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The New York

District TimesFall 2004 Vol. 29, No. 3 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District

On Sept. 30, 2004, the NewYork District and the New York

City Department of Parks and Rec-

reation signed a Project Coopera-t ion Agreement to bu i ld anecosystem restoration project atGerri tsen Creek, Marine Park,Brooklyn, N.Y.

The project’s estimatedcost is $6 million, and will serveto restore aquatic and coastalgrassland habitats within th is por-tion of Jamaica Bay within thegreater Hudson Raritan Estuary.

This is hoped to be the first smallpiece of an am bitious harbor-wideecosystem restoration effort. TheWater Resources DevelopmentAct of 1986 arm ed the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers with the im-portant new mission area of ecosystem restoration.

This recent agreement rep resents the first such docu-ment to be comp leted by N ew York District.

The creek in the northeastern section of Ma-rine Park has been adversely affected as a result of

over 100 years of dred ging an d filling activities relatedto the construction, maintenance, and improvementof a large netw ork of navigation chann els within Ja-maica Bay.

The project will restore 20.5 acres of salt marshand 15 acres of rare coastal grassland lying near th e junction of Gerritsen Creek and Mill Creek, immedi-ately west of Floyd Bennett Field .

The recomm ended plan w ill increase the twice-daily tidal inun dation across the p roject site and con-

Partnership agreement key to project successBy Ivan Damaso

Planning Division

vert the ph ragmites-dom inated areas to healthier tida

ecosystems. Planned improvements include carefuexcavation of filled areas, replan ting of native species, and the creation of tidal creeks to benefit manyfish and wildlife species in the area. The project wilrestore ecological functions and thereby p romote over

all increased levels of hab itat diversity and value. Therecomm end ed p lan maximizes the restoration of tidasalt marshes while minimizing total project costs. Sub ject to th e availability of Federal fun ds in 2005, the final design wil l be completed and construct ionactivities w ill begin.

The Gerritsen Creek p roject delivery team faceda number of challenges in preparing the restorationplan and completing the feasibility report and environmental assessment.

(Continued on page 4)

Col. Richard J. Polo Jr., District Engineer signs the project cooperation agreement

for the Gerritsen Creek ecosystem restoration project on Sept. 30. (l-r) Kerry

Donahue, Robin Bergfore, Col. Polo, Dan Falt, project manager, Ellen Simon, Chris-

topher Ricciardi and Paul Sabalis.

P h o t o : D a n D e s m e t



U.S. Army Corps of Engineers • New York District2

of Engineers

New York District TimesNewsletter of the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,New York District

September - October 2004

Commander andDistrict Engineer

Col. Richard J. Polo Jr.

Chief, Public AffairsPeter H. Shugert

[email protected]

Editor & LayoutVince Elias

[email protected]

- Authorization: The New YorkDistrict Times is an authorizedunofficial newsletter of the NewYork District. It is published inaccordance with provisions of

Army Regulation 360-1.

- Circulation: 1500 copies perissue in print and available on

the internet at:www.nan.usace.army.mil

- Submission: News, features,photos and art are solicited.

Direct queries to: Editor, PublicAffairs Office, U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers, New York District,26 Federal Plaza, Room 2113,

New York, NY 10278-0090.

- Contents: Views and opinionsexpressed herein are notnecessarily those of the

Department of the Army or thiscommand. All photos, unlessotherwise credited, are official

U.S. Army photos.

US Army Corps

New York District

®

Fall 2004

Regional Management Board a ‘region-centric’ model

By David Lipsky, North Atlantic Divi sion

The RMB met Sept.13-15 in Egg Harbor City, NJ.

- Implement Annual Work Plan asreviewed and approved by BOT.

- Assist the BOT in identifying long-term RBC issues and developingstrategic plans, etc.

- Develop and maintain a RegionalBusiness Plan.

- Develop effective, efficient, andconsistent business practices.

- Advise the BOT on regional re-source demands, workload fore-casting, and management.

- Formulate recommendations tothe BOT to facilitate division anddistrict organizations acting as asingle business entity.

- Promote and enhance teamwork.

- Create a corporate climate.

- Optimize the use of resources inthe region.

- Develop work force needs and ca-pabilities for the region.

REGIONALMANAGEMENT BOARD

GOALS

(Continued on page 3)

USACE 2012 was

launched officially Oct. 1,

when the Corps gave up‘stovepipes’ and moved on

to a new project-focused

design.

