2003 dpw worldwide training workshop

Volume XVI, No. 1

A publication of the U.S. Army Installation Management Agency

January/February 2004

U.S. Army Installation Management Agency

In This Issue... 2003 DPW Worldwide Training Workshop

Public Works Digest is an unofficialpublication of the U.S. Army Installa-tion Management Agency, under AR360-1, The Army Public Affairs Pro-gram. Method of reproduction: photo-offset; press run: 3,000; estimatedreadership: 40,000. Editorial views andopinions expressed are not necessarilythose of the Department of the Army.

Address mail to:

U.S. Army Installation ManagementAgency

2511 Jefferson Davis HighwayArlington, VA 22202-3926Attn: Editor, Public Works DigestTelephone: (202) 761-5778 DSN 763FAX: (202) 761-8895e-mail: [email protected]

Donald G. LaRocquePublic Works Program Manager,

Installation Management Agency

Alexandra K. StakhivManaging EditorU.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Design and Layout:Barbara MorrisRPI Marketing CommunicationsBaltimore, MD

Cover photo:Dr. Fiori poses proudly with Mr. Phil Sakowitz, MG Andy Aadland and CSM DebraStrickland after receiving the IMA Stalwart Award.

January/February 2004Vol. XVI, No. 1

Printed on recycled paper.

U.S. Army Installation Management Agency

2511 Jefferson Davis HighwayArlington, Virginia 22202-3926

2 Public Works Digest • January/February 2004

3 Letter from the Editor

2003 DPW Workshop ..................................................................................................................................

4-7 DPW Workshop focus – supporting people, readiness, and transformation by Alexandra K. Stakhiv

8-9 2003 DPW Award winners announced during workshop

Installation Management ..........................................................................................................................

10-11 Fighting for every penny we get by Don LaRocque

12 Enabling successful and uniform delivery of installation services through Common Levels ofSupport by Karan Foutch

12 Don’t be caught by the tire TRAP by David Fuchs

13 ACSIM’s Facilities Policy Division relocates, reorganizes by Bob Sperberg

14 Privatization cuts costs on Bamberg utility bills by Rick Emert

14-15 Army exceeds energy-reduction goal for FY03 by Gary Sheftick

15 Problems at Fort Pickapost – a Joe Sparks adventure by Ron Mundt

16-17 Quality assurance process – “making sure the government gets what it pays for”by Michael T. Phillips

17 Mike Kastle leaves ISD

18 Technology Standards Group holds first meeting by Philip Columbus

18 New faces at IMA

19 New York District awards its largest funded 8(a) contract for a design-build project at Picatinny by JoAnne Castagna

Centerfold ....................................................................................................................................................

20-21 2003 DPW Worldwide Training Workshop photos

Automation ..................................................................................................................................................

22 Installation visualization tool enhances situational awareness by Kenneth Shaffer

22 IDS E-News is online

23 USACE uses TeleEngineering communications equipment to reach back from Iraq by Grant Sattler

USACE Support to Iraq ..............................................................................................................................

24-25 Civilians step up to help combat engineers in Iraq by Lou Fioto

25-27 Dispatch from Baghdad by Dr. Eugene Stakhiv

27 2003 USACE Military Engineer of the Year

28-29 Operation Iraqi Freedom – ERDC was there before and during operations by AngelaDickson

30-31 FEST-A team expands to project management by Grant Sattler

32-33 Restoring life to former Iraqi airbase by Grant Sattler

Environment ................................................................................................................................................

33 Radiation safety at Redstone Arsenal by Kim Gillespie

34-35 Fort Drum’s Cultural Resources Program uses state-of-the-art technology to search underground by Karen J. Freeman

36 Cleanup begins at Camp Edwards by Kristina Curley

37 History uncovered at Redstone Arsenal cemeteries by Kelley Lane

38 Fort Drum foresters host silviculturists and ACSIM for installation tour by Karen J. Freeman

39 UXO Technology Test Site Program wins national award by Michael Dillaplain

3Public Works Digest • January/February 2004

L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R

Alexandra K. Stakhiv, Editor, Public Works Digest PWD

This issue of the Public Works Digest is dedicated to the 2003 DPW Worldwide TrainingWorkshop. This year’s workshop focused on people, readiness and transformation, whichtranslated to the global war on terrorism (GWOT) and what we are doing or can do insupport of our deployed troops. Co-hosts John Nerger (OACSIM) and Kristine Allaman

(HQUSACE) introduced the keynote speaker, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installationsand Environment Dr. Mario Fiori, to a packed auditorium. Later, all the speakers at the gen-eral sessions reiterated his overarching goals for Army installations-- to preserve the trainingenvironment, privatize/modernize housing and utilities, foster public/private competition andimprove our enduring infrastructure assets. Making our installations flagships for our deployedsoldiers is a must, Dr. Fiori said.

Dr. Fiori also took the opportunity to announce his retirement at the end of 2003. He wasrecognized for his many years of outstanding service in support of installations with the IMA Stalwart Award, which was presented by IMA Director MG Andy Aadland.

Others performing outstanding service in support of installations were cited with theannouncement of the traditional DPW awards by MG Aadland and a belated presentation ofthe Secretary of the Army Energy and Water Management Awards by Vice Chief of Staff GENGeorge Casey and Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management MG Larry Lust.Please check pages 6 to8 for photos and writeups of these deserving individual, group and instal-lation winners.

There was also a lot of information about standing up the new USACE Gulf Region withMG Ronald Johnson, HQUSACE Director of Military Programs, at the helm. In keepingwith the Chief of Staff’s GWOT focus, this issue also boasts a plethora of articles about USACEsupport to Iraq from the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Europe Districtand others.

In the months to come, you will be hearing about the Common Levels of Support (CLS)concept, which is explained by Stan Shelton in the Installation Management section. The Armywill allow garrisons "to do what they do well" as a result of this process. This section also con-tains an article by Bob Sperberg, Chief of the ACSIM’s Facilities Policy Division, whichexplains how his division has reorganized to better support DPWs in the field and provides a listof division personnel as well as their new phone numbers.

The March/April issue of the Digest will feature Housing issues. We hope to have updateson privatization, barracks modernization and changes to current policies. The deadline for thenext call for Articles is February 27, so please start writing now! I look forward to receivingmany articles about installation successes and challenges in the housing arena.

Until next time…


This year’s DPW Worldwide TrainingWorkshop, held in Washington, D.C.,from 1-3 December 2003, was anexcellent opportunity to receive and

share the latest information and innovativepractices in the DPW arena, particularlysince it was combined with a large tradeexposition. More than 50 booths displayedthe latest products and technologies.

In keeping with the theme of “ArmyInstallations – Supporting People, Readi-ness, and Transformation,” the general ses-sions were designed around an impressivearray of speakers from the public works,housing, environmental services and facili-ties arenas. These Army leaders and cham-pions were on hand to discuss the manychallenges today’s installations are facing insupport of the Army’s current missions andtransformation. The goal of creating instal-lations that support an Expeditionary forcewhere soldiers train, mobilize, and deployto fight and are sustained as they reachback for support was echoed throughoutthe workshop.

Ms. Kristine Allaman and Mr. JohnNerger were the co-hosts once again, rep-resenting the Corps and ACSIM, respec-tively. Nerger asked participants to keep inmind what they are doing for thoseinvolved in the war in Iraq. “Your effortsare playing a very important part in win-ning the global war on terrorism,” Nergersaid.

The keynote speaker was Dr. MarioFiori, the Assistant Secretary of the Armyfor Installations and Environment. Fioriannounced his retirement and thankedeveryone for their hard work in supportingour deployed troops. He introduced theoverarching goals for installations of pre-serving the training environment, privatiz-ing housing and utilities, fosteringpublic/private competition, and improvingour enduring infrastructure assets in mak-ing our installations flagships for ourdeployed troops despite cuts in funding.

Fiori warned that, “It will take twoyears to get a solid handle on the cost of

garrisons and where our money goes. Fis-cal Year 2004 will not be a piece of cake asthe budget is flat and has a downwardslope.”

In his talks with garrison commanders,Dr. Fiori noted first that FY04 is under-funded for environmental dollars, so it isimportant not to migrate BASOPS moneyto other accounts. We need to understandthe environmental issues, he said. Second,demolition didn’t get much money either.So, if your installation has money fordemolition, he cautioned, spend itright away. And third, money forforce protection is underfunded byhalf. Again, Fiori admonished DPWsnot to migrate any money fromBASOPS.

Praising 2003 as a great year forMILCON with over 1,000 projects,Fiori said that BRAC is also one ofthe successes of FY03. “We got rid ofabout 107,000 acres using earlytransfers,” he explained. “We nowhave the Installation Design Guide,but if you can’t do something, youneed to let us know. We also have aroadmap for addressing contamina-tion, and safety is becoming a bigissue that will require a culturalchange.”

MG Larry Lust, the Assistant Chief ofStaff for Installation Management, broughtthe audience up to speed on barracks,

housing and utility privatization. Today,75% of our barracks are adequate or havebeen funded to meet the standard, includ-ing the U.S, Europe and Korea, he said.The strategy for implementing the Bar-racks Modernization Program is to reno-vate the worst barracks first and centrallyfund the necessary furnishings.

In Army family housing, the obviousgoal is to get rid of all inadequate housingas soon as possible. “We have already pro-grammed in the budget funds for FY07,but it will be 2012 before we get rid of allof it,” Lust said. “We hope to increase theprivatized inventory from 13% to 58% byFY09. Our strategy here will be to increasethe housing allowance, privatize wherepossible using the Residential Communi-ties Initiative (RCI), and build or leasesome new housing.”

There are 351 utility systems to consid-er for privatization, Lust continued.Eighty-four have already been privatized,141 are under consideration and 93 are innegotiations. “We plan to complete all pri-vatization evaluations by the end of Sep-

tember 2005,” said Lust. “In addition,those utilities exempt from privatizationmust be modernized by 2010. Our strategydoes not include the 226 systems

IMA Director MG Andy Aadland chats withDiane Devens, Northeast Region Director, IMA.

MG Andy Aadland and ACSIM MG Larry Lust preparefor a general session.

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2003 DPW Workshop focus – supporting people,readiness, and transformationby Alexandra K. Stakhiv


turned over to local utilities in Europe orthe 128 systems exempt or owned by thehost nations in Korea and Japan.”

Lust advised installations to commit alldemolition funds by the end of the 1stQuarter and spend only allocated funds forenvironment issues and force protection.He also touched on the Installation Design

Standards, which were approved in April2003. “They provide for a common lookand feel but are not written in stone,” Lustreminded the audience. Pointing out thatthere was no benefit to the installations inhaving woodlands if they weren’t beingmanaged, he said, “We can make a profitfrom the trees and provide money formaintenance. For that matter, why mowwhat you mow? Habit? We can lessen ouroperational costs by using other groundcovers that do not require regular mainte-nance the way grass does,” Lust suggested.

“What needs to be done while thetroops are deployed?” asked Lust. It’simportant to get those work orders forpainting and repairs done before the troopsreturn. Some of our regs needs to bechanged too, he said. There is a $1.3 mil-lion effort in ACSIM to rewrite these regs.

The Chief of Engineers, LTG BobFlowers, talked about the change in U.S.Army Corps of Engineers culture with thewar being the first priority. The Corps iscurrently in more than 90 countries doingtechnical assistance or construction.

“Field force engineering is part of thePOM and a way to involve the Corps inthe fight,” Flowers said. “The USACEdivisions are aligned with CombatantCommands, giving us deployable teamswith ‘reach-back’ tele-engineering capabili-ties to support forward elements.”

There is a new Afghan battalion createdevery 28 days, and the Corps is working toensure that barracks and mess hall facilitiesare coming on line to support these newsoldiers. In Iraq, the Corps is providingsupport to the Coalition ProvisionalAuthority (CPA) and U.S. forces, recon-structing the oil infrastructure, restoringIraqi electricity and supporting the Depart-ment of State.

Explaining why Iraq is so important,Flowers said, “This is a cataclysmic battle.If the U.S. and the coalition are successful,the terrorist organizations will be discredit-ed and there will be a rapid conclusion ofthe war on terrorism. If we are not success-ful, the war will go on for a very long timeand the terrorists will be emboldened. Thishas a direct tie to security and institutions.”

Flowers also stressed that the Corpscould not do what it does without its pri-vate sector partners. “We use them for100% of our construction, 75% of militarydesign, and 61% of civil works. We arecommitted to the success of small business-es,” Flowers added.

