEditor Peter VerstegenE-mail: [email protected]

Help the district,help yourselfby Tom CrumpActing District Deputy Engineer

When Lt. Col. John Kunkle,district deputy engineer, deployedto Iraq, I was fortunate to havethe opportunity to serve as actingdeputy district engineer.

During my five months asdeputy, several people have askedme, “Just what does the deputydo?”

My answer is twofold.My first responsibility is to assist

the commander in the operation ofthe district. By taking care of day-to-day operational issues, it allowsthe commander to focus on thepriorities that really deserve histime and attention. If thecommand staff can resolve issuesbefore they get to the commander,then the commander canconcentrate on executing ourmissions, planning for futuremissions, aligning regionally and,most importantly, taking care ofour people. If issues need to beraised to the commander, weorganize them in such a way as toclearly present the issue, providepossible alternative solutions andmake appropriate recommendations.

The second half of the deputy’sjob is serving as the supervisor ofthe administrative and advisoryoffices and the two support

divisions. They are contracting,real estate, resource management,information management, logistics,equal employment opportunityoffice, public affairs, safety andsecurity, small business, internalreview and civilian personneloffice. Being a supervisor bringswith it a whole host ofresponsibilities, ranging fromcoaching and mentoring to doingperformance reviews.

Serving as the acting deputy hasbeen a wonderful opportunity forme. By viewing the district from anew and different perspective, Ihave learned a lot. It has beenchallenging and rewarding,allowing me to grow personally andprofessionally.

There are opportunities whereeach of you can challengeyourselves.

The district is going to continueto deploy folks to help fight thewar on terror, to staff theRecovery Field Office and toassist Task Force Hope and theHurricane Protection Office. Weneed those volunteers toaccomplish the Corps’ mission inour region and around the globe.We also need volunteers to stepforward and assume the leadershiproles that they vacate. I encourageeach of you to stretch yourself andraise your hand to fill one of thosespots or assume some of thoseduties. By helping the district, youwill also be helping yourself.

Photo by Shannon Bauer

Craig Evans, projectmanagement, and his son,Nathan, were among morethan 200 St. Paul Districtstaff and families to attendthe annual summer awardsceremony and picnic, June23. This year, it was heldat the Eau GalleRecreation Area in SpringValley, Wis.

Inside this issueCommand column ......................................................................... Meet and Greet held at Fountain City Service Base .................... Page 3Eau Galle hosts summer awards picnic ...................................... Page 6The running referee .................................................................... Page 10Corps tracks with kids at Sandy Lake ........................................ Page 12Plan now for long-term training .................................................. Page 13News and Notes, Retirees’ Corner, Employee of the Month .... Page 14

CrosscurrentsJuly 2006

3

by Russell Williams

The Equal EmploymentOpportunity Office’s SpecialEmphasis Program’s field sub-committee hosted a meet and greetfor 23 new employees on a calm,sunny day at the Fountain CityService Base, Fountain City, Wis.,June 29. This was the second timethe field subcommittees hosted themeet and greet.

“It makes the committee seemworthwhile,” said Judith Harris,clerk, Lock and Dam 5A andmember of the field subcommittee.

Harris and Terry Fluekiger,committee field chair, worked withthe field subcommittee to plan themeet and greet.

Harris said the team built on theformat established the year before.They invited all new employees andanyone else who may want toattend.

A light lunch was served thatincluded hot dogs, beans, chips,cookies and beverages.

After lunch, all the newemployees were introduced by theirsupervisor. Other employeesintroduced themselves afterwards.

“The event provided anotheropportunity to bring the field andthe district office together,” saidMichael Knoff, chief, hydraulicsand hydrology branch. “We’retrying to tear down the us-and-them attitude of ‘you’re a new

Photo by Tammy Wick

Meet andGreet held atFountain CityService Base


Steve Lenhart, upper area lockmaster, is about to shake the hand ofAdrian Swanson, a newly recruited lock and dam operator. Next,going left, is Amy Thomas, clerk, and Brian Gray, a studentemployee -- all at Lock and Dam 2 and Arlan Baukol, a temporarylock and dam operator at Upper St. Anthony Falls. To Baukol’s right,behind Lenhart, is Robert Turner, Lock and Dam 1.