One of the future

key management tools will

be for the organization to

operate as a Regional Busi-

ness Center through its Re-

gional Management Board

rather than as six separate

d i s t r i c t s and a d iv i s ionheadquarters.

The North Atlantic Division Re-

gional Management Board was estab-

lished in May 1998 as a tool to balance

workload , staffing and fund ing.

The RMB meets bi-mon thly to ad -

dress the issues facing the Corps in the

northeast and Europe. Mohan Singh, who

serves as the NAD Director of Regional

Business, leads the RMB with Tom Waters,

the N AD Director of Programs as the al-

ternate chair.

Other m embers includ e the chiefs

of the NAD business resource and busi-

ness managem ent divisions and the RMB

executive directors.

Other members include the NAD

Chief, Business Resource Division, the

NAD Chief, Business Management Divi-

sion and the RMB Executive Director. All

six districts are represented by theirdeputy district engineers for Programs

and Project Managemen t. Currently, the

New England and Baltimore District re-

source managem ent officers also serve on

the board. In add ition, other district rep-

resentatives may be appointed as ap-

proved by the division commander, wh ich

usu ally rotates every 15-24 mon ths.

9-11-01Lest we forget



3The New York District Times • Fall 2004

RMB (from page 2)

Veterans Day 2004

Brig. Gen. Bo Temple

The brave men and women of our A rmed Forces have historically

given their blood, sweat, and tears to protect and defend our rights to live

free in our great country. From colonial times to the present, they have

met and overcome every challenge to our freedom, both here and abroad.

They remain vigilant 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that

freedom is never threatened.

They fully apply their time, their physical well being, their minds,

hearts and souls. They endure physical hardships and long fam-

ily separations. In some cases, they sacrifice their very lives, so

that we can enjoy all the benefits of being A mericans.

On Veterans Day, let’s reflect on the efforts of all our

veterans, past and present, pay tribute to their achievements

and their sacrifices, and honor their memory. Take a moment to

think about them, and give thanks for all that they do and havedone for our great N ation. I wish you and yours a safe, happy,

and healthy holiday.

Brig. Gen. Bo Temple

Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

North A tlantic Division

As the strategic arm for the NAD

board of trustees (division and district com-

mand ers, SESs), the regional man agement

board implements the focus areas estab-

lished by the board of trustees.

The RMB met Sept. 13-15 in Egg

Harbor City, N.J. The first item on the

agenda was a ten-minute videotape,

where Brig. Gen. Bo Temp le, command er,

Nor th Atlantic Division, spoke abou t year-

end execution, regionalized functions along with the

milestones ahead, several future state studies and

actualization of the Regional Business Cen ter.

“We are shifting from a district-centric op-

eration to a regional-centric operation,” he said, add-

ing, “Execution w ill not go away from the

districts.”

Temple told the RMB members that

they need to help define what the future

RBC should look like and to flesh out thestrategic communication p lan.

“The NAD Regional Management

Board is a great example of teamwork in

action and serves as a model for being re-

gional-centric and not district-centric,” said Paul

Giovinco, executive director, RMB.

The records on all Regional Management

Board meet ings may be found a t https://

rbc.nado.ds .usace.army.mil/RMB/rmb.htm




Synchroniz ing

the often very different

roles and mandates of

these two agencies re-

qu ired p ersistence, flex-

ibility, and a great teamattitude. Frequent team

meetings and op en lines

of comm unication aided

the team in surmount-

ing policy and d esign is-

sues to ach ieve

consensus.

The Gerri tsen

Creek project is being

implemented u nder Sec-

tion 1135, WRDA 1986 of the Corps’ Continu ing Au -thorities Program. The CAP is aimed at addressing

water resources problems of limited scope an d com-

plexity on an expedited basis through a set of stand -

ing legislative authorities that do not require specific

acts of Congress to set in m otion.

“Restorat ion at Gerri tsen Creek must be

viewed in the greater context of the heavily d eveloped

and urbanized p art of the New York Harbor,” said Paul

Sabalis, team lead er. “It is a small bu t impor tant step

in advancing critical ecosystem restoration initiatives.”