Referring to the Corps as a learningorganization, Flowers said, “We share ourexperience across the whole organization.We are instituting communities of practicewith effective team members who have theproper training. No more stovepipes. Weare creating a 2012 team of teams commit-ted to partnering with IMA and ACSIM toprovide the best support to the Army. Letus help you.”

IMA Director MG Andy Aadland askedthe audience to think about the things weneed to be fixing together. IMA’s first yearwas very successful, but the organizationplans to do much more in the “way ahead.”

“This is all about the troops, becausewithout them, we wouldn’t be here,” Aad-land said. “What do we see IMA becom-ing? What will our warfighters say aboutIMA a few years from now? We need topull our whole workforce together.”

FY04 will be harder for IMA because of

great expectations. Aadland explained thatthe Army intent is to create a corporatestructure that focuses on installation man-agement and achieve regional efficienciesthrough innovative outsourcing. “We’ll dothis by supporting installations as flagships.This means turning our installations intopower projection platforms with ‘reach-back’ capabilities, supporting the well-being of deployed soldiers and enforcingcommon standards throughout,” he said.

“The last is very important,” Aadlandadded. “General Keane told us that theAchilles heel for IMA success would beadhering to a common standard. And we’reworking very hard on implementing com-mon standards through the InstallationDesign Standards (IDS) and the ArmyBaseline Services (ABS).”

Calling installations launching pads forthe fight, Aadland said that current fundinglevels only lead to continued facility deteri-oration, and years of underfunding havetruly taken their toll. “We’re working onapplying common standards to eliminatethe ‘have nots.’ We need to strategize ourfunding better. We must know how to usethe scoring model or we won’t get the‘bacon,’” he said.

BG Guy Swan gave the legislativeupdate explaining how we can better dealwith Congress and educate them on our

Army mission, budget and plans.We are building and maintaining a rela-

tionship with Congress, where Nationalsecurity and defense is the first priority, hesaid. There has been a recent decline inmilitary experience in Congress. Now thateveryone is more interested in the

BG Guy Swan, Army Legislative Liaison,explains how DPWs can “educate” Congress oninstallations.

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GEN George Casey (Right), Vice Chief of Staff,U.S. Army, and MG Larry Lust respond to aquestion on readiness.


military due to the war, Swan advisedinstallations to take advantage of Congres-sional visits to show their Congressmenwhat they want them to see.

“Remember, all politics are local!” Swanconcluded.

Phil Grone, Principal Assistant DeputyUnder Secretary of Defense reiterated theOSD I&E’s objectives for installations. “Anexcellent installation equals a good founda-tion for defense,” he said.

“Our facilities are the home of combatpower for generating and sustaining themilitary, but this doesn’t mean you’ll getevery dollar you need and deserve,” Gronecontinued.

Installations have to weigh against othercapabilities in the trade-off and still providethe greatest long-term support of the mis-sion. Success means not looking atstovepipes but using a multi-functionalapproach and not just meeting the crisis ofthe moment, Grone said. He sees installa-tions as “national assets” to be managed inan integrated way.

“We have proven that privatization canwork and is working well,” Grone contin-ued. “The Army has led in many ways—RCI means working with corporatepartners. We need to approach privatization

as a market that needs to be served and gofor the best deal for the government.”

GEN George Casey, Jr., the 30th ViceChief of Staff of the Army, asked partici-pants to remember that, “Our country isunder attack and we can never forget theevents of 9/11. Terror is the indiscriminatekilling of innocents. Freedom isn’t free andit never has been.”

Explaining how the Army must becomemore expeditionary with campaign quali-ties, Casey said adaptation is key as we fightthe global war on terrorism. We must sup-port the Army’s core competencies of train-ing, equipping, and growing soldiers andleaders and providing power to joint teams.

“Continuous adaptation will lead us tofundamental change more relevant to the

future. To be successful in this endeavor,we need creative, adaptive leaders,”stressed Casey.

Mr. Wayne L. Arney, Deputy AssistantSecretary of the Navy for Installations andFacilities, explained public works, the Navyway. Their goal is simple—make fleetsmore agile, responsive and ready. Toaccomplish that, they have established asingle responsible office for installationswith unified procedures, standards andpractices. Base support funding is now sep-arate from mission funding, he said.

The Navy has consolidated to fewerregions, even making some commandersdual-hatted. Bachelor housing is finallybeing privatized but it took the Navy 20years to get there. “Without privatization,you could not build the needed bunks forwhen ships are on shore,” he said.

The Navy is also taking advantage ofalternative financing such as ESPC toimprove their management of energy. Util-ities privatization remains the primary toolfor upgrading facilities, and roughly 650utility systems are being studied.

“We are using a standard set of web-based tools capable of providing data man-agement and decision support capabilitiesat regional and installation levels,” Arneycontinued. Enterprise-wide facilities man-agement information systems such as

Phil Grone (L), Principal Assistant DeputyUnder Secretary of Defense (I&E), sees installa-tions as “national assets.”

(continued from previous page)

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Dr. Mario P. Fiori, Assistant Secretaryof the Army for Installations andEnvironment, retired December 15,2003, after 38 years of dedicated

government service as a military officerand civilian employee and returned to theprivate sector.

“It has been a privilege and honor tobe a part of the Bush/Cheney Adminis-tration and to serve the President, theSoldiers, the Army and the Nation,” saidFiori.

During Dr. Fiori’s tenure as the Assis-tant Secretary of the Army for Installa-tions and Environment (ASA I&E) hehad overall responsibility for establishingArmy policy for managing Army installa-tions worldwide, the Army’s environmen-tal programs and the Army’s safety and

Dr. Mario P. Fiori retireshealth programs.

Among Dr. Fiori’s contributions to theArmy as the ASA I&E were his innovativepolicies in transforming the Army’s man-agement of installations. The establish-ment of the Installation ManagementAgency (IMA), the implementation of theArmy’s Residential Communities Initiative(RCI) and his environmental stewardshippolicies contributed immeasurably to forcereadiness and a higher quality of life forthe Army’s soldiers, family members andcivilians.

At the annual DPW Worldwide Train-ing Workshop in December 2003, IMADirector MG Andy Aadland presented anIMA Stalwart Award to Dr. Fiori forbeing a model leader and representing thehighest standards of performance in sup-

Dr. Mario P. Fiori smiles after receiving theIMA Stalwart Award.

porting and promoting the IMA mission. Mr. Geoffrey Prosch, Principal

Deputy ASA (I&E), has been designatedas the Acting ASA I&E. PWD


MAXIMO, RPLANS, and GIS Repositoryare helping the Navy with facilities con-struction, sustainment, disposal, and demo-lition.

“We are trying to shorten the BRACprocess and make it better for the sur-rounding communities,” said Arney. “TheNavy’s BRAC goals include better closurethat minimizes disruption to the missionand better disposal meeting all environ-mental responsibilities. The lastsailor/marine would hand the deed over tothe new owner on the last day.”

Honorable Nelson F. Gibbs, AssistantSecretary of the Air Force for Installations,Environment and Logistics, gave his Ser-vice’s take on public works. The Air Forcehousing privatization goal is to acceleratetheir ability to eliminate inadequate hous-ing units and provide their families accessto safe, quality, affordable and well-main-tained housing but in a community wherethey choose to live.

Air Force policy changes in housingrequirements include retaining existinghousing to the extent that there is ademand and relying on the local communi-ty for the balance.

“We could eliminate 20,000 inadequatehouses just through privatization alone,”said Gibbs. “Only 40% of our people liveon base. We wanted both the ones who doand those who don’t (live on base) to havethe same quality facilities. It would take

about 12 years to fix the 40,000 inadequateunits that we have at a cost of $5.6 billion.We needed a non-traditional approach tofamily housing revitalization and we foundit in privatization. Our goal is to eliminateall inadequate housing by 2007.”

Air Force privatization is not a partner-ship, explained Gibbs. The developerbuilds, owns and operates the property for50 years. The Air Force conveys any exist-ing housing and leases land to the develop-er. The amount of Air Force involvementvaries based on condition of the existinghousing and the amount of BAH the unitswill draw.

The Corps’ BG Robert Crear conclud-ed the general sessions with a rousing pres-entation on his work in Iraq. Together withthe Iraqi people, Task Force Restore IraqiOil (RIO), under the leadership of BGCrear, is restoring the oil infrastructure ofIraq to ensure that country’s economicrecovery.

Task Force RIO is comprised ofUSACE military, oil and EOC subjectmatter experts, government civilians, hostnation sub-contractors, third countrynationals, general contractor KBR (Kel-logg-Brown-Root), the Coalition forcesand 60,000 Iraqi oil workers.

“My day job is the commander of South-western Division, USACE, but I’ve beenaway from it for the last 8 months,” beganCrear. “This has been a once in a lifetime

opportunity and a partnership sym-bolic of this great organization,” hecontinued. “Who but the Corpscould have taken on the mission ofrestoring oil infrastructure in Iraq?”

Crear also had high praise for thework being done by our soldiers,contractors and Army staff in Iraq,putting them all in the same “great”category.

During the bombing, the Coali-tion targeted only the military assetsand the Iraqis remained at home,said Crear. The oil workers returnedto work as soon as the security situa-tion improved. Although $7-13 bil-lion in damages had beenanticipated, they identified only $1.4billion with $940 million due tolooting. By October, they werealready exporting over 2,000,000barrels a day and the work plan was

approved by CPA (Coalition ProvisionalAuthority) for $961 million, he said.

“Under the humanitarian assistance por-tion of our mission, we are providing emer-gency supplies of gasoline, LPG and otherpetroleum products to distribution pointsoperated by the Iraqi Oil Company. We arealso assisting the Iraqi Ministry of Oil toexport oil to benefit Iraq,” explained Crear.

For now, Task Force RIO is maintain-ing vigilant management of critical pathprojects, including the 50-kilometer Iraq-Turkey pipeline, the LPG product line,back-up electrical power and the infra-structure security plan. “We will continuewith the work plan as outlined, integratetroop construction on small projects andmitigate sabotage losses as best we can, andcomplete the mission by March 2004,”Crear concluded.

In addition to the general sessions, par-ticipants had access to the exhibits andbreakouts, which covered Sustainability,Planning and Programming, Outsourcingand Privatization, Public Works and Con-struction, and the Private/Public SectorPerspective. The winners of the 25thAnnual Secretary of the Army Energy andWater Management Awards and the Direc-torate of Public Works Annual Awardswere also presented during the workshop.

Alexandra K. Stakhiv is the editor of the PublicWorks Digest. PWD

2003 Secretary of the Army Energy and Water Management Award winners with GEN George Casey (Center)and MG Larry Lust (Right).

2003 DPW Award winners with MG Andy Aadland (Right).


The DPW Awards Program is an annualcompetition conducted within the Armysince 1994. The program was initiated tofoster a spirit of peer recognition for the

best in the DPW business worldwide. Itinvolves selecting the winners for outstandingaccomplishments in nine categories of instal-lation Public Works activities.

Installations/activities submit nominationsto Installation Management Agency (IMA)Regions (in previous years, to MACOMs),who forward their selections to HQ IMA (inprevious years, to HQ USACE) for consolida-tion, and then return to the IMA Regions forranking. IMA Regions may not vote on theirown submissions. When ranking is completed,the packages are returned to HQ IMA forcomputation. Here are the 2003 winners.

2003 Directorate of Public Works (DPW)William C. Gribble, Jr., Executive of theYear: COLONEL JOHN L. RAMEY, Director of PublicWorks, Fort Drum, New York

Shortly after COLRamey’s arrival at FortDrum, the Directorateof Public Works wonthe A-76 CommercialActivities (CA) study tokeep Public Works

activities in-house for a 5-year period begin-ning in January 2002. At that time, COLRamey began a transformation of FortDrum’s Public Works that has not only metthe requirements of the CA study, but hastaken the DPW into areas well beyond thescope of the initial study. He has methodicallybuilt a successful Master Planning/ProjectDesign team that manages MCA projects,MRR projects and JOC projects; and estab-lished a positive working relationship withthe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

COL Ramey has led the DPW inrevamping the service order process by exe-cuting 51,000 service orders with 91% com-pletion to standards, reducing the serviceorder backlog by 2500 open documents andgetting a 98% rating in customer satisfaction.The cyclical maintenance program complet-ed 55,000 hours of work over the last 18

patched to complete multiple service ordersat a single location.