Left to right: Ben Horn, Jamie Lowe and Kristin Moe – all from theNatural Resources Office, LaCrescent, Minn. They work as studentforestry technicians.

Greet, continued Page 4


4

employee so you come to thedistrict office in St. Paul for themeet and greet.’”

Knoff said this is especiallybeneficial in the summertime whenthe bulk of new employees arefield employees. For the peoplefrom the district office, this was anopportunity to see project sites inthe field.

“People out there got to knowwho people in the district officeare and where they work,” saidHarris. “Col. [Michael] Pfenning,district commander, introducedhimself to all new employee. Thislessened their worry about meetingthe colonel, because he is incharge of the whole district.”

The field’s meet and greataccomplishes one of its 2006initiatives and focused on meetingits overall mission to “find waysand develop resources to increasethe representation of qualifiedwomen, minorities and people withdisabilities in permanent positionsat corps field locations.” With thesupport of the commander, districtleadership and other SEPCsubcommittee members, a diversegroup of new and currentemployees traveled andparticipated in the meet and greet.

The diversity of the newemployees shows both thedistrict’s focus and progress inachieving a diverse workforce,said Lupe Santos-Jensen, SpecialEmphasis Program manager.

New employees enjoyed themeet and greet.

Benjamin Cox, a student fromthe University of Minnesota-TwinCities, works in the regulatorybranch. Cox learned of the Corpsthrough a career fair at the

university where he spoke withMarita Valencia, a regulatorysection chief, and Daniel Seemon,ecologist in regulatory.

“It’s nice to get out and see themaintenance, surveying anddredging activities going on at theFountain City facility,” said Cox.

Another University of Minnesota

- Minneapolis student, Maler V.Annamalai, said, “It was also very,very nice to meet other people inthe district.” She works in thehydraulics section, engineering andconstruction division. Annamalaialso learned of the Corps though acareer fair, where she spoke with


Photo by Russell Williams

Bill Meier (left), channels and harbors unit, Fountain City, Wis., andKevin Hoeltzle, a student at Lock and Dam 9, attended the meet andgreet.

From left are: Maler V. Annamalai, a student in engineering andconstruction division; Ben Cox, a student in regulatory branch; andJoseph Titus, Jr., a student in regulatory branch. All attended themeet and greet in Fountain City, Wis., June 29. Said Titus, “It wasgood meeting new people and getting a lay of the land.”

Greet, continued from Page 3

Greet, continued Page 5


5

Photo by LaVonne Cairns

Jodi Kormanik, hydraulic engineer.Annamalai, originally fromSingapore, is a civil engineeringstudent. “I went down with twonew employees, met more newemployees and other people andsaw hands-on examples,” she said.

Joseph Titus, Jr., a student atHumboldt High School in St. Paul,said, “It was good meeting newpeople and getting a lay of theland.” Titus is working inregulatory branch this summer.

Prior to ending the meet andgreet, the SEPC chairs presented2006 accomplishment and 2007initiatives to the commander andsenior leaders.



Jim Maybach, civil engineer,Fountain City, Wis., physicalsupport branch, Fountain City,attended the event to meet newpeople. “The Special EmphasisProgram Committee did a greatjob organizing the meet andgreet,” said Maybach.

The field subcommittee of the Special Emphasis Program Committeeorganized the meet and greet held in Fountain City, Wis., June 29.Front row, from left: Judy Harris, Lock and Dam 5A; Tammy Wick,Headwaters Project Office; and Lupe Santos-Jensen, specialemphasis program manager. Back Row: Dave Nelson, HeadwatersProject Office, Terry Fluekiger, Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock andDam, Rojean Heyer, Lock and Dam 7; and Chris Botz, LakeAshtabula. Members not pictured: Nate Johnson, contracting; BryanPeterson, Fountain City; and John Dickson, Lock and Dam 8.