As such, Gerritsen Creek restorative m easuresconstitute a first step for restorat ion of the entire New

York Harbor area u nd er the much larger Hud son

Raritan Estuary feasibility study. The HRE study be-

gan in 2001, when acting und er a specific authoriza-

tion from Congress, the Corps signed a cost-sharing

agreement w ith the Port Authority of New York and

New Jersey to conduct a large-scale ecosystem resto-

ration study for the port d istrict, radiating ou tward 25

miles from the Statue of Liberty in N ew York H arbor.

“This stud y is a vital effort aimed at develop-

ing a holistic app roach to restoration in the harbor es-tuary,” added Sabalis. “The estuary is a partially

enclosed body of water, influenced by tides, wh ere salt

water and fresh w ater mixing occurs. These transitional

areas in nature tend to support unique, high-value

communities of plants an d animals. Resources in such

settings are generally scarce, significant and in tercon-

nected. This study seeks to take a mu lti-pronged ap-

proach toward comprehensive restoration.”

Short- term goals include the fas t t rack

construction of restoration sites un der CAP or other

The project area lies within the Jamaica Bay watershed in Marine Park,

Brooklyn N.Y. (Photo: Dan Falt)

Gerritsen Creek (from page 1)

authorities, and the full

developm ent of alterna-

tives for specific interim

HRE sites. Another im-

por tan t goal i s the

completion of the Com -prehensive Restoration

Implementat ion Plan,

wh ich w ill act as a mas-

ter plan for the overall

restoration of the H arbor

area.

“The Corps looks for-

ward to continuing fu-

ture work with the City

of New York on other

HRE study area sites as Spring Creek, Jamaica BayMarsh Island s, Gowan us Canal, Sherm an Creek, and

Newtown Creek,” said Sabalis. “As the HRE study

area includ es the tidally influenced p ortions of rivers

including the Hackensack, Passaic, Rari tan

Shrew sbury, Harlem, and East Rivers and Long Island

Sound, the results of other p arallel study efforts may

also be incorporated into the CRIP.”

The project and the HRE feasibility study are

supported by a broad consortium of resource agen-

cies, interest groups and the public. The CRIP is far

more complex in terms of understand ing degrad ationmechanisms and potential solutions and w ill take ad-

ditional time and resources to complete. Execution

timeframes to bringing Gerritsen Creek to construc-

tion and the HRE CRIP to fruition will dep end up on

Federal funding constraints and Administration pri-

orities. But the fact remains that p rogress is being made

with resolve, and a master p lan for the futu re beckons

all to be responsible stewards for the environment.

“This Gerritsen team h as developed a fantas-

tic ecosystem restoration project, and we are all very

excited to begin construction,” said Daniel Falt, project

manager. “We hop e that this is just the beginning of

great partnership between the USACE and the City

of New York Department of Parks and Recreation.”

Going a step further, there is mu ch excitement

in the air abou t HRE and th e CRIP, of wh ich Gerritsen

Creek forms an integral part. And hopefully, the H RE

and the CRIP will be the road m ap that all interested

parties and partn ers can follow in a sp irit of coopera-

tion to bring the harbor closer to a restored, enhan ced

and sustainable environmental state.”




Wendy Smith ofCENAN-CO passedaway Sept. 14. Shewas a secretary with theCorps’ EnvironmentalResidency Office at FortMonmouth, N.J.

John Sasson, of thePicatinny Field Officepassed away Oct. 13,

2004. John is survivedby his two brothers,Richard and StevenSasson, and his long-time friend, EmilySpringer.

John SassonWendy Smith

Henry “Bud” Kiefer of Planning Divisionretired Sept. 30. Keifer was a long timemember of New York District. Col-leagues and friends made dontions tothe New York Firefighters Burn CenterFund in lieu of a parting gift per his re-quest.

Autumn Departures

Jeffrey T. Fry and Lynn

Rakos, both of Planning

Division tied the knot Oct.

10 at a ceremony held in

the First Presbyterian

Church, Perth Amboy, NJ.

“Our reception was held at

the Proprietary House,

home of William Franklin,

Ben’s son, New Jersey’s

last Royal Governor where

I used to volunteer as a do-

cent, also in Perth Amboy,”

said Lynn.

Annette Austin of RMO is

the proud mother of a 7 lb.

4 oz. baby boy. Joshua

Austin-Dey was born Oct.

28.

Stork Club

Taps

Tom Hodson has ac-cepted the position asChief Plan FormulationBranch, Planning Divi-sion, New York District.