Mr. Ferguson also played a pivotal role inFort Drum’s utilities privatization competi-tion, which resulted in a “best value” decisionto keep all Fort Drum utilities in-house at asavings of $4,000,000 annually to the Army.Mr. Ferguson continues to be the DPW’s keyproponent for developing priority projects,budget cost estimates and associated justifica-tions required for the Army’s Utility Modern-ization Program and the Energy SavingsPerformance Contracting (ESPC) Program.Participation in these programs resulted in$23 million dollars of modernization andenergy efficiency improvements for FortDrum during the past fiscal year.

2003 Directorate of Public Works (DPW)Engineering, Plans, and Services Execu-tive of the Year:Keith Yamanaka, Energy and Utility Privatization Manager, US Army Garrison,Hawaii

After taking over theenergy program, Mr.Yamanaka more thandoubled the energy sav-ings of the installation,orchestrated the devel-opment and construc-

tion of the DPW electric car, used aninnovative contract to award the nation’slargest water heating project with an utilityenergy savings contract, and established abasic ordering agreement with the Navy andHawaii Electric Company. Concurrent withhis duties as energy manager, Mr. Yamanakaalso oversaw the entire utilities privatizationprogram. His strong leadership and innova-tive foresight have led the installation to theforefront of energy and natural resourcesconservation.

2003 Directorate of Public Works (DPW)Housing Executive of the Year:Jutta Williams, Chief, Housing Division,284th Base Support Battalion, Giessen, Germany

Ms. Williams has created a true home andfriendly place to live in at the housing

months with no major system failure. COLRamey was able to achieve both of theseO&M improvements through workforcecross-training, reorganization of the serviceorder reception section, and an aggressive,proactive customer service program.

Over the past several years, Fort Drum hasexperienced a flat Basic Allowance for Housing(BAH) rate. COL Ramey developed a newmethod that reversed the requirement ofreporting what is not rented to report insteadwhat is rented, effectively determining the truecost of rental property. The DPW challengedand won an issue regarding rented townhousesavailable in the Fort Drum area, therebyrequiring the BAH rate to move to single-fam-ily units. As a result, Fort Drum obtained a23% increase in BAH allowance when the restof the Army received 8% overall.

2003 Directorate of Public Works (DPW)Operations and Maintenance Executive ofthe Year:Thomas Ferguson, Chief, Operations and Maintenance Division, Fort Drum,New York

Under Mr. Fergu-son’s leadership and thedevelopment of theMost Efficient Organi-zation (MEO) model,Fort Drum won its A-76 Commercial Activi-

ties (CA) bid to keep Public Worksoperations in-house for a 5-year periodbeginning in January 2002. In the two yearsprior to implementation of the MEO, Mr.Ferguson was instrumental in restructuringthe O&M component of the MEO, servingas principal author of the supporting manage-ment study. He ensured that each affectedemployee was evaluated for competency andpossession of essential skills needed to per-form assigned or expanded duties in a safeand effective manner.

Accordingly, specific and multi-purposecraft training for all of the O&M Divisionpersonnel was conducted over a 6-monthperiod with dramatic results. Each craftsmancan now perform multiple types of repairs,and a single craftsman can be routinely dis-

2003 DPW Award winners announced during workshop

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communities supporting the 284th Base Sup-port Battalion. She manages seven housingareas stretching more than 45 minutes driv-ing time from one area to another, providinghousing for every rank from private tocolonel. In addition, some 454 private rentalhouses scattered over nearly 1000 square kilo-meters are supported with a full range oflease initiation, termination, and complaintresolution services. This wide geographic anddemographic dispersion have created signifi-cant challenges that Ms. Williams has metwith great success.

She has also made great strides in improv-ing housing statistics to include customer sat-isfaction, reduced the number of days a soldierspends on the waiting list and average days onTemporary Lodging Allowance, and reducedthe cost of Vacant Quarters Maintenance.

2003 Directorate of Public Works (DPW)Support Executive of the Year:John Erichsen, Chief, Fire and EmergencyServices Division, Fort Monmouth,

New JerseyUnder Chief Erich-

sen’s leadership, theFort Monmouth FireDepartment has wonnumerous awards,including selection as

the best in the Army Material Command forseven consecutive years. His department hashad eight consecutive years of no-loss firesdue to heavy emphasis on fire prevention.

During 9/11, Chief Erichsen’s departmentdeployed to Highlands, NJ, and established aHAZMAT decontamination and medicaltriage point which treated and decontaminat-ed over 6,000 evacuees from New York City.His department also built a Regional ArmyFire Training Center and hosted a NFPA1500 training seminar, receiving accoladesfrom many surrounding towns and cities.Chief Erichsen reflects all the characteristicsa fire chief should have-- strong on customerservice, a leader in innovation, and a qualitymanager who insures quality of life for hisfirefighters and the community.

2003 Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Business Management Executiveof the Year:


Rolf E. Kuefer, Chief, Engineer ResourceManagement Division, 280th Base SupportBattalion, Schweinfurt, Germany

Mr. Kuefer is recog-nized for the complexactivities and responsi-bilities he assumed insuccessfully integratingrequirements, plans, andprograms for effective

execution. Masterminding innovations inwork processes, he increased employee pro-ductivity, reduced labor costs, and developedan Annual Work Plan emulated throughoutthe command. For the past three years, hiswork reception team has averaged 4.9 out of5 on customer satisfaction surveys and has assisted others in raising their customerservice.

Under Mr. Kuefer’s leadership, his staffdeveloped an Activity Based Costing modelusing the existing IFS database and spear-headed the application of management engi-neering systems. His drive, fortitude anddedication to excellence, covering the entirerange of ERMD functions, greatly enhancedthe entire DPW operation and serves as abeacon for others Army-wide.

2003 Directorate of Public Works (DPW)Installation Support Program of the Year:U.S. Army Audit Agency (AAA), Alaska

This awardrecognizes theU.S. Army AuditAgency’s supportto the installa-tion RPMA mis-sion. The U.S.

Army, Alaska, requested AAA assistance withFort Richardson’s energy savings perform-ance contract, believing the energy servicescompany had greatly overstated savings forthe conversion to decentralized gas heat.

The AAA economic analysis determinedthat baseline costs were not accurately identi-fied and additional savings would not be suffi-cient to fully repay the energy servicescompany’s investment in new gas heatingequipment and related O&M costs. The AAAalso convened a task force of managers, engi-neers and contract specialists from through-out the Army, developing a multi-pronged

strategy which included exploring options toreduce electricity costs, obtaining a lowerinterest rate, and extending pay-back periodof ask orders. With the support of the U.S.Army Engineering and Support Center,Huntsville, the US Army, Alaska, negotiated alower electricity rate reducing annual electriccosts by about $400,000. The lessons learnedby AAA management of this analysis will beincorporated into the guidance for all Armyactivities.

2003 Facilities Engineering, Housing, andEnvironmental Management SupportContractor of the Year:EMC Ingenieure, GmbH, United StatesArmy, Europe

Eligibility forthis award isrestricted to con-tractors providingextensive baseoperations(BASOPS) sup-

port to an Army installation including all orpart of the engineering, housing operations,SRM, environmental, or engineering supportfunctions. Nominated by U.S. Army Europe,the selection of EMC Ingenieure, GmbHreflects outstanding achievement in the areasof customer relations and customer satisfac-tion, a dedicated workforce that displays pridein its work, overall quality and responsivenessto installation requirements, includingnumerous innovations to enhance service,improve safety and operational efficiency, andmotivate employees.

EMC’s achievements since the mid-1980sattest to the company’s outstanding servicequality, which has ingratiated it to theUSAREUR command. The company’s Effi-cient Basing East studies, leadership of theefforts to privatize all utility systems by FY06, and leadership of the energy reductionprogram are resulting in significant costavoidance and immediate cost reductions.EMC’s expertise, knowledge, and experiencecontribute immeasurably to the success of theInstallation Management Agency’s Europemission. PWD


Over the last couple of decades, particu-larly in cold areas, there have beenmany applications of new technologyon installations. These installations

have done a really good job in reducingenergy consumption with tremendousimprovements such as more efficient insu-lation and infiltration reduction. In hot cli-mates where air conditioning is the mainenergy consumer, we haven’t done as well.Air conditioned space continues toincrease, and we are air conditioning many“things” such as computers that we didn’tair condition in the past.

It’s funny how in the summer, it cannever be cold enough; and in the winter, itcan never be hot enough. It seems thateveryone has a different definition of“comfort.”

It’s always a struggle. Is an air condi-tioner failure an emergency? Is it the samepriority as an emergency service order?The answer is “NO” because it’s not a life-threatening situation. However, if yourheat goes out in the middle of winter, thenthe answer is yes because that is a life-threatening situation. There’s also the pos-sibility of the loss of a structure or facilityuse if this happens.

The Installation Management Agency’sPublic Works Branch provides the day-to-day execution, oversight and managementof the public works and engineer functions,including the sustainment, restoration andmodernization (SRM) of utilities. Ourobjectives include improving energy effi-ciency and conservation by 30% in 2005and by 35% in 2010, using the 1985 base-line.

We plan to manage and execute theArmy energy program and utility privatiza-tion more effectively and efficientlythrough the IMA Regions since MACOMsdon’t exist anymore. Getting energy pro-gram ownership back to the garrison com-manders is high on IMA Director MGAadland’s agenda. Some things were let gobecause it was assumed that the MACOMswould take care of them and now we needto put them back. Lots of folks still expect

us to continue what the MACOMs weredoing, but we are starting with a cleanslate. This means there will be moreaccountability at the installations for allprograms, not just energy programs.

One of the things my branch is tryingto do is organize the energy and utilityprogram better. We’re doing this by work-ing with our counterparts in the Office ofthe Assistant Chief of Staff for InstallationManagement (ACSIM) to better define ourrespective roles and responsibilities. Ourjob is the execution and implementation,while the ACSIM’s is oriented towards pol-icy, program and budget.

We found so many energy issues thathave to be dealt with that we felt the onlyway we could do that properly was in acorporate way using the principles of Armyperformance improvement criteria andtotal quality management. Together withthe ACSIM, we are standing up an ArmyEnergy Quality Management Board atIMA Headquarters. We’ve asked theACSIM’s Bob Sperberg to act as chairmanof this board and we will be the facilitators.

Some energy issues we’re looking atrevolve around policy, plans and guidance.This includes working on the Army Energy Master Plan and Army EnergyManagement Plan and updating theDepartment of Energy Master Plan as wellas old Army regulations like the one on

power procurement.We’re also looking at technical manuals,

design criteria, and design standards. TheACSIM stood up an Army Facility Stan-dardization Committee to reenergize theprocess of bringing our facility standardsdesign and design criteria up-to-date. Fur-ther, we found a section on energy man-agement and energy design criteria in theArchitect/Engineer Instruction that ismore than 10 years old and we askedCERL to fix that. Our documentation isbadly dated in many cases, and there is alot of work we must do to get clear andbetter guidance out to the installations.

A capital investment is money spent onimproving infrastructure on an installation.We have SRM monies and yes, we dospend some SRM dollars on infrastructure.But ESPC (Energy Savings performanceContracts) and UESC (Utility Energy Ser-vice Contracts) are a means to get dollarsinvested in Army infrastructure. ThroughESPC alone, $700 million was spent onrevitalizing energy infrastructure on ourinstallations. This is a very successful program.

ESPC is just an alternative method offinancing energy projects and improve-ments. The contractor puts up the moneyfor the improvements and recoups it overthe years. A faux pas made in many placesis that the RM folks see the contract andpay for it out of the M-account. Then theJ-account obligation goes down with nocorresponding increase in the M-account.The folks who plan/program the J-accountuse historical consumption and rate data,so you need to make sure you chargeeverything related to ESPCs to the J-account. ESPC has truly been a major con-tributor to meeting the Army’s energygoals. Nevertheless, we still don’t have newlegislation to re-authorize the ESPC pro-gram. We’re waiting for the Energy Bill toget passed by Congress and signed by thePresident.

Utility Energy Service Contracts arelike ESPCs but here the utility company isthe provider.

Fighting for every penny we get!by Don LaRocque

Don LaRocque answers a question about ESPCduring the breakout session on energy issues.

➤


Former MACOM programs to re-capi-talize central energy systems have a pricetag of about $25 million to finish startedprojects on central energy systems. Keep inmind that if we hold back the monies foranything so that we can centrally fund theprogram, you still have to pay the bill inthe long run. We’ll be asking for some sortof buyout requirements for central energysystems. What is a good recapitalizationfigure? What is it that we need to recapi-talize? A number have already been recapi-talized through the ESPC program. TheFort Richardson central energy system wastotally recapitalized and Picatinny Arsenalis being recapitalized.