From left are: LaVonne Cairns; Judy Harris, Lock and Dam 5A,Fountain City, Wis.; and Rojean Heyer, head operator, Lock andDam 7, LaCrescent, Minn. Cairns is Heyer’s mother.

Greet, continued from Page 4


6

Photo by Jon Lyman

Those attending the St. Paul District summer awards picnic came together to honor and remember co-workers who are deployed overseas.


Andy Soileau, center, participated in the sackrace. At left is Josef Stanek and at right is KatrinaStanek. Soileau is the son of Rebecca Soileau,engineering and construction division. TheStaneks are the children of Jeff Stanek, alsoengineering and construction division.

Eau Galle hosts summer awards picnicby Shannon Bauer

Around 224 individuals attended the St. Paul Districtannual summer awards ceremony and picnic hosted atthe Eau Galle Recreation Area in Spring Valley, Wis.,June 23.

In addition to the awards ceremony, the day’sactivities included bingo, bean bag tossing, bocce ball,croquet, children’s games, feasting, golf, piñatabashing, softball, Texas horse shoes and volleyball, aswell as a pet contest and water balloon toss. CrystalCave and Cady Cheese factory tours, popcorn andsnow cones were also available.

Attendants were encouraged to bring food items tothe ceremony to donate to Keystone CommunityServices in St. Paul, Minn. More than 62 pounds offood and $51 was collected for this nonprofit foodshelf.

The following received awards during the ceremonyportion of the day:

Greg Frankosky, physical support; Paul Madison,design branch; Mike McGarvey, logistics; JimSentz, design branch; and Anthony Zacheretti,

Awards picnic, continued Page 7


7


Twenty gathered for awards recognizing their contributions in the successful emergency response to thisspring’s flooding on the Red River of the North: Back row Jim Sentz, engineering and construction;Shelly Shafer, readiness; Aaron Snyder, project management; Mike Lesher and Mike Knoff from EC, JeffMcGrath and Craig Evans, PM, Robert Engelstad, Ferris Chamberlin and Matt Bray, EC; StephanieDupey, executive office; and Diana Tschida, operations. Bottom row: Jon Petersen and Liz Nelsen, EC;Mike McGarvey, logistics; Mark Davidson, public affairs; Col. Mike Pfenning, district commander (forRichard Beatty, PM); Dave Christenson, readiness; Rick Carlson; and Kevin Bluhm, PM.

Rebecca Soileau, geologist in engineering andconstruction, guides her daughter, Margaret(Maggie) Rose Soileau through the music andcrafts corner, where children came to draw, buildmarshmallow sculptures and play musicalinstruments.


operations, received the Achievement Medal forCivilian Service for their support to Hurricane Katrinarecovery operations.

Dan Boone, Lock and Dam 8, received the civilianCombat Service Pin for his deployment to Afghanistanin support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Stu Dobberpuhl and Robert Engelstad, bothhydraulics and hydrology, received length of serviceawards for 35 years.

Jon Ahlness, regulatory; Bruce Boldon,operations division; Mark Davidson, public affairs;Paul Madison, design branch; and Dave Rydeen,design branch, received length of service awards for30 years.

Stephen Sandquist, design branch, received alength of service award for 25 years.

Chris Afdahl, design branch; Mike Dahlquist,design branch; Phillip Lapinski, informationmanagement; Julie Ritter, resource management;

Awards picnic, continued from Page 6

Awards picnic, continued Page 8


8

Above photo (left to right): Col. Mike Pfenning, JoeMose, project management; and Jon Petersen,hydraulics and hydrology, compete in a volleyballgame.

Right: Noeun Kol, design branch, attended theawards picnic surrounded by his children, fromleft, Lorenarath, Nicholas and Vellerie Kol.

Photo by Paul Davidson

Jim Sentz, design branch; Theresa Teed, projectmanagement; and Duane Wilson, operations division,received length of service awards for 20 years.

Jeff Bailey, information management; PatrickHarding, logistics management; and GregSherwood, resource management, received length ofservice awards for 15 years.

