P acesetter P acesetter

34 Pages·2015·9.45 MB·English

Southwestern Division
P a c e s e t t e r
Spring 2015 Volume 10, No. 1
Fort Worth District historical
architect takes walking tour of Walter
Reed Army Medical Center -- Page 6
SOUTHWESTERN
DIVISION
PACESETTER
Brig. Gen. David C. Hill
Commander
Southwestern Division
Martie Cenkci
Chief, Public Affairs
Southwestern Division
Editor
Edward Rivera
Deputy Public Affairs Chief
Southwestern Division
Associate Editors
Denisha Braxton
Fort Worth District
Sara Goodeyon
Tulsa District
Randall Townsend
Little Rock District
Isidro Reyna
Galveston District
On the cover
This picture of stairs taken from the fourth floor of Building 1 are
part of photo documentation of the former Walter Reed Army
Medical Center in Washington. It was one of the largest facilities
shut under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commis-
sion process. The photo inventory by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers complied with cultural resources requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act. (Photo by Joseph Murphey)
CONTENTS
Spring 2015 Volume 10- No. 1
Focus: From the Top
4 We deliver value to our nation and communities
14 Fort Worth District water supply mission critical to Texas
16 Galveston District celebrates 135 years of service
18 Tulsa reports dsgnificant success in FY 2015
20 Hydropower key in the 21st Century
Focus: Special to the Pacesetter
6 A cultural closure for Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Focus: Missions
8 Generating interest in Southwestern Division hydropower
10 Galveston District hosts Stakeholder Partnering Forum
12 Tulsa District implements new water quality release plan to
conserve water at Skiatook lake
15 Slockbower speaks to Fort Worth District section chiefs’
mentoring group
17 President’s FY16 Budget for USACE Civil Works released
19 Tulsa opens modern, improved Canton Lake campground
22 Galveston District joins Buffalo Bayou Partnership in supporting
Texas’ largest canoe and kayak race
24 Camp Integrity brings winter cheer to Afghanistan girls’ orphanage
People
23 DA intern participates in special developmental assignments
26 NASA Astronaut,Tuskegee Airman inspire students and federal
employees at STEM and Black History Month events
29 Employee Spotlights
The Pacesetter is an unofficial publication published
under AR 360-1 for members of the Southwestern 34 Pacesetter Points
Division and its retirees. Contents and editorial views
expressed are not necessarily the official views of
or endorsed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Department of the Army or the U.S. Government. Ar-
ticles or photographic submissions are welcome. For
more information about the Pacesetter, or to make a
submission, call your local Public Affairs Office.
SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION PACESETTER
We deliver value to our
nation and communities
Brig. Gen. David C. Hill
Southwestern Division Commander
After a cold and late winter in most of our region, Let me focus the spotlight on just one; Dr. Michael
I know that all of you were ready to welcome spring Sterling, the Division’s chief of the Water Management
earlier this month (though perhaps not as ready as our and Infrastructure Branch. Dr. Sterling proved what all of
colleagues on the East Coast)! In spite of the dreari- us knew all along when he was chosen as the Black En-
ness of the weather, the past few months have been gineer of the Year for Special Achievement (Government
shining with special activities and achievements, and Category). Not only does this national-level recognition
have blazed ahead with actions. bring distinction to Dr. Sterling; it also brings credibility to
Proving that it’s never too early to think and plan us as his employer of choice. We are proud of him and
water safety, SWD’s operations, safety and public affairs fortunate to count him as part of our team.
4
communities convened in January for lessons learned Others of you were very busy with the painstaking
and to talk about this year’s water safety season. The work related to the Fiscal Year 16 Budget Briefings as
Tulsa District Water Safety Team was recognized for well as preparing your senior leadership for their Con-
their outstanding achievement in the 2014 Recreation gressional visits. These actions and activities are critical
Season: they reduced water-related public fatalities by in helping to build and maintain strong, productive rela-
50 percent during that period. That is truly outstanding. tionships with our legislative leadership. Thank you for all
Nothing is more important than our efforts to encourage your dedicated efforts that went into these preparations.