Utility privatization—as much as wemay dislike privatization, that has been avery successful program too. Here the pri-vate firm does the revitalizing of the infra-structure, financing it up front andrecovering their investments through long-term contracts. In this area, the big thing istransference of the utility grid-- utility dis-tribution system on an installation-- to aprivate entity. That includes the electricsystem, water system, sewer system and gassystem. The Army will become just a pur-chaser of the commodity, no longer in thebusiness of maintaining the transmissionsystem or other parts of the utility grid.

But not all systems will be privatized,and those that won’t be privatized still needto be modernized. There are quite a few inthis modernization category. The ACSIMis trying to get the numbers in the POMfor centralized funding to modernize thosesystems that are definitely not going to beprivatized. The cost of the Utility Modern-ization Program will be a $2.2 billioninvestment. We need to find SRMresources somehow because something hasto be done.

Central energy systems are big ticketitems but we cannot afford to use SRMfunds here. We need to find a way toresource them like the central energy plantmodernizations at Forts Wainright, Stew-art, Gordon and Benning. SERO is com-mitted to buying out the project at Fort

Stewart. Keep in mind that all availableresources have been distributed in thefunding allocations. In fact, our RM folksdistributed more money than we weregiven! But don’t worry, they’re not goingto pull it back.

Some installations are moving to strate-gic energy plants, which are small powerplants built by a power company on aninstallation like Fort Bragg. The powercompany sells the electricity at a reducedrate to the installation. All we have to do isprovide the land. In Fort Bragg’s case, thecompany produces more than the installa-tion can use and the company sells thatexcess power elsewhere. We need to buildthese plants at places like Fort Wainright.

Corrosion control is another big area,particularly for central energy systems.CERL has done a tremendous amount ofresearch and development in this area. Westrongly encourage installations to workclosely with CERL to ensure that you’redoing everything you can and using thebest possible methods to avoid corrosion.Last year we had an installation with a totalcatastrophic failure of a central energy sys-tem. One of the biggest contributors to thisfailure was the fact that the central steamsystem had no condensate return at all—itwas 100% make-up water!

By 2010, all installations will have to use a minimum of 5% of some type ofrenewable energy. This includes solar, geot-hermal and wind energy. Right now, I don’tknow how we’re going to track achievingthat goal; I just know it’s something wehave to do.

All installations need to have water con-servation plans, and we have a due-outthrough the IMA Regions for this. For themost part, garrisons already have waterconservation plans. The areas in the desertsouthwest have always been conservation-minded and we’re not generally wasters ofwater. In a lot of places, water conservationfalls in the environmental arena under natu-ral and cultural resources management, andthat’s fine since water is a natural resource.

We’re also working on providing more

training seminars. The ACSIM hosts andputs on a very good energy seminar everyyear and the last one was in Orlando, Flori-da. We’re also trying to encourageregions/installations to participate in theDOE federal Energy and Water Manage-ment Award program to get recognition fortheir innovative ideas and efforts to con-serve energy.

By now, we’re all familiar with the 10Best Management Practices (BMPs) forWater Conservation that were mandatedfor the Army by ACSIM Director MGLust in March 2003. The goal is to have allArmy installations incorporate water man-agement plans into their utility manage-ment plans by October 2004 andimplement a minimum of 4 out of the 10BMPs no later than December 2010. Whilemost of the BMPs are just plain commonsense, the first one on public informationand education programs is very importantand often overlooked. It states that whenusing new technologies, we must clearlydefine what they are and how to properlyuse them. We must also publicize them toenhance public awareness.

Lastly, our web sites need muchimprovement. They don’t really offermuch information. You should be able togo to the IMA web site and find anythingyou need on energy management likedetails on current policies. We are workingon this, so stay tuned.

Like the stickers say, “Use energy wise-ly.” That old adage is alive and well andapplies to us all. In the coming months andyears, we will be asked to tighten our ener-gy belts again and again. Are you up to it?You can be sure that the Installation Man-agement Agency will be there, fighting forevery penny, to help you do your job moreefficiently and with less energy.

POC is Don LaRocque, (703)602-5486, e-mail:[email protected]

Don LaRocque is the Public Works Program Man-ager of the IMA Operations Division. PWD


Army leadership says “what we do, wewill do well.” The Headquarters, Instal-lation Management Agency (HQ, IMA),located in Arlington, VA, took this guid-

ance, along with approved Army BaselineServices (ABS), and developed the CommonLevels of Support (CLS) concept. CLS isdesigned to create consistency in servicedelivery across Army installations, providingsoldiers and their family members consistent,high quality programs and services at everyinstallation they experience in their Armycareer. CLS will also create a process thatallows Army leadership to fully fund theArmy’s highest installation support priorities.

Historically, the Army has asked garrisoncommanders to execute all established basesupport programs, i.e., maintenance, security,information technology and morale, welfareand recreation, etc., even though funding inmany cases is below what is required for satis-factory service. This often leads to sub-opti-mization of many programs. In addition,

mission funds are frequently used to supple-ment base support programs, and in othercases, base operations funds are used to sup-plement mission programs.

Service Analysis Teams (SATs), consistingof Army stakeholders and customers, willmeet during a series of ten sessions starting inJanuary 2004, and use the CLS approach todivide each ABS into smaller componentscalled Service Support Programs (SSPs).

Each SSP is discrete, so it can be fundedseparately and individually when 100% fund-ing for all SSPs within a service for a specificyear is not available. The teams will prioritizethe SSPs within each service, based on theimportance to the customer and the needs ofthe Army.

Teams will then develop performancemeasures for each SSP, setting Army andcustomer expectations about the performanceto be achieved for the funds expended. Finally,the teams will determine the percentage ofservice funding necessary to perform each

SSP at the high performance level.Information from the Service Analysis

Teams, along with information that identifiesdifferences among installations, will be used inthe development of an automated CLS deci-sion support tool. This tool will assist IMAleadership in making decisions about whatSSPs to fund within each service. These fund-ing decisions will also be made in conjunctionwith funding needs required to support budg-et guidance and strategic initiatives.

The result of this process is that the Armywill begin funding the highest priority servic-es adequately to achieve a high level of per-formance, or in other words, allowinggarrisons to “do what they do well.”

The CLS initiative is planned for use dur-ing the Army’s FY 05 funds allocation.

POC is Ronald Knowles, (703) 602-4398, e-mail: [email protected]

Karan Foutch is the Strategic Communications TeamLeader, Plans Division, IMA. PWD

Enabling successful and uniform delivery of installationservices through Common Levels of Supportby Karan Fotch

Don’t be caught by the tire TRAPby David Fuchs

Tire Tread, Rotation, Alignment and Pres-sure (TRAP) are keys elements of tiresafety. However, many personnel nimblyavoid this trap by lack of knowledge, lack

of time, and most unfortunately, a lack ofconsideration for their fellow drivers andpedestrians.

For tire tread, be penny-wise. Tires mustbe replaced when the tread is worn down to1/16 of an inch in order to prevent skiddingand hydroplaning. An easy test is to place apenny into a tread groove. If you can see allof Honest Abe’s head, be honest with yourselfand inform your vehicle maintenance teamand recommend that the tires be replacedimmediately. Check for uneven wear, unusu-ally smooth areas, and signs of damage.

For tire rotation, think every other oilchange. Tire rotation helps achieve more uni-form wear on the tread. Unless your vehicleowner’s manual has a specific recommenda-

tion, the guideline for tire rotation is approxi-mately every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. Rotateyour tires to enhance their use and to pre-clude accelerated tire replacement. If yourtires do show uneven wear, ask your tire deal-er to check for and correct any misalignment,imbalance or other mechanical probleminvolved before rotation.

For tire alignment, don’t be pulled offcourse. A sign of an alignment problem is thatyour vehicle has a tendency to want to driveor pull to the left or right by itself or there isincreased vibration. Tire alignment problemswill cause rapid and uneven tread wear. You need to periodically check your align-ment and be conscious of your vehicle drift-ing out of its lane.

For tire pressure, never under inflate itsimportance. Under inflation can lead to tirefailure. It results in tire stress, irregular wear,loss of control and accidents. Under inflation

can contribute to increased fuel use. Whenchecking for pressure, make sure the tires arecool. Do not even drive a mile before thecheck, as it is normal for tires to heat up andthe air pressure to increase even after drivinga short distance.

The above information has been painless-ly extracted in whole and in part from theconsumer education program of the RubberManufacturers Association. For more infor-mation on the “Be Tire Smart” program andtire safety, log on to www.rma.org and clickon Tire Safety. Make a resolution this year tobe “Tire Smart” and do your Pressure,Alignment, Rotation and Tread “PART”!

POC is Dave Fuchs, (703) 602-2084, e-mail:[email protected]

David Fuchs works in the Facilities Policy Division, OAC-SIM, on the Non-Tactical Vehicles Program. PWD


In the past few months, the Facilities Pol-icy Division of the Office of the Assis-tant Chief of Staff for InstallationManagement (ACSIM) has made some

significant changes in location, staff andmission.

Our division used to have three branch-es: Facilities Management under GregTsukalas; Facilities Engineering with BryanNix; and Utilities Privatization underSatish Sharma, and we were located in theCasey Building at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.Last fall, we moved, reorganized, and hirednew staff to enable us to be more respon-sive to both the installation and facilitiesmanagement community and the seniorArmy leadership in the Pentagon.

The Pentagon elements of the ACSIMmoved out of the Pentagon and into mod-ern office space in Crystal City, Virginia, inOctober 2003 as the huge renovation proj-ect took over their wedge in the five-sidedbuilding. (The Crystal City offices areimmediately adjacent to the Pentagon com-plex.) At the same time, to take advantageof the synergy of being collocated with allthe other ACSIM staff elements, as well asto position our staff closer to the key officesof our senior leaders in the Pentagon, theFacilities Policy Division also moved intothe Crystal City offices. We are now on the8th floor of Presidential Towers, immedi-ately across the street from MG Aadland’sInstallation Management Agency (IMA).

Simultaneously, we restructured the

division into a two-branch organizationwith Facilities Engineering under BryanNix and a Utilities Branch under SatishSharma. We hired key new staff members,including Phil Columbus (who came to usfrom NERO and was in their offices atFort Monroe, Virginia); Jim Paton (mostrecently, the EURO Energy Manager inGermany); and Dave Williams (movingover from the NERO office here in theWashington, D.C. area). Phil joins theFacilities Engineering team and works withthe Technology Standardization Program;Jim Paton works the Army Energy Pro-gram; and Dave Williams is heading upour ESPC program.

Further, the members of our disbandedFacilities Management Team were reas-signed as follows: Greg Tsukalas took aposition (and well-earned promotion) withthe USACE Installation Support Division;Dave Purcell moved over to our UtilitiesBranch; Lu Lillie and John Scharl shiftedto the Facilities Engineering Team, whereLu has begun to help out on the Non-tac-tical Vehicle program and John is workingon our Facilities Standardization program.Finally, Mike Ostrom, completing a careeras a Corps of Engineers lieutenant colonel,most recently a professor at the ArmyManagement Staff College, and previouslythe DPW at Fort Myer and Fort Drum, isworking on some special programs andassisting me as my deputy.

Along with these organizational, per-

sonnel, and office location changes, wehave been taking on some new missions.For example, we have been coordinatingthe efforts to execute the most efficient andeffective program to assimilate the Facili-ties Engineer Career Field into the ArmyAcquisition Corps. We have also rejuvenat-ed and expanded the roles of the ArmyFacilities Standardization Committee, con-ducted the December DPW trainingworkshop, became leaders in the ArmyNon-tactical Vehicle Program, andrealigned our contractor support for theenergy program.

We strongly believe that we now havethe right staff, in the right place, with theright programs to support the DPWs inthe field.