The following received certificates for theirparticipation in the 2006 Red River of the North floodfight in Fargo, N.D.:

Dick Beatty, project management; Kevin Bluhm,project management; Matt Bray, design branch;Rick Carlson, project management; FerrisChamberlin, hydraulics and hydrology; DaveChristenson, readiness management; MarkDavidson, public affairs; Stephanie Dupey, projectmanagement; Robert Engelstad, hydraulics andhydrology; Craig Evans, project management; JeffHansen, design branch; Scott Jutila, hydraulics andhydrology; Mike Knoff, hydraulics and hydrology;Mike Lesher, hydraulics and hydrology; MikeMcGarvey, logistics management; Jeff McGrath,project management; Liz Nelsen, hydraulics andhydrology; Jon Peterson, hydraulics and hydrology;Jim Sentz, design branch; Michelle Shafer,readiness management; Aaron Snyder, projectmanagement; Jeff Stanek, design branch; and DianaTschida, project management.

Those who participated in the flood fight but werenot able to attend the picnic will receive their



Awards picnic, continued on Page 9


9

certificate, if they haven’t already, in the near future.During the ceremony, Col. Michael Pfenning, district

commander, displayed to the attendants a flag thedistrict received for its support in the Global War onTerrorism. The flag was received from the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers Headquarters in KabulAfghanistan, formerly the Iraqi Embassy, where it wasflown, according to Pfenning, “in the face of theenemy” on Jan. 20 in honor of the St. Paul District.

Chris Afdahl, Kurt Heckendorf and Miray Welleserved as cochairs for this year’s event.

Others assisting them with ceremony or picnicactivities included: Maler Annamalai, hydraulics andhydrology; Shannon Bauer, public affairs; Pat Berczyk,civilian personnel; Kevin Bluhm, project management;Matt Bray, design branch; Ferris Chamberlin,hydraulics and hydrology; Dave Christenson, readinessmanagement; Dan Cottrell, natural resources; MarkDavidson and his son Paul, public affairs; StephanieDupey, project management; Liz Dvorak, civilianpersonnel; Stephanie Ehnstrom, resource management;Kris Fairbanks, construction branch; Scott Goodfellow,hydraulics and hydrology; Rebecca Gruber, regulatory;Jeff Hansen, design branch; Patrick Harding, logisticsmanagement; Corrine Hodapp, Eau Galle Park;regulatory; Larry Joachim, real estate retiree; CarolJohnson, resource management; Terry Jorgenson,design branch; Mark Klika, design branch, and his wifeLorraine; Mike Knoff, hydraulics and hydrology; JodiKormanik, hydraulics and hydrology; Linda Krueger,civilian personnel; Mai Lee, hydraulics and hydrology;Jon Lyman, information management; MikeMcGarvey, logistics management; Joe Mose, projectmanagement; Marsha Mose, engineering branch; JimMosner, design branch; Liz Nelsen, hydraulics andhydrology; Byron Nelson, design branch; Tom Novak,Blackhawk Park; Jon Petersen, hydraulics andhydrology; Dave Reynolds, Eau Galle Park; EllenScheppke, Eau Galle Park; Tony Schoenecker, naturalresources; Jim Sentz, design branch; Michelle Shafer,readiness management; Greg Sherwood, informationmanagement; Brian Sipos, Lower Saint Anthony FallsLock and Dam; Rebecca Soileau, hydraulics andhydrology; Kevin Sommerland, real estate; JeffStanek, design branch; Doris Sullivan, design branch;Tom Sully, front office; Marge Thompson, regulatory;Bill Vennemann, real estate; Annette Vogel,construction branch; Gary Wolf, design branch; and

Elana Zien, daughter of Terry Zien of projectmanagement.

Additionally, the picnic committee would like to givespecial recognition to the staff of Eau Galle RecreationArea for site preparation and serving as event host.They include manager Dave Reynolds; park rangersT.J. Helgeson, Corrine Hodapp, Jeff Horn and AnitaLampert; maintenance worker Phil Lapinski; andadministrative assistant Ellen Scheppke.