safety at all our projects by the public, Corps employees, We held a Command Strategic Review in February,
and our contracted workforce. and focused some of our time with Maj. Gen. Richard
As the weather warms up and the public heads to our Stevens, our USACE deputy commanding general, and
lakes, water safety will once again move to the forefront, Headquarters USACE staff on Knowledge Manage-
and our team will gear up for another push to educate ment. SWD’s role as a pilot is to focus on how a division
the public and help save lives. This is an important part of organizes its knowledge and links its business systems,
our interaction with the public, and where the Corps can documents, and processes to critical mission areas. Our
literally touch the lives of our citizens and communities. overall initiative is under the purview of SWD’s director
Two major observances marked the first quarter of of Regional Business, Mr. Pete Perez. The Knowledge
the calendar year: Black History Month in February Management team is represented by leads from each
and Women’s History Month in March. During each of the SWD Districts and led by our regional Knowledge
observance, we had the opportunity to highlight some Management Representative, Mr. John Davis. This team
of our folks who have made outstanding contributions to has been busy developing the “Discover SWD” site us-
the Army Corps of Engineers and to our Nation. Every ing media wiki to link to critical knowledge repositories.
person we highlight, and so many that we didn’t have The Districts will use this site to brief our Regional Priori-
the opportunity to recognize individually, are part of that ties during the upcoming SWD Command Week in April,
equation that makes SWD a respected organization that utilizing some of the precepts we have been talking
develops and cares for our people. See Value on Page 5
www.swd.usace.army.mil SPRING 2015
SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION PACESETTER
New safety chief promotes active role in personal safety
By Edward Rivera A veteran of the
Southwestern Division Public Affairs Persian Gulf War, he
held positions of increas-
From the U.S. Army to Disneyland, to NASA to the ing responsibility as a
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the chief of Safety and safety management
Occupational Health for the Southwestern Division professional, supervising
David Milligan’s main focus is ensuring everyone from both military and civilian
employees; contractors and members of the public go members. He served as
home at the end of the day. both an accident investi-
Milligan recently arrived to the Division staff from the gator and a safety trainer
Little Rock District where he was the chief of Safety and for the Chief of Staff of
Occupational Health. the Army, and as Chief
“One of our priorities is to influence our team, con- of Operations while as-
David Milligan
tractors and the members of our recreating public to signed to the U.S. Army
take an active role in their personal safety and health, Safety Center.
as well as the safety of those around them,” he said Milligan’s aviation and aeronautics expertise comes
While he was serving at Little Rock, the district gar- in handy with the Corps having two fixed-wing aircraft,
nered the Chief of Engineers Award of Honor for 2011 numerous unmanned aerial systems and many aviation
and 2013. Additionally, Milligan served as a safety pro- contracts.
fessional with the Afghanistan Engineer District – South “I am able to serve on an Acquisition Contract Of-
at Kandahar Airfield. ficer’s team as a Government Flight Representative
Prior to entering the civilian workforce he was an to perform audits and surveillance of contractor flight
Army aviator, earning his wings in 1984 as a graduate operations. I also serve a supporting role throughout the
5
of the U.S. Army Rotary Wing Aviator Course. In 1988 Corps to assist with aviation safety issues,” he said.
he graduated the Army Aviation Safety Officer course. Thinking on his past positions, Milligan said he is
“As an Army aviator I selected the aviation safety ca- fortunate that all of his assignments were interesting.
reer track as it gave me the widest opportunity to work “I have to say that working in the Little Rock District
with many different career fields throughout the Army,” was just as interesting as my time with NASA. “
said the 1996 Army Aviation Association of America’s After he retired from active duty he took a break from
James H. McClellan Aviation Safety Award winner. for federal service to work with industry in the private sector
his professional contributions to aviation safety. The as the manager of operations safety & health at Disney-
preceding sentence is too long and too awkward He land in Anaheim, Calif.
retired from the Army after 20 years of service “That was an interesting professional development
Milligan received his Bachelor of Science Degree in opportunity. Of note, both NASA and Disneyland include
Professional Aeronautics with a Minor in Aviation Safety EM 385-1-1 Safety and Health Requirements Manual
from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He received as a safety standard in their construction contracts. And
his Master of Science Degree in Industrial Technology so far, my assignment here at the Division is both inter-
from Texas A&M University – Commerce. esting and professionally rewarding.”
Value
Continued from Page 4
about. I know that it will be an enlightening experience, improve our workplace, not simply by supervisors and
and will help us move forward in our implementation of leaders, but also by our employees themselves. We can
KM within SWD. all be proud to be part of the Army Corps of Engineers
The Forbes “America’s Best Employers” list for 2015 with the opportunity to work in jobs that deliver such
has been released, and the Army Corps of Engineers value to our communities and our Nation.
is #128. Although we still have a ways to go, every day Thanks for all you do every day. You make a differ-
I see many efforts being undertaken to transform and ence.
www.swd.usace.army.mil SPRING 2015
SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION PACESETTER On the Cover
A cultural closure for Walter Reed Army Medical Center

By James Frisinger sure of that as part of a larger team of environmental
Fort Worth District Public Affairs Office professionals.