Corps Departures

September 2004

Rick Racklin, IM

Ina Ohrwashel, COYip Ng, EN

Isabelita Huerto, ENNestor Lim, EN

Joseph Gedeon, EN

Henry Kiefer, PLHonesto Castanada, PPMD

Milestone

New Jersey nuptials

Announcements




What a day it was!

In late August, the sum mer weather

could not have been better. Clear, bright and75 degrees, it was as good as it gets on p lanet

Earth.

In the middle of the greatest city in

the world stand s an oasis. Affectionately

known as Cen tral Park, it’s a famous refuge

that is sacrosanct to New Yorkers and sup -

por ts too many activities to list. Last night ,

in the middle of that park, the most impor-

tant event ... which was free ... was the semi-

final playoff game of the two-division,

18-team New York City Architect-EngineerSoftball League.

The winner of that game wou ld advance to the

championship, gold-medal round . You guessed it, our

district was playing and we fielded a magnificent team.

With a regular season record of 12-2, I wou ld have given

a lot to have had m y youngest daughter with me watch-

ing this great Produ ct Delivery (softball) Team. Why?

Because when I asked her if she might be an engineer

someday, she laughed and said engineers are nerds and

geeks just like her d ad .

Well, had she been there yesterday, she would

have seen how wrong she was, for every district

ballplayer w as an engineer (with a little e) and an ath -

lete.

I was struck by how good they were, but then

look at the record.

The last District team that w as this good w as the

1954 team ; if you d on’t believe me, the trophy from the

A-E league from that year is on display in our hallway.

Playing tou gh ball, I wasinspired not only by their athletic

ability but by their camaraderie

and team work. It’s always great

to see people playing as hard as

they work and having fun while

they are at it!

Frank Verga, the coach

and power hitter, could h ave cho-

sen another profession. Lenny

Houston, a senior branch chief,

By Col. Richard J. Polo Jr.

Special Sports Reporter

led the w ay, with knees on his band ages as our ace

catcher ... for the 23rd year in a row. Our PDT mem-

ber from Division, was none other than Jim Haggerty

I could go on and on.

Though th e score see-sawed back and forth

we lost a close one by only two run s. The loss was

really, really hard ... especially since we had already

beaten this team once before in the regu lar season.

The team

did not advance

to the cham pion-

ship round, but

they walked off

the field w inners!

See you

next year when

we w in it all!

Frank Verga, coach andpower hitter at bat.

Spectators cheer on the District

softball team at the semi-final

playoff game at Central Park.

2004 Powerhouse. (l-r) Top row: Cliff Jones, Franklin Rodriguez, Paul Sabalis,

Jim Haggerty, John Downing, Frank Verga, Kevin Smyth. Center row: Juan

Pineiro, Ron Pinzon, Howard Rubin, Brian Orzel. Bottom row: Freddie Bilbao,

Lenny Houston, Jason Shea, Anthony Schiano, Ed Wrocenski.




COMMANDER’S AWARDS 2004

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

David Rackmales

COMMANDER’S LEADERSHIP AWARDAllan Roos

PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEARJoseph Valade

ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Kerry Anne Donahue

SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR

Lawrence Mazzola

OUTSTANDING SCIENTIFICACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Jennifer IrishBrian Williams

OUTSTANDING GOVERNMENTCONTRIBUTION AWARD

Raritan Arsenal Team

Jim MooreBob Gouze

Maxine Colden

Barbara HebelJim Kelly (CENAE)

Rose Schmidt (CENAE)

Ian Osgerby (CENAE)Cliff Opdyke (CENAB)

HEALTH AND SAFETY AWARD

Michael Johnson

SERVICE TO THE ARMY AWARD

Michael O’Sullivan

WAGE GRADE EMPLOYEE OF THE YEARTimothy Lafontaine

COMMANDER’S MANAGEMENT SUPPORTASSISTANT OF THE YEAR

Charles Monroe Jr.