Bob Sperberg is the Chief of the Facilities PolicyDivision, ACSIM. PWD

ACSIM’s Facilities Policy Division relocates, reorganizesby Bob Sperberg

Bob Sperberg

POCs for the Facilities Policy Division:Bob Sperberg, Chief,[email protected]; 703-601-0367

Mike Ostrom, Deputy Chief,[email protected], 703-602-3443

Mary Johnson, Admin Assistant, Facilities Poli-cy Div, mary.johnson@...., 703-602-2806

Bryan Nix, Facilities Engineering Branch Chief,bryan.nix@....., 703-601-0705

Larry Black, Installation Design Standards,larry.black@....., 703-602-4591

John Scharl, Facilities Standardization,john.scharl@...., 703-601-0700

Phil Columbus, Technology Standardization,philip.columbus@..., 703-604-2470

Mike Dean, Work Classification/ProjectApprovals, michael.dean@...., 703-601-0703

Jim Routson, Project Approvals, james.rout-son@...., 703-602-2807

Bruce Park, Fire/Emeergency Services,bruce.park@...., 703-602-5805

Dave Fuchs, Non-Tactical Vehicles,david.fuchs@....., 703-602-2084

Lu Lillie, Job Order Contracts, lu.lillie@...., 703-601-0702

Satish Sharma, Utilities Branch Chief, satish.shar-

ma@..... 703-601-0374

Bill Eng, Recycling, Landfills, Energy,william.eng@...., 703-602-5827

Hank Gignilliat, ECIP, Energy, henry.gignilli-at@....., 703-602-5073

Dave Williams, ESPC, Energy,david.williams@...., 703-601-0372

Derya Smith, Utilities Privatization,derya.smith@....., 703-601-0370

Dave Purcell, Corrosion, Energy, david.pur-cell@....., 703-601-0371

Jim Paton, Energy Program, james.paton@.....,703-601-0366


– WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 23, 2003) –

Conservation, more-efficient systemsand projects such as wind-generatedpower helped the Army exceed itsenergy-reduction goal of 1.5 percent

for fiscal year 2003.The Army used about 1 trillion less

British Thermal Units, or BTUS, in FY2003 than the year before, officials said.Compared to 1985, the Army has reducedits energy consumption by 30.3 percent.

More than $500 million in energy-sav-ing projects across the Army over the pastseveral years were financed by privateindustry, said Satish Sharma, chief of theUtilities Branch for the Army’s office of theAssistant Chief of Staff for InstallationManagement.

Under the Energy Savings PerformanceContracts, private firms invested in projects

that will hopefully reap the governmentsavings, and thus bring the firms profits inthe long run, Sharma said. For instance,Viron and Pepco partnered to spend $100million improving lighting, chillers andboilers at five installations within the Mili-tary District of Washington.

T8 florescent tubes, the most-efficientlighting according to Sharma, replacedolder incandescent lights at MDW posts.The money the Army saves will eventuallybe used to repay Viron and Pepco for theinstallation, Sharma said, along with a bitextra as a return on their investment.

More than $30 million was invested byChevron-Texaco, the energy-savings com-pany at Tobyhanna Army Depot, PA, toinstall new gas-fired boilers in each facility.The gas systems replaced old, less-efficientcoal fired central boilers that circulated hotwater across the post through pipes that

were in disrepair.Other energy-saving projects were paid

for through direct federal funding. TheArmy spent $12 million this past yearunder the Energy Conservation InvestmentProgram, managed by ACSIM engineerHenry Gignilliat.

High-efficiency heating systems wereinstalled at Fort Drum, NY. Digital controls for heating and lighting wereinstalled at Fort Campbell, KY. And moreefficient steam systems were installed atMcAlester Army Ammunition Plant, OK,Gignilliat said.

The Army also has continued to expandsources for “green power,” such as solarpower used at Forts Huachuca, AZ; Car-son, CO, and Yuma Proving Ground, NMThis year the Army purchased wind-gener-ated power from windmills in West Vir-ginia for three posts near the nation’s

Army exceeds energy-reduction goal for FY03 by Gary Sheftick

Privatization cuts costs on Bamberg utility bills by Rick Emert

Gone are the days when Bamberg’sWarner Barracks heated its facilitieswith a coal-fired heating plant. A little more than a year ago, the

279th Base Support Battalion began priva-tizing its utility services, awarding contractsto local utility providers.

The move was part of Installation Man-agement Agency-Europe’s effort to priva-tize utilities at all its facilities by 2006.

To date, about 41 percent of the totalutility systems in Europe are privatized, saidMichael Beldermann, German deputydirector, Headquarters, IMA-Europe.

Bamberg’s switch, on the other hand, isnearly complete.

The heating plant was switched to amore environmentally sound and cheapergas-fired system in October 2002. At thesame time, electricity and gas systems wereswitched to local contractors. The potablewater system was switched in 2003.

The Bamberg utilities are about 90 per-

cent privatized, said Jurgen Engeter, chief ofUtilities Division, Directorate of PublicWorks, Bamberg. The only thing left is thesewer system’s operation and maintenance,and that’s in the contract stage, Engeter said.

Under the privatization of utilities,Warner Barracks pays bills to the serviceproviders each month. Any emergencyrepairs are performed by and paid for bythe contractor.

The installation then pays a monthlyservice fee through IMA-Europe. Moreexpensive items, such as the $2 million ren-ovations to the heating plant, are paid for inincrements instead of a lump sum when thework is finished, Engeter said.

Installation Management Agency-Europe pays about $190 million per yearfor utility costs of facilities and family hous-ing, an average of $16 million per month,Beldermann said.

These utility costs are considerablylower than the Army in Europe paid in

the 1990s.Since its inception in 1997, utility priva-

tization has saved IMA-Europe $43.6 mil-lion, or an annual rate of $16.8 million,Beldermann said.

The program reaps more benefits thanjust the monetary savings, however.

Engeter explained that under privatiza-tion, some projects that would have beenpaid for with more limited constructionfunds now fall under funds allocated to payutility bills or they may even be part of thecontract. Emergency repairs also fall underthe contract.

“Bamberg city works replaced all of ourold wooden light poles with steel ones,” hesaid. “This was part of the [electricity] con-tract. If we had to do that with our ownmoney, we wouldn’t have enough.”

(Reprinted from Stars and Stripes, January 3, 2004.) PWD

➤

Joe Sparks slowly rolled out of his redpick-up truck to start his second weekat Fort Pickapost. Tuesday morningswere especially difficult for Joe since

Monday nights were taken up with refresh-er electronic courses down at the localcommunity college.

Even though Joe was the new installa-tion electrical engineer, he could see thathis educational background neededimproving. Joe had obtained his electricalengineering training about twenty yearsago (during the Neanderthal period bycurrent electronic standards) during thetransition period between vacuum tubesand transistors. For that reason, he did notalways feel comfortable when confrontedwith electronic problems, but he was tryingto rectify that.

As Joe walked into his office, John B.T.Punch, the boiler plant foreman, started totalk about a problem. One of his 50 hp,three (3) phase, 460 volt motor driven feedpumps (pump #1) was over heating somuch that John had removed it from theline and was using the alternate pump.Punch did not know if the problem waswith the motor or the pump, and he wantedJoe to take a look and give him his opinion.

Joe felt a little unsure as he started tocheck out the pump motor. This motorwas driven by a variable speed drive that


was installed several years ago, and asusual, it was a low bid item and not neces-sarily one of the better drives. Also, he wasnot as knowledgeable about “drives” as hewanted to be.

Joe started pump #1, and as John hadsaid, it was running very hot. Unequal loadvoltages and current quickly indicated thatthe problem was on the motor side.

Unequal motor voltages can cause neg-ative sequence currents and develop oppo-site motor torque. This in turn can developheat to the motor and very quickly causemotor winding insulation to fail.

Joe’s first thought was that there was ashorted motor winding, but checking thewinding resistance indicated that the prob-lem was not with the motor. This nowpointed him in the direction of the “drive.”Joe really did not know where to start,however. He asked himself the question,“What could fail inside the drive thatwould develop unequal voltages?” Theonly spare parts that were readily availablefor the “drive” were silicon-controlled rec-tifiers (SCRs) and diodes, so that was agood place to start. (SCRs are a commonreplacement part).

After checking the power inverter cir-cuits, Joe found a faulty SCR and diode.The components were replaced and themotor pump heating problem went away.

Later, back at the office, when told ofwhat had solved the overheating, Punchwas very surprised to hear that the prob-lem was not anywhere near where thesymptoms were occurring. “That is fre-quently the case with electrical problems,”replied Joe.

POC is Ron Mundt, (703) 704-2763, e-mail:[email protected]

Ron Mundt is an electrical engineer in the Spe-cial Missions Office of the Military ProgramsDirectorate. PWD

capital: Fort McNair, D.C.; and WalterReed Army Medical Center; and the U.S.Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi,MD.

“We have always been open to newtechnology and new ideas,” Sharma said.

“We were on the cutting edge,” Shar-ma said, “in front of industry in manycases.” He explained that in 1988, theArmy first tried geothermal heat pumpsand solar heating for commercial applica-tions.

Conservation also helped save energy,

Sharma said, adding that tenants can have amajor positive impact by using what energythey need and turning off energy sourceswhen not required. He said the fact manyunits deployed to Kuwait and Iraq this yearreally didn’t save much energy, though,because most posts geared up for mobiliza-tion and some brought thousands of ArmyReserve and National Guard troops ontothe installation.

In actual energy usage, the Army con-sumed about 80.8 trillion British ThermalUnits in FY 2003. This was a reduction of1.55 percent from FY 2002, ACSIM offi-cials said. They added that the Army is “on

target” to reduce energy consumption byanother 5 percent before the end of FY2010, a goal set by a presidential execu-tive order.

“It’s going to be difficult down thestretch,” Sharma admitted, though,because many of the easier and mostobvious projects to save energy havealready been accomplished.

“All the low-hanging fruit is gone,”was the way ACSIM’s Bob Sperberg put it.

“We’re really counting on the privatesector to keep putting the projects in,”Sharma added. PWD


Problems at Fort Pickapost – a Joe Sparks adventureby Ron Mundt

Ron Mundt


Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfieldunderwent a Commercial ActivityStudy in the late 1990s to determine ifit was cost effective to outsource its

Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Oper-ations & Maintenance (O&M) activities.Based on the study’s finding, a costplus/award fee type contract was awardedto Griffin Service, Inc. in April 2001.

The contract’s scope of work includedthe following 15 functional responsibilities:work reception and management, self-help,maintenance/repair of facilities and equip-ment, management of GSA equipment,pest control, ground maintenance, surfacedareas maintenance, refuse collection, holi-day and seasonal decorations, water distri-bution system, waste water system, centralenergy plant and associated high tempera-ture/chilled water distribution systems, nat-ural gas system, electric distributionsystem, and project work.

The contract’s start date was August 1,2001, leaving only a few months to transi-tion from an in-house force to a contractor-based work force. One of the mostchallenging parts of the transition was theestablishment of the Quality Assurance(QA) program in conjunction with reduc-tion-in-force of personnel and still meetingthe O&M requirements of the Installations.

The in-house QA team was not devel-oped until late into the transition periodwith many members still working in theirrespective areas at the start of the contractperiod. In hindsight, it would have beenpreferable to have selected the team mem-bers earlier in the process, provide a set training period and allow for the teamto get up to speed before the contract’sstart date.

DPW QA team consists of the folowinggovernment employees: a ContractingOfficer Representative (COR), an alternate

Contract Officer Representative (ACOR),nine QA evaluators (QAE), an administra-tive assistant, and a property administrator.The Directorate of Contracting providesthe following positions: the Contract Offi-cer (KO) and a contract administrator. FortStewart and Hunter Army Airfield are sep-arated by a distance of 45 miles and havingthe ACOR and 2 QAE located at HunterArmy Airfield increases the team’s respon-siveness to the customers needs andimproves oversight of the contractor.

For the QA process to work, the teammust demonstrate a positive attitude and bewilling to work with the contractor tomake this a win-win situation for every-body especially the US Army, our cus-tomer. It was the goal of the team to be the“US Army Benchmark for Public WorksQuality Assurance.” The first point of busi-ness for the QA team was to develop a mis-sion statement to set the attitude andstandard of performance for the team.

There are three key parts to contractQA; the Performance Work Statement(PWS), the Quality Assurance SurveillancePlan (QASP) and the Award Fee Plan. ThePWS is the document showing the scopeof work to be performed, the QASP is theguidance for the surveillance of the PWSand the Award Fee Plan is the guidanceused to determine what additional award ifany is due the contractor based on his actu-al work performance score and recommen-dations from the Award Fee Board.

The QAEs are assigned function areasof the PWS based on their respective spe-cialty and expertise including certificationsif required, such as pest control, railroadinspection and the waste/refuse disposalmanagement. The QASP provides theinspection criteria for each functional areaand means for conducting inspections.There are three inspection methods: ran-

dom, planned, and incidental. Randominspections are primarily used for serviceorder work and are computer generated toensure objectivity. Planned inspections aredone for repetitive activities such as energyplants and water/wastewater plant opera-tions. Incidental inspections are used toprovide additional surveillance if the situa-tion warrants it.