Mobile District, which has the U.S. Army Corps of
A skeleton crew keeps the lights on at Walter Reed Engineers lead in BRAC compliance under the Na-
Army Medical Center in Washington, which closed in tional Environmental Policy Act, brought in Murphey
2011 under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure to be the lead on the NEPA’s cultural resource re-
Commission process. Its quirements. Walter Reed
storied past will not be was one of the largest
forgotten, thanks to a U.S. facilities shuttered under
Army Corps of Engineers BRAC 2005, along with
photographic inventory Fort Monmouth, N.J., and
and historic walking tour Fort McPherson and Fort
organized for the 66-acre Gillam in Atlanta, Ga.
campus that is being re- For the first time in its
purposed for a new use. history, Murphey com-
The historic Walter pletely inventoried and
Reed Army Medical Cen- identified everything at
ter is a ghost town now. Walter Reed and deter-
Deer and foxes roam mined what was historic.
the 66-acre campus where He then, as part of the
10,000 people once lived NEPA team, negotiated a
and worked. It was here memorandum of agree-
6
in the nation’s capital ment with the DC State
that untold thousands of Historic Preservation
soldiers and presidents, Office and local historic
too were treated for 102 preservation societies
years. to mitigate the effect of
The sprawling facility in the BRAC closure on the
Washington’s northwest historic resources, which
corner was closed in 2011 fulfilled NEPA require-
under the 2005 Base ments.
Realignment and Closure The mitigation primar-
Joseph Murphey, an historical architect for the U.S. Army
Commission process. The ily consisted of nominat-
Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District’s Regional Plan-
medical facilities by then ning and Environmental Center, used a large format cam- ing Walter Reed to the
had already relocated era in 2013 to document the historic Walter Reed Army National Register of
seven miles away to the Medical Center facility as part of the mitigation process Historic Places, photo
conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act.
“new” Walter Reed the documenting the entire
Shown here outside Building 57, the 4 inch by 5 inch neg-
Walter Reed National facility for the National
atives he shot are now preserved as part of the Library
Military Medical Center in of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey. (Photo: Archives and producing
Bethesda, Md. Joseph Murphey/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) interpretive panels for the
Today a skeleton crew public†said Murphey.
keeps the lights on at the “old” Walter Reed but it’s The interpretive panels are to be placed on site and
only a temporary. The campus is being repurposed tell the storied history of Walter Reed as an institution.
with new tenants in old buildings, but Walter Reed’s Murphey collaborated in the development of these
storied past won’t be forgotten. 14 storyboards, which will be displayed on seven free-
Joseph Murphey, an historical architect for the standing panels this year along a walking tour of the
Regional Planning and Environmental Center, made See Closure on Page 7
www.swd.usace.army.mil SPRING 2015
On the Cover SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION PACESETTER
Deer roam outside Delano Hall at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which was closed in
2011. Wildlife now roam the 66-acre campus where 10,000 people once lived and worked in the north-
west corner of Washington, D.C. Medical facilities were relocated seven miles away to the “new” Wal-
7
ter Reed – the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. – while the “old” Walter
Reed campus gets repurposed for new uses. (Photo: Joseph Murphey/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Closure
Continued from Page 6
campus. It narrates the 150-year story of the site back tive medicine in the world, and developed vaccines
to its pre-med days as a Civil War battlefield. to prevent hepatitis A, meningococcal meningitis and
The first panel outlines the Battle of Fort Stevens in adenovirus.
1864. President Lincoln came under fire from sharp- As part of the cultural resources mitigation, Mur-
shooters in trees that later became part of the medical phey compared his new photographs with historic
complex. It was the only time a sitting U.S. president photos and original construction drawings. The data
would come under fire during battle, Murphey said. will aid the local redevelopment authority.
The walking tour panels narrate the dream of Maj. The information that we gave them formed the
William Cline Borden, more than a hundred years baseline for them to start the work on the restoration,
ago, to consolidate four different medical facilities said Murphy. It forms a time capsule on what it looked
located in south and central District of Columbia into a like when the Army left Walter Reed.
single site. The Army surgeon named the complex for For some shots, Murphey used a large-format
his friend and colleague, Maj. Walter Reed, who led camera, which makes 4-inch-by-5-inch negatives.
the team that helped eradicate yellow fever by iden- The camera and tripod, with a hood that covers the
tifying the mosquito as carrier of the disease. Reed operator, resembles the equipment Matthew Brady’s
died in 1902. (While the hospital named for Walter team used to photograph the Civil War. One hundred
Reed was built in 1909, Borden’s vision would not be of these photos will be delivered to the Library of
fully realized until 1955.) Congress Historic American Buildings Survey, which
Walter Reed later become home to what was con- requires a negative processed to last at least 500
sidered the first school of public health and preven- years.