SPECIAL THANKS FOR ACHIEVING

RESULTS AWARDEllen Simon

PEERS OUTSTANDING SERVICETROPHY AWARD 2003

Joseph Mulle

NEW YORK DISTRICTCASTLE AWARDAnthony Mustillo

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

HURRICANE ISABELJohn Canby

Koko CroninJohn KenneyDaniel Lee

Doug LeiteMilton Ricks

SERVICE CITATION FROMTHE COALITION PROVISIONALAUTHORITY, IRAQ

Richard Bulvid

Carolyn Vadino

CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT FROMTHE COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND

ENGINEERING LABORATORYMichael Ganley

U.S. AIR FORCECIVILIAN PROJECT MANAGER

OF THE YEARStella Marco

TEAMWORK AWARD

Information ManagementWardwell LeoCarolyn Carter

Darrell Crawford

Anastasiya FarberKhie Go

John GriffinJean Hui

Harry IsomWalter Knoop

George Lamboy

Tyra McManusThanh Nguyen

Quangthanh NguyenVincent Perrera

Juan PineiroRick Racklin

Bhavesh ShahGustavo Sierra-Gonzalez

Maxine Sistrunk

Alexander SheldonMichael Soroka

Wesley TerryJerry Ye

King Yee

PROJECT DELIVERY

TEAM OF THE YEARFort Drum’s Battle Simulation

Project Team

Dave ChewClaudio SangAntonio Sian

Ed SimThomas Sessa

Regina FlynnStan Bloom

Richard LavoieJanice LaulettaJohn Cimmino

Elana MannoJohn Alaskewicz

Freddy BilbaoMatthew Walsh

Michael WilliamsChi Lau

Rodney AbramsNorma Smith

District Engineer recognizes superstars atOctober ceremony




Six Corps compu ters were donated in

September to St. Joseph’s School, West Orange,

NJ. Lynda Wright, principal was on hand to

accept the comp uter s. People from Logistics

arranged for the transfer.

Roz Li, architect and president of Li Saltzman Archi-

tects, was the guest speaker at this year’s Women’s Equality

Program. Li spoke to a d iverse audience of Corps em ployees

about her early life and how she overcame challenges in the

work force.

Col. Richard J. Polo Jr., District Engineer and Pau l Rabinovich,

executive d irector of the Long Island Chapter of the Nature Conser-

vancy, signed a m emorand um of understanding in August. The MOU

docum ents a mutu al comm itment to work together to add ress Long

Island’s complex coastal and ecological challenges and to work in

partn ership to advance ecosystem restoration opportun ities.

News Clips

Women’s Equality Day

Corps assist with documentary

Major MOU signed

(l-r) Col. Richard J. Polo

Jr., District Engineer;

Lynda Wright, Ann Hoffa,

and Michael Murphy and

Robert Goldfarb of

Logistics who made the

transfer arrangements.

(Photo: Ken Wells)

Computers donated to school

In August th e Corps assisted in filming a m ajor new s

netw ork docum entary entitled, The First Patient: Health and

the Presidency. It features Dr. Sanjay Gup ta, a new s med ical

correspondent.

The Corps provided assistance that enabled Dr.

Gup ta to film near Pier A at Battery Park City, the location

where President Grover Cleveland had surgery - - which w as

revealed 34 years later.(r-l) Lt. Col. Kurt Hoffmann, Deputy Commander, Sanjay Gupta,

M.D., and Peter Shugert, chief, public affairs at the filming loca-

tion.

Photo:Vin

ce

Elias




Corps and community celebrate Estuary Day

Photos:PeterShugert

Mark Lulka interacts with students during a poster board

exhibit, a featured event.

Hal Hawkins and Rick Alvarez engage students in conversation about

the Corps involvement in the estuaries program.

< Nancy Brighton educatesstudents about the Corps

relationship with the areaestuaries.

Corps Estuary DayPDT members

Rick Alvarez, CORon Brattain, PL

Nancy Brighton, PLFelix Chevere, CO

Kingsley Findlay, COSherif Guirgis, CO

Julie Ha, PPMDHal Hawkins, PPMD

Bonnie Hulkhower, PLJeff Kumor, CO

Mark Lulka, PPMD

Anthony Schiano, PLPete Shugert, PAO

Debra Smith, PPMDThomas Wyche, OPS

Ron Brattain speaks about the Corps and estuaries in the area during classroom activities.

Early in the morning of

Oct. 23 the Corps’ Estuary Day

PDT team loaded u p a truck with

poster boards and literature and

headed to Elizabeth, N.J., to cel-ebrate Estuary Day, an ann ual event.

Lt. Col. Kurt Hoffman n, depu ty comm and er

and 15 experts from PPMD, Construction, Operations,

Harbor Programs Branch and Plann ing Division set

up posterboard exhibits, with Public Affairs cover-

ing the event. Over 300 stud ents from four area high

schools p articipated.