Official disclaimer: If an individual was inadvertentlyomitted from this list, please contact public affairs foracknowledgment in next month’s issue.


Shua Xiong, informationmanagement (student trainee),with her son, Jaden Vang. Xiongworks in IM’s recordsmanagement.


From left are: Dave Reynolds, park manager atEau Galle Recreation Area; Jeff Hansen, designbranch; Dick Otto, natural resources; and DennisAnderson, project management.



10

The running refereeby Mark Davidson

Why does Jodi Kormanik, a water controlhydraulic engineer with the engineering andconstruction division, run?

Does she run on the basketball court as areferee to stay in shape for marathons?

Or does she run in marathons and otherraces to stay in shape for basketball?

On June 17, Kormanik ran in her secondGrandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn. It wasthe marathon’s 30th anniversary and a record7,206 runners started the 26.2-mile race.

“I finished in 4:53:54,” said Kormanik. “Not

as good as I wanted to, but the conditionswere brutal. For the first time in Grandma’shistory the black flag was raised. This was anextreme warning for the runners due to theheat and humidity.

The female marathon winner, HalinaKarnatsevich, 37, of Belarus, took the leadright from the gun and won with a time of twohours, 33 minutes and 39 seconds.

Kormanik and 6,912 other runners finishedthe race. She finished in 4,784 place out of allof the runners. Out of 2,607 female runnerswhom finished the race, she placed 1,580.

Kormanik runs in half-marathons,marathons, 10k races and other races about

Jodi Kormanik (above right) finished the 26.2-mileGrandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn., in a timeof 4:53:54. She cooled off in Lake Superior aftershe finished the race.

Photos courtesy Jodi Kormanik

Running referee, continued Page 11


11

10 times a year. She runs about 20 miles a weekto stay in shape.

“I actually just started running [in] January2005,” said Kormanik. “Prior to then, I wouldguess the longest I had run is maybe two miles. Ifound running to be a great stress reliever. It’ssomething you can do that gives you time to thinkor not think, you can do it alone or with a friend,and the only cost are new running shoes everythree months.”

But competitive running is not the only athleticactivity Kormanik does. She also is a basketballreferee. She was a referee five years ago for justone season of springtime American Athletic Unionbasketball games, mostly on the weekends.

“Then, this past basketball season I decided totake it more seriously and I became a MinnesotaState High School League basketball official,” saidKormanik. “I started contracting games fromvarious basketball organizations and evenrefereed one varsity high school girls game duringthis past winter season.”

Even though the high school basketball leaguesare not going on now, Kormanik is officiatingsummer basketball about one to two weekends amonth. A typical tournament will allow her toreferee about eight to 10 games over two days.

“During a weekend in late June in Rochester,

Minn., I refereed a total of 15 games in threedays,” said Kormanik. “The games that I reffedranged from eighth grade to high school varsity,both girls and boys.”

Kormanik will be attending a basketball official’scamp in Duluth this summer to get ready for theupcoming season. She plans to referee a full timeschedule this upcoming basketball season. Thismeans she will officiate one-two high schoolvarsity games a week along with some ninthgrade, sophomore and junior varsity games.

Kormanik played basketball, fast-pitch softball,soccer and tennis in high school and also playedfast-pitch softball in junior college. A St. PaulDistrict employee since December 1997, shecertainly knows sports and has experiencedmany different kinds of referees.

“I believe it takes a certain type of individual toreferee. You can’t give just anyone a whistle andexpect him or her to be able to call a good game,and I think that the kids out there playing shouldhave good referees,” she said. “I have made thechoice to become a dedicated official that willcontinue to work at becoming better each year.”

Photo by Peter Verstegen

Photo courtesy Jodi Kormanik

Jodi Kormanik (left), an engineer in water control,referees an American Athletic Union tournament inSt. Louis Park, Minn. She became a MinnesotaState High School League referee last season,which lasts from November through March.

Kormanik officiates summer basketball one to twoweekends a month. She brought her uniform towork to referee games July 21.