www.swd.usace.army.mil SPRING 2015
Around the Region
SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION PACESETTER
The Beaver Dam power plant operates two main 56 megawatt turbines and one house unit. The rev-
enue from power generation is returned to the U.S Treasury to pay for the purchase price of the dam
and the generating equipment Operations and Maintenance. (USACE Little Rock District photo)
Generating interest in Southwestern Division hydropower
8
By Jay Townsend to deliver power generation, sustain the infrastructure,
Little Rock District Public Affairs Office execute operations and maintenance at the hydro-
power projects and sustain technical competencies.
As the nations’ demand for renewable energy use Currently the board has established eight work-
increases, so does the strain on the U.S. Army Corps ing groups to study specific facets of the hydropower
of Engineers ageing hydropower infrastructure, the program. Discussions range from staffing and suc-
largest producer of renewable energy in the U.S. cession planning to data acquisition and even haz-
The Corps is the largest owner-operator of hy- ardous energy. The board indentified common inte-
droelectric power plants in the U.S. and one of the gral sub-programs of the overall hydropower program
largest in the world. They operate 353 hydroelectric and charged the working groups staffed by regional
generating units at 75 multipurpose reservoirs with a subject matter experts with developing implementa-
total capability of 21,000 megawatts. This capability tion plans for standardization across the region.
generates about 24 percent of America’s hydroelec- The board is using the Army’s risk management
tric power and represents approximately 3 percent of processes (e.g., monitoring, examination, and analy-
the country’s total electric-generating capacity. sis) to decide where and when to invest in mainte-
In order to ensure the U.S. Army Corps of En- nance and repairs in order to assure safe operations
gineers, Tulsa, Little Rock and Fort Worth district and provide national economic benefits.
hydropower assets are reliable for years to come, The electricity produced within the Southwestern
the three districts, under the umbrella of the Corp’s Division is marketed by Southwestern Power Admin-
Southwestern Division, have formed the Southwest- istration and is sold, at cost, to not-for-profit municipal
ern Division Regional Hydropower Governance Board utilities, military installations and rural electric coop-
The governance board provides oversight of the eratives for use by the citizens of Arkansas, Kansas,
region’s hydropower programs. The goal of the board Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.
is to seek the most effective and efficient processes See Hydropower on Page 9
www.swd.usace.army.mil SPRING 2015
Around the Region
SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION PACESETTER
Corps using new technologies to reduce energy consumption
The Little Rock District is installing new technolo- referred to as geothermal. Geothermal heating and
gies at our Mountain Home and Clearwater project cooling systems take advantage of the stable temper-
offices to reduce the overall carbon footprint from ature underground using a piping system, commonly
government facilities and operations. It is important referred to as a “loop.” Water circulates in the loop
for the government to lead the way in energy sav- to exchange heat between the building, the ground
ing technologies. Many businesses and individuals source heat pump, and the earth providing heating
are reluctant to initiate the use of new technologies and cooling at remarkably high efficiencies. Most of
because of higher upfront cost and unproven ben- the Corps property in downtown Mountain Home is
efits. The Corps of Engineers was selected to receive being utilized so the upcoming geothermal system
upgrades implementing two sustainability will use vertical heat transfer wells under
technologies. the existing parking lot at the Project Office.
One of the newer technologies becom- “About 22 wells 250 feet deep will be
ing main stream is the use of LED light- required at the Mountain Home Project
ing equipment. LED lights produce similar while at Clearwater 12 wells 250 feet deep
lumens, light output, using just 20 percent of will be required,” said Kim Casey, design
the required energy by conventional incan- coordinator. “The estimated life span of
descent bulbs. The life span is estimated the geothermal HVAC unit is more than 50
to be five times longer than fluorescent years and we expect to recoup the cost of
bulbs and 40 times that of incandescent bulbs. Using the project in 30 years.”
LED light bulbs not only saves energy costs but also “The LED lighting has improved the work environ-
reduces maintenance costs. All lighting fixtures and/ ment for employees, while reducing our operation
or bulbs on the interior and exterior of the Mountain and maintenance costs through lower energy con-
Home Project Office have been changed to LED, with sumption and extended life of LED bulbs,” said Jon
the exception of leased security lights. Hiser, operations project manager for the Mountain 9
The second technology that the Mountain Home Home Project Office. “While the geothermal system
and Clearwater offices will be implementing is is not yet installed, we have the same expectations
ground-source heat-pump for heating, ventilation, for it – extended useful life and lower operating cost,
and air conditioning applications. This technology is which result in reduced impacts to our environment.”