Using three information stations, the

District explained the importance of the estu-

ary in the Por t of New York and New Jersey

and the role of the Corps in general, with em-

phasis on the Corps’ environmental operating

pr inciples and civil works skill sets being used .

Hoffmann made the opening remarks

and presented District coins to the mayor of

Elizabeth and Future City organizers, who were

the sponsors of the event.




Gayle CrisciProgram Assistant Award

New York District Awardees

New York Federal Executive Board

2004 Federal Employees of the Year

Marty GoffDiversity Enhancement

Award

Michael WilliamsCommunity Service

Award

Maj. Donald PincusField Force

Engineering Team

Teamwork AwardMaj. Pincus is now with Walla

Walla District

USACE Coin RecipientsPresented by Lt. Gen. Carl A. Strock

Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Betsy Andujar, OP

Estelle Capowski, EEO

James Demetriou,

PPMD Mil Programs

Jerry Valade, CO

Frank Santangelo, EN Randall Hintz, OP

C. William Johnson, RE Kevin Smyth, PL

Elaine Shipman, RM

Bethany Bearmore, EN




Corps crew hoists plane from Jamaica Bay

Doug Leite of New York District, working with the TemporaryHousing Team in the Hurricane Charley Emergency ResponseOperations Office.

District supports hurricaneresponse and recovery

mission

Hats off

Hundreds of Corps personnel nationwide, including staff from

New York District traveled to the southeast , primarily Florida,

in response to recovery efforts for four major hurricanes that

made landfall in Florida during the months of August and

September 2004: August 13, Hurricane Charley; September

5, Hurricane Frances; September16. Hurricane Ivan; and

September 25, Hurricane Jeanne.

Fred Herman, Quality Assurance Housing Inspector

Joseph Humet, Quality Assurance InspectorDouglas Leite, Mission Manager

Raymond Lo, Safety and Health SpecialistAbraham Portalatin, Safety & Occupational Health Manager

Brad Sherwood, Quality Assurance Roofing InspectorKevin Smyth, Site Engineer

Michael Vissichelli, Action Officer

Michael Wojcicki, Site EngineerJerry Ye, Database Manager

James Cannon, Quality Assurance Roofing InspectorKoko Cronin, NEPA Compliance Manager

Christine Delorier, NEPA Compliance Manager

Barbara Dindl, Logistic AssistantPatricia Donohue, Mission Specialist

Marzena Ellis, Quality Assurance Roofing InspectorJuan Escajadillo, Quality Assurance Housing Inspector

Michael Ganley, Asst. Emergency Support Team LeaderBob Hass, Logistics Assistant

District personnel involved in the success of the Corps’ response and recovery mission:

The crew of the Corps vessel Driftmaster sprung into action in July following notification that a small

airp lane crashed into Jamaica Bay, Queens. The Driftmaster crew hoisted the p lane out of the water by its tail

section and placed it onto a barge.

The plane was flying along the Long Island shore

and p ulling an advertising banner w hen it crashed.

The plane was towed to Rockaway and turned over

to the Na tional Transpor tation Safety Board .

Photos:CavenPointOffice




Richford, Vermont, was the site of an Oct.

23 meeting for representa tives from New York Dis-

trict, the town of Richford and Engineers Construc-

tion, Inc. The purpose of the meeting w as to d iscuss

construction p lans for a two-month p roject to re-

locate the town’s wa ter main. The present w ater

main runs under the Missisquoi River and has been

exposed to severe erosion. The two-month project

is scheduled to be completed in late December.

A section of the water main will be replacedby a new pipe which will be installed far below

the r iver. A directional d rilling method will be used

to install the new pipe. The project delivery team

members are Marty Goff, Megan Grubb, Robert

Hass, Jenifer Thalhauser, Karl Ahlen, Jason Shea,

and Jodi McDonald . Constru ction is contracted to

Engineers Construction, Inc., and is managed by

Kevin Merend a and Donald Braun of the Corps.

Around the region

Corps at town of Richford, Vt. Bottom row (l-r): Jen Thalhauser,

CENAN; Gary Snider, Margaret Larivee, and Gary Shover, Town

of Richford. Top row (l-r): Donald Braun, CENAN; Mo Hail, ECI;

Kevin Merenda, CENAN and Tod Cote, ECI.