12

Ranger Terry Ladd (right) instructs students about animal tracksduring the Sandy Lake Water Institute, June 22. When conditions areright, he takes the participants for a walk to find tracks on shore oron a sandbar. High water levels this spring hampered locatingtracks, so Ladd built a form (above) and filled it with dirt. “We usedprecast molds of animal prints for the kids to press into the dirt andthen we let them fill them with plaster of paris,” said Tammy Wick,headwaters office. The institute averaged about 27 students per dayafter the first two weeks of classes.

Photo by Tammy Wick

Corps tracks withkids at Sandy Lakeby Jeff Steere

The Big Sandy Water Institute isa summer educational andrecreational program focusing onteaching students how to enjoy andpreserve local water resources andnatural resources throughenvironmental education, fishing,canoeing, kayaking, snorkeling,boat and water safety andswimming.

These classes are held at fivelocations, including the Corps’Sandy Lake Recreation Area,McGregor, Minn. Rice LakeNational Wildlife Refuge, SavannaPortage State Park, Long LakeConservation Center and theCatholic Youth Camp also hostclasses.

Other classes included bogwalks, hypothermia, boat safetyand rescue, impaired vision, birdwatching, animal tracks,orienteering, introduction to globalpositioning systems, fish ecologyand fish identification, archery,tree planting and gardening.

Participants also get to go on afield trip to Paul Bunyan Naturecenter and Three Bear Lodge andTheme Park. A family fun day isscheduled for the last day of theBig Sandy Water Institute at theBig Sandy Recreation Area wereparticipants and their familiesenjoy kayak races, water balloontoss, swimming, fishing and apicnic lunch.

This year’s classes started June19 and finished Aug. 3 with a two-week break for Red Crossswimming lessons after July 4.

This is the institute’s fifth year,with more than 1,850 kids

participating in the first four years.The Corps is among 12 public or

nonprofit program sponsors.Corps’ personnel helping out this

year included Tammy Wick from

the headwaters office; PatDuffney, park ranger, PokegamaDam; Terry Ladd park rangerfrom Sandy Lake; and Jeff Steere,park manager, Sandy Lake.


13

Plan now for long-term trainingby Pat Berczyk, human resourcespecialist, andLinda Krueger, chief, civilianpersonnel advisory center

Long-term training, or LTT,refers to training to which anindividual is assigned on acontinuous, full-time basis formore than 120 calendar days. Theassignment may be to eithergovernment or non-governmentfacilities.

Most training needs of districtemployees can be met by short-term, low-cost training programs.To keep the Corps abreast ofmanagerial, technical, scientificand other specializedadvancements, some employeesmay need training opportunitiesbeyond the customary short-termprograms. It is St. Paul Districtpolicy to use LTT when suchassignments are more appropriateto providing needed knowledge,skills and abilities thanassignments of short duration.

Corps of Engineers’-sponsoredlong-term training is the mostcommon type of LTT for districtemployees. Corps’ Headquartersfunds tuition, books, travel and perdiem, and other non-salary costsfor Corps employees who arecompetitively selected for theCorps’ LTT program. Typically,the trainee attends graduate-levelor professional school and mayobtain an advanced degree,although obtaining a degree is notthe primary purpose of LTT. Inaddition to the Corps’ LTTprogram, the district may providelocally sponsored LTT. Theprocedures for applying for locally

sponsored LTT are similar theCorps LTT program.

An employee on a LTTassignment must enroll as a full-time student. He or she must carry15 or more semester hours (orequivalent quarter hours).Employees taking long-termtraining in a government or non-government program must sign awritten agreement to continue inthe service of the agency aftercompleting the training. The periodof continued service is usuallythree times the length of thetraining period and begins whentraining is completed.

To qualify for LTT, employeesmust be GS-11 or higher and mustbe serving under permanentappointment. Typically, employeesmust have a minimum of threeyears’ federal civilian service plusone year of Corps civilianexperience beyond the intern level.