Hydropower
Continued from Page 8
The Fort Worth District operates and maintains throughout Arkansas and one is located at Table
three hydroelectric plants, containing a total of 6 Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.
units with a generating capacity of 101 Megawatts. Corps hydropower plants provide the ability to re-
All of the plants are located within Texas. spond to rapid fluctuations in the nations’ power grid
The Tulsa District operates and maintains eight caused by other intermittent renewable resources
hydroelectric power plants, containing a total of 22 such as wind and solar power. These auxiliary sup-
units with a generating capacity of 584 megawatts. port services provided by Corps hydropower plants
Seven of the plants are located within eastern Okla- stabilize the grid and are essential for the smooth
homa with one located just across the border in electrical integration of other renewable energy re-
Texas. These plants benefit approximately 2 million sources.
end users throughout Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, The current makeup of the board puts both Tulsa
Missouri, Kansas and Louisiana. and Little Rock District commanders as co-chairs of
The Little Rock District operates and maintains the board with the Tulsa District Commander serv-
seven hydroelectric power plants. The 27 units in ing as the Executive Director. Members of the board
Little Rock have a a generating capacity of 1,068 include representatives from all three districts with
Megawatts, and enough generation to power up to provisions for special advisors to be select from best
400,000 households. Six of the plants are located qualified from all three districts.
www.swd.usace.army.mil SPRING 2015
SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION PACESETTER
Galveston District hosts Stakeholder Partnering Forum
Galveston District
Public Affairs Office
The U.S. Army Corps of En-
gineers Galveston District met
with non-federal sponsors, cus-
tomers and agency partners to
collaborate on best practices
regarding programs ranging from
environmental to flood risk man-
agement, dredging the Texas
coast and regulatory oversight of
U.S. waters during a Stakeholder
Partnering Forum Feb. 25 at the
district’s headquarters building in The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District met with non-federal
sponsors, customers and agency partners to collaborate on best practices
Galveston.
regarding programs ranging from environmental to flood risk management,
“Fostering effective working
dredging the Texas coast and regulatory oversight of U.S. waters during a
relationships with these agencies Stakeholder Partnering Forum Feb. 25 at the district’s headquarters building
is critical to the success of our in Galveston. (USACE Galveston District photo)
district’s missions,” said Col. Rich- Grande Rivers along the Texas plan,” said Hrametz. “The part-
ard Pannell, commanding officer coast to network and exchange nering forum provided an excel-
of the USACE Galveston District. ideas from the whole community lent venue to interface with our
10
“We construct, maintain and oper- perspective on ways the Galves- customers face to face to address
ate key infrastructure projects that ton District is able to improve their issues and concerns and to
contribute to the nation’s econo- value delivery to the nation across provide an explanation on how
my, environment, safety and qual- civil works and regulatory busi- the extra money will be used to
ity of life and are always seeking ness lines. reduce critical backlog.
opportunities with our partners to “This partnering forum allowed Facilitated stakeholder breakout
improve these services. Hosting us to hear direct feedback from discussions relating to partnered
a partnering forum affords stake- our sponsors and stakeholders on progress and needs included Tex-
holders a venue to understand issues that are key to the suc- as coastal resource management;
and interact on the latest informa- cessful execution of projects and Texas ports; the Gulf Intracoastal
tion about our programs, projects, to move forward on integrated Waterway and Texas floodplain
business processes and capabili- solutions,” said Bill Wise, chief of management support for non-
ties.” the Project Management Branch federal investment. Partnering
The one-day forum identified for the USACE Galveston District. panel discussions that included
opportunities to better synchro- According to Joe Hrametz, chief successes, challenges, lessons
nize and integrate the district’s of the Operations Division for the learned and strategies for working
support of stakeholder commit- USACE Galveston District, this fo- with the district were helpful for
ments and emergency interests rum enabled him to update stake- many of the participants accord-
such as the Coastal Texas Fea- holder on the fiscal year 2015 ing to Dan Harmon, director of
sibility Study and the Freeport budget and how this funding will the Maritime Division at the Texas
Harbor Preconstruction, Engineer- impact future dredging projects Department of Transportation.
ing and Design plan. It is a unique along the Texas coast. “The Stakeholder Partnering
opportunity for non-federal spon- “The FY15 President’s Budget Forum provided an important
sors, customers and agency part- for the O&M Program was in- opportunity for TxDOT and the
ners from the Sabine to the Rio creased $19.7 million in the work See Partnering on Page 11
www.swd.usace.army.mil SPRING 2015