Members of the Corps of Engineers and the

New York City Watershed Env ironmen tal Assis-

tance Program team visited a few p rojects in Au-

gust. The team visited the Esopu s Creek Stream in

up state New York.

They discussed the w ork being done on the

stream located in Ulster County, N.Y.

In October, team members with the New York City Watershed Envi-

ronmental Assistance Program visited the Akind ale Farm in Paw ling,

N.Y. As par t of the program , the farm, which breeds and trains Thor-

oughbred race horses, is performing best managemen t practices that

will help to protect the water supply and at the same time sustain

farm operations.

Corps oversees water main relocation in Vermont

Photo:Jason

Shea

Corps teams visit twoupstate N.Y. projects

Rifat Salim, project manager (center) speaks with Dan Davis of the

NYC DEP as JoAnne Castagna, PPMD tech writer takes notes.

Rifat Salim, project manager interacts at the Akindale Farm, Pawling, NY.




P H O T O S S T E V E W E I N B E R G

Two icons inducted into District Hall of Fame

Employees gather for dayof fun under the sun

Samuel P. Tosi, long-time Corps and District em-

ployee now with North Atlantic Division, was inducted

into the New York District Hall of Fame Oct. 15, 2004.

John Hartmann was inducted into the

Hall of Fame Oct. 15. His wife Toba ac-

cepted the award with children Andrew,Paul, Karin and Valerie present. Also

present were friends, Lawrence

Perrotta, Lauren Ehrenbert and Nelson

Dorado. Hartmann was the Chief of Op-

erations for many years before he

passed away in 2003.

(l-r) Col. Richard J. Polo, Delores Tosi, Samuel Tosi.

Tosi accepted the award accompanied by his wife

Delores. He was inducted in recognition of his ca-

reer with the Corps that spanned several decades.

Col. Richard J. Polo Jr. and Karin, An-

drew, Toba, Paul and Valerie Hartmann

at the induction ceremony.

Picnic October 15 at Fort Hamilton

John R. Hartmann

Samuel P. Tosi




Conference attendees assembled for a group photo prior to touring the U.S. Mili-tary Academy, West Point $70 million plus Arvin Physical Development Centerfacility currently under construction.

Twenty-four resident engineers,

team leaders and key personnel from

New York District met in September at the

annu al Construction Division Area/ Resi-

den t Engineer Conference he ld inNew burgh, N.Y.

Conference part icipants were

from four of the District’s area an d project

offices represen ting Northern N ew York,

Metro, and N orthern and Southern N ew

Jersey.

Rick Alvarez, Chief of Construc-

tion Division made the op ening remarks,

and the featured guest speakers were Col.

Richard J. Polo, Jr., District Engineer, andAnthony Levesanos, of Programs and

Project Management Division.

Each year, the chief of Construc-

tion Division chairs th e off-site conference in an in ter-

active forum to discuss a myr iad of topics that include

global issues affecting the District and their impacts

on Construction organization, manpower and re-

sources, construction technical and contract adminis-

tration focus a reas, and to exchange lessons learned.

“Col. Polo shared h is perspective of some theDistrict’s key mission areas, goals, and challenges to

includ e the execution of the Civil Works p rogram, m ost

notably in the harbor, recruitment opportunities for

overseas missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, hurricane

relief missions in the South, and the Corps’ 2012 ini-

tiative, among others,” said Alvarez.

A future year Construction Division financial

p ro g ram o v e rv i ew w as p re s en t ed b y G eo rg e

DeMarinis, chief, Administrative Services Section.

DeMarinis was followed by ind ividu al area program

briefs from each of th e four a rea engineers beginningwith David Leach of the Metro Area, John Sasson of

the Northern New Jersey Area, Lt. Col. Taras Jemetz

of the South ern N ew Jersey Area, and finally, Dominick

Passan tino of the West Point Area.

“The intent of the briefs were to highlight

trends in the m ilitary, civil and Sup erfund program s

within each of the areas, identify shifts in w orkloads,

and to spur further discussion on potential resource

sharing to efficiently execute the out-year construc-

Construction Division gathers at annual meeting

tion p rogram,” add ed Alvarez.