The inspection results are used todetermine the contractor’s performance ineach functional area and are based on per-formance of work (PW), technical manage-ment (TM) of work performed and qualitycontrol (QC) of work performed. Thesethree elements make up 80% of the totalscore (PW-40%, TM-20% and QC-20%)for the contractor. The remaining 20% ofthe score comes from the Directorate ofContracting and the KO’s Business Man-agement score for the contractor.

The actual performance of work is themost critical element to the customer. Thescoring for this phase is considered “objec-tive” in nature, that is, there is an actualmeasurement of performance. All methodsof inspection are applied to this phase, ran-dom, planned and incidental; however,only random and planned inspectingresults are allowed for this scoring.

Each function area has elements thathave been broken down into three areas:quality of work, timeliness of response anddata reporting (accountability piece). Eachof the elements has a maximum allowabledefect rate (MADR), which is included inthe contract package and has been agreedupon. Defects in any of the elements arecalled an observed defect rate (ODR). Tocalculate the score at the end of each scor-ing period, the ODR is compared againstthe MADR and the score is derived fromthe final calculation.

The technical management of work is

The Commercial Activities/Quality Assurance Branch at Fort Stewart is dedicated to providing quality customer servicefor the maintenance and repair of facilities by actively ensuring all DPW customers are served with efficient, quality workin a timely manner.

Quality assurance process –”making sure thegovernment gets what it pays for”

by Michael T. Phillips

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scored using a “subjective” method, that is,the QAE is allowed their personal interpre-tation of the management processes appliedto each job. Elements such as staffing, effi-ciency, production control, and problemresolution are considered for scoring pur-poses. Also, incidental inspections can offerinsight to work functions management anda subjective score can be applied.

Another evaluation tool used in thisprocess is the budget cost variance analysis(BCVA). The BCVA illustrates the contractbid proposal for operation versus the actualcost. The monthly comparison is projectedout to a final year-end cost comparison eachmonth. This is a great tool for forecastingcost overruns or better yet, savings.

Quality control is the final piece of theQAE evaluation. The QASP states that ifthe work performance of any functionscores below satisfactory, the quality con-trol for that function also failed. With thatin mind, scores for quality control will bebased on actual work performance, but willalso include such considerations as correc-tive actions applied to problem areas,improvements offered in work processes(to include proper recording of work) andcustomer interface.

The contract performance is evaluatedon a quarterly basis. Data from each monthare combined and a weighted scoreapplied. During this process the DOC will

evaluate and score the contractor for theirbusiness management practices. TheAward Fee Board then reviews the awardfee package and final proposal for awardfee, if applicable, is passed on to the awardfee determining official for final decision.

As with any new program, there wereproblems in the beginning. The PWS’stechnical exhibits had not been kept up todate during the CA process. Technical datafor real property, facilities, equipment andother service contracts were not beingupdated with respective changes. Facilityreduction/new construction and equipmentturn-in/purchases complicated work atcontract start. It was quickly learned thattechnical exhibits needed to be living docu-ments, with changes applied periodically.

QA programs of this size requireadvance planning and processes in placeprior to the actual start of contract. Timefor hiring, training and overall familiariza-tion of the entire process including the con-tractual requirements must be provided.

The scoring matrixes for this contracthave been determined restrictive and diffi-cult for the contractor to earn 100% awardfee. This point will not be argued. Howev-er, the matrixes were part of the originalsolicitation and stand for this contractcycle. Future contracts will have revisedscoring matrixes that are more in line withindustry standards.

A cost plus award fee type contract putsminimal risk on the contractor, a largeadministrative burden on the governmentand allows for flexibility, but cost overrunsmust be carefully watched. Fixed price con-tracts are more rigid and put more risk onthe contractor for management, butrequire more upfront technical specifica-tions from the government. The CA con-tract for Fort Stewart/Hunter ArmyAirfield is considering a “hybrid” type con-tract. This concept allows for specific areasthat are daily standard operating order typework to be fixed priced with the serviceorder work left as cost plus pricing.

Overall, the QA program has been asuccess. Even though this contract has hadits challenges, both the government andGriffin Services have been able to over-come them and provide quality service tothe customer base…our soldiers and theirfamilies. The key factor to this success isthe partnering agreement signed by allbefore contract startup, committing bothparties to the success of this contract.

POC is Don Thomas, (912) 767-5475, e-mail:[email protected]

Michael T. Phillips is the alternate COR for theService Contract Division of the CA/QA Branch atFort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, GA. PWD

Mike Kastle leaves ISD

Mike Kastle, longtime Installation Sup-port program manager for the Instal-lation Support Division atHeadquarters USACE, has taken a

position with the Department of the Interior(DOI). He will be reviewing and approvingmajor construction , repair and rehab projectsfor DOI, a job for which he has ample back-ground and experience.

After spending 15 years in private indus-try, Mike began working for the Army atUSAREUR HQ in 1983 and later went on tothe DEH in the Frankfurt and WurzburgMilitary Communities. He returned to theStates in 1990, and after a brief stint as theDEH Operations Officer at Walter ReedArmy Medical Center, he joined the staff of

the newly formed Engineering and HousingSupport Center (EHSC) as an instructor andgeneral engineer. Mike went back to Ger-many in 1994 as the Engineer ResourceManager at the Stuttgart DEH. He returnedto the Center for Public Works (CPW) in1996 and stayed through the transition toHeadquarters USACE as CPW realignedinto the Installation Support Division andother elements at HQ and MSCs.

During his tenure with HeadquartersUSACE, Mike was instrumental in setting upthe direct-funded Installation Support Pro-gram. This is basically a four-prongedapproach -- Project Managers-Forward atpower projection and power support installa-tions, Installation Support Checkbook dol-

lars, Installation Support managers atUSACE and a USACE liaison at each of theseven IMA Regions. Mike insured that thedirect-funded installation support dollarsavailable to the MSCs to execute these pro-grams were equitably distributed in accordwith Army needs and program goals.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my 20 years withthe Army,” said Mike, “but all good thingsmust come to an end and it was time for achange.” PWD


The Technology Standards Group(TSG) of the Army Facilities Standard-ization Committee held its first meet-ing on 18 December 2003. In addition

to some organizational issues, the TSGprepared submissions to the Army Facili-ties Standardization Sub-Committee fornew Army Standards and some good ideas.The TSG recommended one item as a newArmy Standard and six as good ideas withpotential, depending upon local conditions.

If approved by the Army Facilities Stan-dardization Committee, the InstallationDesign Standards (8.3.3.7) will call for gut-ters and downspouts on all pitched roofbuildings (those where the pitch is intend-ed to divert rainwater over the eaves). Thischange will be incorporated into the nextrevision of the IDS.

Potential good ideas were:• Textured wall coverings – Recom-

mended for use where installationsdesire a less sterile environment. Caremust be taken in selecting locations astextured surfaces can be more difficultto repair if damaged.

• Semi-gloss paint – Semi-gloss paintcan provide a more visually appealingdécor and resistance to wear when fre-quent cleaning is required.

• Rubber mulch – This readily availablecommercial product is recommendedfor consideration. While initially moreexpensive than natural mulch, it may bemore cost and environmentally effective.

• LED traffic signals – LED traffic sig-nals can provide significantly reducedenergy consumption versus traditionalsignals. The Institute of Traffic Engi-neers is generating a new LED standardbut installations should consider usingLED signals for replacements. OAC-SIM has material from ITE which willenable installations to perform a cost-benefit analysis of LED signals.

• Porous pavements – Designers maywish to consider this technology forpatios, walkways, and specific pavedareas. It permits water diversion with-out the need for external grates or waterrun-off areas. It does require significantadditional sub-surface work and sitepreparation. However, practical andaesthetic considerations may over-ridethese issues.

• Ice-Energy – The firm Ice-Energy,Inc., has developed an innovativeapproach of using off-peak electricity togenerate ice for facility cooling. Whilenot applicable everywhere or in all cir-cumstances, installations should consid-er this or similar systems to reduce peakelectrical demand.

The TSG has also received suggestionsfrom installations and other sources foradditional technologies for evaluation. TheTSG will begin the evaluation of:• Laminate flooring – The Army does

not want carpeting used in high-trafficareas. One potential solution is laminateflooring. While having a higher initialcost than other floor systems, laminatesmay provide a lower life-cycle cost incertain situations. It can also provide anaesthetically pleasing design at a lower

cost than traditional wood or ceramicflooring.

• Plastic “timber” – Firms are makingstrides in producing plastic replacementfor traditional wood timbers. These arecurrently in use for railroad ties andtimber bridge components.

• Fabric hangar doors – Traditionalhangar doors are expensive to procure,maintain, and repair. The TSG willexamine an alternative using heavy-weight fabric doors.Installations and IMA Regions have

already begun processes to promulgategood ideas throughout the Army. IMA’sNorthwest Region has developed a systemusing Army Knowledge Online to spreadgood ideas. These efforts should be sup-ported and encouraged. Ideas which movebeyond the “good idea” stage to somethingthat should be mandatory at all Armyinstallations through the InstallationDesign Standards should be forwarded toOACSIM for evaluation by the TechnologyStandards Group.

POC is Philip R. Columbus, ( 703) 604-2470, e-mail: [email protected].

Philip R. Columbus is a general engineer in theFacilities Policy Division, OACSIM. PWD

Technology Standards Group holds first meeting

by Philip Columbus

New Faces at IMA Muthu Kumar, Utility and Energy Pro-gram Manager at the Installation Manage-ment Agency (IMA), has retired, and PaulVolkman has assumed this important posi-tion. Prior to joining the IMA DPWBranch staff, Mr. Volkman worked with theNavy Public Works Center at the Wash-ington Navy Yard. He also has more than19 years of experienmce working for theArmy at the installation level. You mayreach him at (703) 602-1540, e-mail:[email protected] PWD Paul M. Volkman


New York District awards its largest funded 8(a)contract for a design-build project at Picatinny

by JoAnne Castagna

The New York District awarded itslargest 8(a) contract at $16.5M to ajoint venture firm to design and con-struct high quality, state-of-the-art high

energy propellant formulation facilities onthe grounds of Picatinny Arsenal, part ofthe Research, Development, and Engineer-ing Command located in Picatinny, NJ.

In September 2003, the New York Dis-

trict awarded an 8(a) contract toHirani/MES, JV of Brooklyn, New York, toperform the work. According to JeffreyFrye, Project Manager, Picatinny, “Whatmakes this 8(a) contract award unique is thesize of the contract going to one firm. Usu-ally 8(a) contracts are awarded at $2-5M,this one is $16.5M. This demonstrated thatwe have competent 8(a) firms that can com-pete for this type of contract as well as acontract of a higher dollar value.”

“An 8(a) contract is one awarded to asmall business that has been certified by theSmall Business Administration. This type ofcontract can be used for any number ofservices. The Department of Defense mustmake a certain percentage of contractawards to small businesses each fiscal year,”said Kathleen Hirschy, Corps’ New YorkDistrict, Deputy of Small Business.

Hirani/MES, JV was awarded an 8(a)design-build contract to both design andconstruct the facilities, as opposed toobtaining individual contractors to do the

design and construction. The firm willdesign and construct a complex of newfacilities that will be used to produce“lethality” or single, double, or triple basesolvents and solventless propellants neededto fire off the next generation of warheadsand weapon systems.

Presently, the installation is conductingthis work in 34 buildings located at various

locations on the 6,500-acre installation.These new facilities, which will be complet-ed by 2006, will modernize this mission atPicatinny, and improve efficiency by con-structing a complex of 18 buildings in closeproximity of one another. These buildingswill be used to carry out all of the stages ofpropellant development.

Constructing such a facility requiresgeneral knowledge of propellant formula-tion. This being the case, the project deliv-ery team (PDT) for this project, whichincluded people from New York, Norfolkand Omaha Districts, Picatinny PublicWorks and Garrison Offices, and Picatinny,had to do significant research to developthe project requirements.

“To create the request for proposal theproject delivery team had to do their home-work in order to be able to write the scopeof work,” said Frye. He continued, “This isnot a standard design, which made this taskdifficult. We needed to understand insideand out what is entailed in producing pro-

pellants as well as explosive safety design requirements, so that we could developappropriate specifications to clarify thescope of work. This required the team toconduct a great deal of research and coordi-nation.”