Every Corps’employee whomeets the established criteria andstandards will be given an equalopportunity to be considered forLTT. Although many of the

district’s LTT candidates havebeen engineers and scientists, it isnot limited to those fields. Districtemployees in a wide range ofadministrative and professionaloccupations could potentiallybenefit from LTT.

If you are interested in LTT forfiscal 2008, you need to beginplanning now. Examine yourinterests. Consider what you hopeto gain from LTT and how youwould use the training on the job.Find out which educationalinstitutions offer the program youwant. Early on, talk to yoursupervisor to see whether LTT isan option for you.

If you plan to attend graduateschool, you may need to take theGraduate Record Examination inAugust. In September or October,you will need to apply to school.The request for LTT typicallycomes out in the January-Februarytime frame when headquarterssends out the announcement forapplications.

The Department of the Armyalso offers centrally funded, long-term training programs. Thepurpose and qualifications forArmy LTT programs vary.Information is available from theArmy Civilian Training, Education,and Development System catalogat http://cpol.army.mil/library/train/catalog/.

Long-term training is just oneoption for getting job-relatedformal education. Some employeesattend college or technical schoolpart time at night or on weekends.Others participate in the growingnumber of distance learningopportunities. Talk to yoursupervisor about your career goalsand whether LTT or otheracademic programs fit your goals.


14

News and Notes

Retirees’ CornerRaasch “retires”to Hawaii

Dave Raasch, projectmanagement, retired from theCorps’ St. Paul District,December 2004. His wife, MaryJean, resigned from her job thefollowing March.

In his retirement from theCorps, Raasch partnered withBob Northrup, another Corp’sretiree, to initiate a residentialdevelopment in Balsam Lake,Wis.

They designed andconstructed a planned urbandevelopment addition to theVillage of Balsam Lake,including construction of severalnew homes for sale. Thedevelopment proved successfuland 12 of the 14 lots soldquickly.

“In January 2006, it was mywife’s turn to get adventurous,”said Raasch. “She applied forand accepted a mammographyposition at the Women’s Centerof Queen’s Hospital, Honolulu,Hawaii.”

The Raasch’s sold their homein Prescott, Wis., and moved toHawaii in March.

After two months of surfingand playing on Waikiki andNorth Shore beaches, Raaschdecided to get back to the “realworld.” He accepted a projectmanager position with KFC

Engineering Management, asmall locally owned companywith its home office in Honolulu.“It is predominately a consultingfirm providing programmanagement, constructionmanagement, and architectureand engineering design servicesto public, private and federalagencies, (including a contractwith the Honolulu District of theCorps of Engineers).

Raasch’s main work effort isproject management services toVeteran Administration hospitaland clinic staff in Hawaii and thePacific rim.

His job takes him on occasionaltrips to all the Hawaiian Islands,Guam and the Philippines.

“Mary Jean and I thoroughlyenjoy Hawaii, and welcomefriends from the St. Paul Districtto look us up if vacationing onOahu.”

Photo by Mary Jean Raasch

Dave Raasch, who retiredfrom project management inDecember 2004, now worksin Hawaii.

Harris recruits,mentors andsupports co-workersMark Beseler, lockmaster, andthe crew at Lock and Dam 5A,Fountain City, Wis., nominatedJudith Harris, administrative clerk,

for Employee ofthe Monthhonors.

Harris splitsher time betweenLock and Dam5A and the

April Employee of the Month

Harrisproject office,both in

Fountain City. She has provided assistance

with the overflow of work whilethe survey crew clerk wasdeployed.

She is very active in the SpecialEmphasis Program fieldsubcommittee and the field meetand greet meetings to welcomenewcomers to the Corps. She hasrepresented the Corps at theWinona State Career Fair.

She often assists locks and damclerks with questions on inputtingvouchers on deployed employees.She often adjusts her schedule toassist staffing needs.

Said Beseler, “Harris maintainsan excellent working relationshipwith co-workers, supervisors anddistrict office personnel. Shefrequently mentors fellowemployees and is a verydependable, multi-tasking employeewho gives 110 percent.”

eau galle recreation area hosts summer awards...

Documents