Alvarez began the afternoon session with a

team building exercise entitled “Sizing Up the N eed

for Team Building” u sing excerp ts from the Amer ican

Managemen t Association, Executive Matters New slet

ter, August 2004 issue. The exercise includ ed a qu es

tion and answ er session w ith participan ts receiving ascore on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high). Passantino of the

West Point Area obtained the h ighest score, reflecting

that his “work u nit” was a w ell functioning team.

Alvarez also gave a b riefing on reasons for vol-

un teering that featured a five-minute video of a m ajor

project in Pu erto Rico in w hich he h ad served in a tw o

year volun tary assignment a s p roject director.

As conference participan ts were u nable to at-

tend the District’s “Recruitmen t Road Show ” in sup

por t of the War on Terror, they instead benefited fromthis dissertation on volunteerism, including the per-

sonal satisfaction one gains as well as the good it d oes

for the organization.

Alvarez embellished his brief with th e example

of the p roject in Pu erto Rico, a $2.1 billion heavy ra i

transit system presently undergoing commissioning

for operations in that commonwealth, a project that

brought him a wealth of personal satisfaction and

achievement.(Continued on page 15)




“Engineers are continually encouraged to pu r-

sue p rofessional developm ent to maintain their Pro-

fess ional Engineer credent ia l s and to remain

knowledgeable through various training opportuni-

ties, seminar attendance, on the job training in an ef-

fort to remain relevant to the industry and our

customers. For his pa rticipa tion, Col. Polo was first

to receive the Certificate of Successful Completion,”

said Alvarez. “Thanks to the participan ts and to all ofthose that helped make th is year’s conference a suc-

cess, with special gratitude to Maj. Michael Clancy and

Mr. Dom Passantino of the West Point Area who sp on-

sored the event and m anaged all the logistics, and to

Tom Harnedy, chief, Contract Adm inistration Section,

wh o developed and structured the conference agenda

and the standard briefing content for the area program

briefs. Next year’s AE/ RE Conference is already be-

ing planned to be held at Fort Drum .”

He concluded this part of the conference

by encouraging the Construction Division lead-

ers to be mentors to th eir staff in supp ort for Dis-

trict missions as well as in developing and

retaining a capable and flexible core of employ-

ees within their respective offices.

The afternoon session moved along with

Alvarez d iscussing his focus areas as chief of the

Construction Division.

On the contract administration front,

Alvarez touched u pon BCOE, an acronym he said

stands for “bidability, constructability, operabil-

ity and environmen tal” used for reviews w ith an

emphasis on ‘operability’ and customer involve-

ment and contract performance tools with em pha-

sis on timely usage.”With regard to resources, Alvarez pro-

vided his thoughts on management in the field with

emphasis on roles and responsibilities of the area en-

gineers, resident engineers, team leaders an d project

engineers, including District sup port from Contract-

ing.

He explained how vital it is to achieve cus-

tomer satisfaction and challenges faced in m anaging

customers, users, stakeholders and their expectations.

Peter Destefano, chief of Quality Assurancegave a briefing on ACO warranting, red zone check

lists, and systems commissioning . Rud y Khalil, also

of Quality Assurance followed w ith a RMS/ P2 inter-

face briefing that generated mu ch discussion.

“The most spirited exchanges ensued when the

subject of balancing h um an resources with w orkload

projections and finding opportunities for displaced

positions was broached,” said Alvarez. “It was mu tu-

ally decided that the area engineers would review their

Construction meeting (from page14)

Army Suggestion ProgramYour good ideas could earn you a cash aw ard

The Army Suggestion Program was established to encourage all members ofthe Army community, and others concerned with the welfare of both the Armyand the Nation … to submit ideas.

Suggestions that are adopted can earn a cash award for military and DoDcivilians. Suggestion forms are located on each floor.

If you have any questions please contact Elaine Shipman, Army SuggestionProgram Administrator, 212.264.9046.

(r-l) Col. Richard J. Polo Jr., District Engineer and Rick Alvarez,

chief of the Construction Division. All participants received a

Certificate of Successful Completion and were awarded 1.5 Pro-

fessional Development Units or Continuous Learning Hours.

FY05 placemen t p rojections as it related to what con-

tract award s were mad e.”




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Do not process, store or transmit classified information on non-secure telecommunications systems. OfficialDepartment of Defense telecommunications systems — including telephones, fax machines, computer net-works, and modems — are subject to monitoring for telecommunications security purposes at all times. Use

of official DoD telecommunications systems constitutes consent to telecommunications security monitoring.

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