Early in the solicitation process, theNew York District’s Small Business Officeand Contracting Division closely coordinat-ed with the Small Business Administrationand conducted a market survey to 8(a)firms. Hirschy said, “The results of thismarket survey, which identified the poten-tial list of firms that would submit propos-als, gave the PDT confidence there wouldbe adequate competition and that an 8(a)contract procurement would be successful.After careful consideration of the firms whoproposed, Hirani/MES, JV had the lowestcost of the technically acceptable propos-als.”

According to Frye, acquiring a contrac-tor under an 8(a) design-build contract canbe beneficial to the district in many ways.“Having a single contractor performing thedesign and construction provides the Gov-ernment better accountability for resolvingdesign issues during construction as well asaid in increasing project efficiency since theproject would be designed and constructedby the same contractor. When you havetwo separate contractors performing thedesign and construction, it can take longerto complete a project as opposed to havinga single contractor.” He added, “8(a) con-tract awards also help fulfill small businessutilization goals of the Department ofDefense that encourages the use of thesecontracts, making opportunities available tosmall business firms.”

POC is Jeffrey Frye, Project Manager, Military Division, Picatinny Arsenal, (212) 264-2231, e-mail: [email protected]

JoAnne Castagna is a technical writer/editor withthe Programs and Projects Management Division,New York District, USACE. PWD

The Project Delivery Team. Photo byVince Elias, New York District.


2003 DPW Worldwide Training Workshop2003 DPW Worldwide Training Workshop

Ron Niemi (SPD), Ed Gauvreau (HQUSACE), and Jim Kelley (Alaska) smilefor the camera.

Jim Lovo (Center), HQUSACE, and Greg Tsukalas (Right), HQUSACE,explain USACE 2012 to William T. Kidd, Fort Worth District.

Dr. Mario P. Fiori, ASA (I&E), listens intently toa general session speaker.

Bryan Nix, Bob Sperberg and Larry Black, ACSIM, enjoy talking with exhibitor Robert Brooks,Applied Management Engineering.

Greg Tsukalas (Right) reminisces with former ACSIM co-workers Jim Paton andSatish Sharma.

Malcolm McLeod (HQUSACE) and Dana Finney (ERDC-CERL)take turns at the USACE booth.


“Supporting People, Readiness, and Transformation”“Supporting People, Readiness, and Transformation”

Annette Stumpf (CERL) and Rudy Stine (IMA) prepare for the breakout sessionon Sustainability.

ACSIM's John Nerger (Center) greets Mohan Singh (NAD) and JoeWhitaker (ASA (I&E)).

MG Ronald Johnson answers questions about theformation of the new USACE Gulf Region Divi-sion which he will command.

More than 50 exhibitors participated in this year's trade forum at the DPW Worldwide TrainingWorkshop in Washington, DC.

Don Emmerling (Right),HQUSACE, discusses AKO with (L to R)Darrell Nation, LRD; John Grigg, LRD; Gary Mosteller, LRD; MikeWhitacre, NWK; and Tor Brunso, NWD.

LTG Bob Flowers, Chief of US Army Corps of Engineers, recognizes aworkshop participant during a tour of the exhibit area.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense(OSD) is sponsoring a DoD-wideinstallation visualization tool (IVT) toenhance situational awareness by

proving the ability to visualize Army, Navyand Air Force installations.

IVT will meet near-term OSD installa-tion visualization requirements by portray-ing installation conditions and encroach-ment characteristics on a commercial satel-lite image base. The required data arebeing collected from DoD installations anddelivered to OSD this spring.

The Army’s Office of the AssistantChief of Staff for Installation Management(OACSIM), Plans and Operations Divisionis leading the Army’s IVT implementationin close coordination with OSD, the ArmyNational Guard (ARNG), the InstallationManagement Agency (IMA) HQ and theIMA Regional Offices (IMROs).

The Army has established regional IVTCoordinator positions in the IMROs tofacilitate and support the ARNG and IMAinstallations in compiling and submittinginstallation geospatial data to the OAC-SIM. These coordinators will work withinstallation personnel to identify, compile,and standardize seven overlay data layersacross a major subset of Army installations.

The seven IVT data layers meetingnear-term OSD visualization requirementsinclude:

• Installation boundaries.• Clear zones and accident potential zones.• Noise contours.• Installation boundaries.• Explosive safety quantity distance arcs.• 100-year flood plains.• Wetlands.

The resulting capability enables centrallylocated decision makers to increase their sit-uational awareness of Army and other DoDinstallations by visualizing information thathas previously only been characterized sta-tistically at the HQ echelon and OSD.

Data from the identified Army installa-tions are required to be compiled, format-ted to content standards, documented toFederal metadata standards, and approvedby the base level command authority by 3March 04.

In order to meet this timeframe, theIMA and the ARNG have establishedinterim deadlines detailed in letters beingstaffed to the affected installations andstates. Joshua Delmonico, OACSIM GISManager, is the POC for the OACSIMGIS effort([email protected]), Dan Andrew, IMA GIS Manager, is thePOC for the IMA effort([email protected]), and Malcolm Ponte, ARNG Installations GISManager, is the POC for the ARNG([email protected]).

It is envisioned that the near-termrequirements of the IVT will become thebasis for a larger, enduring effort support-ing additional visualization requirements insupport of real property management,homeland defense, etc. This capability, cur-rently termed the Defense InstallationsSpatial Data Infrastructure (DISDI), willformalize the role of installation geospatialdata in the daily decision processes withinand across the Services. With this goal, thecurrent IVT efforts are being implementedin a manner that enables them to be lever-aged for the long-term.

The OACSIM is implementing theArmy’s IVT for OSD. The data listedabove will be delivered to IMA and theARNG no later than 3 March 2004. Inorder to accomplish this, Regional IVTcoordinators have been hired and are cur-rently contacting affected installations toassist them in delivering the required datato IMA and the ARNG by the deadline.The IVT data will be utilized by the Ser-vices and OSD to enhance situationalawareness of DoD installations.

POC is Kenneth Shaffer, (703) 602-2852, e-mail:[email protected]

Kenneth Shaffer is the IVT Manager, OACSIM.PWD

Installation visualization tool enhancessituational awareness

by Kenneth Shaffer

IDS E-News is onlineWe intend to distribute by e-mail twice a

month, and individuals may register so theydo not miss a copy inadvertently. WhilePOCs from each IMA Region are contribut-ing editors, we welcome articles from theArmy and civilian communities to share expe-riences and ideas on setting and implementingstandards.

The inaugural issue provides information on: • Technology Standards Group

• Army Facilities Standardization Committee • Installation Design Guide Analysis Study

– IMA-wide assessment of InstallationDesign Guides

• Tracking changes in the IDS • Index Section added to IDS.

POC is Larry Black, Facilities Policy Division (703) 602-4591 DSN 332, e-mail: [email protected] PWD

The Army Installation Design Standards(IDS) Electronic Newsletter (IDS E-News), an online document containingthe most current changes and guidance

pertaining to IDS and the Installation DesignGuide (IDG) Programs, can now be accessedfrom the ACSIM home page reference tab: http://www.hqda.army.mil/acsimweb/home-page.shtml or directly from :https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/acsim-news/



Europe District’s Forward Engineer Sup-port Team-Augmentation (FEST-A)recently showed the lengths to whichCorps of Engineers teams will go to

support the warfighter.Assigned to the Combined Joint Task

Force-7, the FEST-A responded to a requestfor information (RFI) from the 82nd Air-borne Division in Iraq to provide a bridgeassessment of a span crossing the EuphratesRiver at Al Qa’im near the Syrian border.

The 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment wasusing the bridge frequently because of con-tinued resistance by hostile forces north ofthe river. “They needed to know if thebridge would support the M-1 Abrams,” saidCPT Derek Ulehla, FEST-A Team Leader.“They were already crossing with theirBradley Fighting Vehicles.”

Hunter Dandridge, fellow teammate andproject manager, said the task was veryimportant. “It was a critical mission,” he said.“They needed to know if they could use thebridge to pursue terrorists or insurgents.”

There were two float bridges in the area,one placed in the 1980s - a Mabey-JohnsonCompact 100 bridge - and a locally con-structed pontoon bridge of unknown vintagethat was considered hazardous. A new floatbridge was on the way to replace the localbridge, but for tactical reasons, a valid loadclassification was needed on the MJ-100bridge to allow the safe use of two avenuesof approach to the north, Ulehla said.

Combining the bridge assessment withanother mission, Ulehla, and other FEST-Amembers Bryton Johnson and Hunter Dan-dridge, traveled to the bridge with their tele-engineering communications equipment -deployable (TCE-D) that enables them tocommunicate with technical experts at theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ EngineerResearch and Development Center in Vicks-burg, MS. This “reach-back” capability is avaluable asset the FEST brings to combatunits, Ulehla said.

Joining up with the 3rd ACR, the FEST-A explained what it would take to accomplishthe assessment. The mission was set for the

next day. Because the area was not entirelysecure, the team went in an armored Hum-mer with a .50 caliber machinegun, accompa-nied by four Bradley Infantry FightingVehicles and two Kiowa helicopters.

The group rolled out, and as security wasestablished, the bridge assessment team setup the TCE-D for video teleconferencingand set to work on what normally wouldtake the better part of a day to accomplish.

“We measured the span, depth, andwidth of the pontoons. We measured theconnections between the pontoons and thebridge, measured the trusses, bracing, andthe depth,” Ulehla said. “We photographedeverything. We looked for missing bolts andfound five gone.”

Dandridge also noted corrosion on theunderside of the steel decking. “Of impor-tance were the connections to the pontoonand the connection of the bridge structure tothe framing structure,” said Johnson. “Onthe shores, we were crawling underneaththrough goat crap to get pictures and meas-urements of the cross beams. We smelledjust like a farm.”

The sound of mortar fire in the not-so-great distance encouraged the group to workquickly.”We were doing this in concert with the Engineer Research and Develop-ment Center,” Ulehla said. “So we… had thebridge expert right there giving us one or two pieces of the equation. He would saylook at this or that. We would go and lookand take photographs and report back andgive him some basic dimensions. Meanwhile,they’re working on their side to ensure we’regetting all the needed data.” The assessmentwas completed in just 2 1/2 hours.

“It was exhausting. We were hustling backand forth in the body armor, up and down,measuring, with just a few stops for sips ofwater,” Ulehla said. The team returned to theforward operating base to complete transmis-sion of the collected data.

“It was as adventurous as any militaryproject I’ve ever worked on,” Ulehla said.“We were almost expecting mortar rounds tostart splashing in the river like you see in the

movies when we were out on the bridge.”For Johnson, it was his first project off

post in four months in theater where securi-ty was a real issue. “It was a possible target,and then having people watching and realiz-ing that we’re there for a while, out exposedon the bridge,” he said.

The success of the assessment is due tothe ERDC team of Jeff Powell, GerardoVelazquez, and James Ray who were “... upin the middle of the night to support us,”Ulehla said.

Johnson said the reach back contactedthe original manufacturer of the bridge tosee if it could be repaired and brought backto its original load classification. “They saidit really wasn’t feasible because of all themissing parts. The components are nolonger manufactured,” he said.

As a result of the assessment, the 3rdACR was given a valid load classificationwithin two days based on the current condi-tion of the pontoon bridge.

POC is Brian H.Temple, U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers, Europe District, in Germany: 0611-816-2847, in U.S.: 011-49-611-816-2847 DSN336-2847, e-mail:[email protected]

Grant Sattler is a public affairs specialist, USArmy Corps of Engineers, Europe District. PWD

USACE uses TeleEngineering communicationsequipment to reach back from Iraq

by Grant Sattler

CPT Derek Ulehla, Hunter Dandridge, andBryton Johnson pause for a moment at the site ofa bridge assessment in western Iraq.

U.S. Army photo.


Combat engineers are on the front linesin Iraq trying to stabilize the nation,rebuild its infrastructure, and help itrecover from the devastation of a tyran-

nical regime and the war that toppled it.Besides working in harsh conditions

with the threat of terrorists and saboteurs,they must achieve their objectives with lim-ited resources.

However, they are not alone. Theirfamily, thousands of Corps of Engineersemployees worldwide, stand ready to help.By e-mail, conference calls, or video tele-conference, most of them help from afar.But some, civilian volunteers from EuropeDistrict and around the Corps, are willingto join soldiers on the front lines, workingas part of Forward Engineering SupportTeams (FESTs).

These civilian volunteers, experts inengineering, architecture, design, contract-ing, and human resources, help the combatengineers overcome whatever challengesthey face.

“I have been pleasantly surprised andvery proud of the great response we’ve hadeach time we’ve reached out for volunteersto deploy,” LTC Michael Picard, chief,military operations, Europe District said.

Even though there are obvious dangers,Picard said, people, including local nation-als, volunteer for these assignments.

One of the most important capabilitiesPicard looks for in volunteers is a positivemental attitude because that helps themmeet the challenges they will face, he said. Of course, there are some special incen-tives to volunteer.

North Atlantic Division pays a bonus tovolunteers who support Field Force Engi-neering (FFE). Those who deploy to Iraqreceive premium pay entitlements once theyhave returned, but how much depends ontime in theater and their pay grade, he said.

The FEST evaluates problems and engi-neering challenges up on the front lines andfigures out how to solve the problems andovercome the challenges. Often, the FESTreaches back for help from the Corps work-force because some skills, such as the electri-

cal engineer, are thehardest to find.

“We don’t havemany, and those wedo have are verycritical to ongoingwork, or are … notinterested in deploy-ing. Otherwise wehave done very wellin matching peopleto skill require-ments,” Picard said.“I’ve been told bymany people herethat they are veryproud of their office-mates who have vol-unteered to go toIraq, “ Picard said.“Many people whowould like to go, butcannot, have askedwhat they can do tohelp.”

Those are thepeople working bye-mail and teleconference. They come upwith the necessities the FEST team doesnot have. They find the answers, preparethe designs, and create the informationpackages the FEST needs to do its jobquickly and efficiently.

“I’m impressed with how much effortCorps employees put into getting answersfor the FEST team,” MAJ Kenneth “Al”Reed, project manager, International Engi-neering Center said. “They make gettinganswers for those on the front lines theirpriority.”

Reed said everyone supporting theFEST appreciates their dedication and sac-rifice and … they go the extra mile to pro-vide world-class support.”

“What is really amazing about thereach-back capability is the compoundingnature of it,” Reed added. “If the FESTcan describe their requirements sufficiently,they can get an answer or design back tomeet their requirement. For every forward

deployed person we have at least 100 peo-ple supporting them.”

When the FEST needs assistance, ittypically sends an e-mail request, Reedsaid, and the Corps works around the clockto answer it. Simple requests can be com-pleted in 8 to 36 hours, he said. For com-plex projects or challenging problems,forward teams set up video teleconferenceson site to receive online guidance fromthroughout the Corps.

Requests for technical expertise vary,said Jeff Raney, team leader for the Bar-racks Design and Infrastructure AssessmentSupport teams, but the most often request-ed is cost estimating. “I can’t even imaginewhat could come up that we couldn’t sup-port,” Raney said. “Most people on theInfrastructure Assessment Support Teamalready have experience being deployed sothey know what the situation is like thereand what is required.”

Reed said this reach-back staff pro-

Civilians step up to help combat engineers in Iraqby Lou Fioto

CPT Guy Joseph, 248th Combat Heavy Company attached to the 130thEngineer Bridgade (front), along with CPT Edward "Ed" Chamberlayne(rear) and Fritz Ligday (right), both of the U.S. Army Corps of EngineersEurope District, inspect water coagulation tanks in Baghdadi, northwest of ArRamadi, in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment's Area of Operations.

U.S. Army photo.

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vides company names, contact informa-tion, and how to order equipment forspecific missions. They also providedetails allowing the FEST to put togeth-er funding requests and contractingdetails so others can get the work done,including the Iraqis. Reed said they cananswer most requests, but call uponexperts from within the Corps or othermilitary agencies for expertise they don’treadily have.

Raney, Reed, and Picard all agree the

tempo of such operations and the ability tohelp those on the front make the job veryexciting.

“It’s knowing there are limitless chal-lenges facing the US forces in Iraq,” Picardsaid, “and by taking on projects and turn-ing them around quickly, we are workingto make a positive difference in the condi-tions for Americans and Iraqis.”

And the biggest challenge?“Predicting the future,” Picard said.

“Being able to tell our next group exactlywhat they will be involved in and what to

expect. Knowing what their mission iswill help them prepare mentally for theirupcoming service.”

Although the future may be unpre-dictable, one thing is for certain, whatev-er the problem, wherever the place, theirfamily, the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers, will be there to help.

POC is Lou Fioto, (718) 765-7046, e-mail:[email protected]

Lou Fioto is a public affairs specialist with theNorth Atlantic Division. PWD


August 2003, Baghdad--These are thedays in August the Iraqis call “the fur-nace.” A hot wind swirls dust andsearing plumes of 122oF heat around

the burned out hulk of what was once theMinistry of Irrigation and the former IraqiIntelligence Service.

It is readily apparent what floors

belonged to which agency. The looting ofthe building began after the Intelligenceofficials burned their records starting onthe fourth floor and up. There was a prisonin the basement, and a block of houses inthe back with bars on their windows. Pris-oners were detained and tortured in thosebuildings, and we were preparing to paintand paper over the past.

“Stretch” Daniels from NY District ispatiently describing the sequence of recon-struction activities to two separate Iraqicontractors who show up on the same day,after two months of inactivity. One has acontract from the USAID (U.S.Agency forInternational Development) to work on thefirst three floors, the other has money fromAmbassador Bremer’s ministry reconstruc-tion program. The timing is bad, but thereconstruction of Iraq and its Ministriesmust begin.

This scene is being replayed manytimes over, in numerous ministries, schools,hospitals and power plants around Iraq.And just about everywhere where there isconstruction in Iraq, the Corps is there. Inmy case, though, the Corps is not onlymanaging the reconstruction of the Min-istry building, but we are “running” theMinistry.

Back in April, when MAJ Regan

McDonald (Deputy District Engineer,Detroit District) met with Ministry of Irri-gation representatives, the Corps wasalready involved in the effort to “stand up”the Ministry as part of the overall Coalitioneffort termed ORHA (Office of Recon-struction and Humanitarian Assistance)under the leadership of General Jay Gar-ner. About the same time, three seniorCorps managers were completing their“basic training” at Fort Benning beforebeing deployed to Kuwait and then on toBaghdad. Pete Gibson (NWD) was to takecharge of the Electricity Commission; DanHitchings (MVD), the Ministry of Hous-ing and Construction, and I, the Ministryof Irrigation. Steve Browning (SPD) wasalready in Baghdad running three differentMinistries under conditions unimaginableto most viewers of events in the U.S.

As it turned out, many of the senioradvisors to Iraq’s 24 ministries were formerand current Ambassadors, retired Generals,SESs from various agencies and youngWhite House “policy wonks.” During myfour months in Baghdad, it became clearthat the Corps team – at all levels ofengagement, both military and civilian –operated the most effectively in gettingtheir respective programs off the ground,standing up the Ministries, and restor-

Dr. Eugene Stakhiv is the chief of the Policy Division of the Corps’ Institute for Water Resources in Alexandria, VA. FromApril through August 2003, he served as the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Irrigation, later renamed the Ministry of Water Resources, in Iraq. In the article below, he describes the reconstruction of theMinistry and the difficult conditions under which it took place.

Dispatch from Baghdadby Dr. Eugene Stakhiv

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The headquarters building of the Iraqi Ministryof Irrigation, later renamed the Ministry ofWater Resources, was burned and looted.


weekly reorganizations and managementchanges as new people came in and newdirectives from Washington were enacted.“DeBaathification” came with AmbassadorBremer, and it caused a considerable stir. Itwas difficult enough for me to run anempty shell of an agency with the shadowsof the past regime filling the empty halls ofthe 10 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and5 Commissions that comprised the Min-istry. But who would be left now? Howwould I decide whom to choose fromamong unfamiliar candidates with check-ered pasts? In the end, I conducted apurge, reducing the Ministry of Irrigationfrom 20 Directors General (SES-level)down to 6.

Several months later, MAJ McDonaldand SSGT Todd Finley (489th EngineerBattalion) completed the training of 350new guards for a Ministry security force.They were part of the rejuvenation of theMinistry, which was moving forward rapid-ly, spurred by the success of a $20 million,100,000-person Jobs Program to manuallyclean 6,000 kilometers of irrigation chan-nels and drainage ditches in southern Iraq.Organizing unskilled, unemployed laborers

during a period when each district officewas still empty and bearing the scars ofrecent looting was a huge challenge. But bymid-August, the total employed workerssurpassed 100,000 – a phenomenal achieve-ment under the circumstances – and manymore Iraqis were demanding jobs.

Yet there would be more to our success.Four marsh restoration projects were initi-ated as part of the FY03 budget, which alsoincluded $5 million for dam safety repairsand $13 million for completion of 13ongoing construction projects. There wasnearly $20 million additional assistancefrom two key organizations, FAO (Foodand Agriculture Organization) and USAIDfor training, modeling, repairing pumpingstations and buying equipment for a hydro-meteorological network for the renamedMinistry of Water Resources (MoWR).

Now it is August and we are in themidst of the MoWR’s weekly staff meetingin the borrowed office space of a modern,massive office building belonging to theMinistry of Oil. It would look like a typicalmeeting of 25 top executives, were it notfor the fact that we are discussing executionof the FY03 budget; preparation of

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The Ministry of Water Resources Advisory Team: Dr. Eugene Stakhiv (IWR), "Stretch" Daniels(NAN), and MAJ Regan McDonald (LRE).

ing basic services to the public.It was very difficult for all the Ministries.

The looting and pillaging of Iraq’s publicassets was astronomical. Everything wasburned, stolen or damaged. We recentlyestimated that the Ministry of Irrigation,alone, lost over $100 million worth of assets.

During the first six weeks, Ministrymeetings were typically held in lootedbuildings stripped of furniture, with nowindows or doors. There were no commu-nications systems--no maps, reports, files,or records. We were all literally startingfrom ground zero, while trying to ensurethat the Mosul Dam did not fail; the elec-tric power grid was repaired; the water forthe irrigation season flowed through theproper gates and channels; and the 275pumping stations operated to lift wateronto the fields, farms and into municipalwater intakes.

Further, the Baghdad Zoo and Park hadno pumps or water – everything wasstripped, and the Corps pitched in to fix it.The trick was to do it with hardly anymoney.

For the first three months, Saddam’spalace was our home and our office. Wewere packed like sardines in our “offices”with no running water and toilets outsidethe building! We slept on the second floor,each day getting hotter and hotter.

Every day was a challenge just gettingto the Ministry offices, with all the securityprecautions that were required, yet wenever missed a day in four months. Despitethe hardships, we managed to get ourCorps Dam Safety Assessment team to visit20 sites all over northern Iraq in late May.They provided the Ministry of Irrigation avery valuable report that was needed forthe budget justification for immediate damsafety repairs. A USAID Marsh AssessmentTeam followed in June, traveling all oversouthern Iraq. That effort gave the Min-istry the impetus to get started with itsEnvironmental Analysis Center and beginstudying 10 potential restoration sites.

Through it all, we underwent constantturmoil. Inside the palace, there were



the FY04 budget; staffing new Hydrologicand Environmental Analysis Centers;organizing teams for studying the 10potential marsh restoration sites, and mov-ing the contracts for the 4 identified eco-restoration sites.

Ambassador Bremer’s Jobs Program isthe subject of discussion as well, since theMoWR is the only Ministry successfullyemploying so many unskilled workers.There is excitement, anticipation andsome anxiety, since the 10 State OwnedEnterprises (design and construction com-panies) belonging to the Ministry are con-cerned about privatization that is plannedto begin on January 1. (Note: Subsequent-ly, Ambassador Bremer deferred theimplementation date for the Iraqi Govern-ing Council.) The Interim Minister,Mohammed Dharey Al-Shybley, was abusinessman and former Director Generalof a well-drilling SOE. He is exhorting hiscolleagues to take advantage of this periodwhen there will be much need for con-struction and generous amounts of foreignassistance, to break away from the past,and to move to the future.

Soon I will be returning to the U.S. Inthe short span of four months, I havewatched MoWR transform from a disori-ented and demoralized workforce with no

offices to work in, to one with a vibrantfuture and great hopes for a revitalizeddemocratic government. I think of thehundreds of thousands of Americans andCoalition partners who contributed to thattransformation – every soldier who stoodfor hours in the broiling sun protecting thedams, barrages and government buildings,along with every Corps employee who self-lessly volunteered to give a helping handwhen it was most needed. I realize that theCorps has also found a new friend in

MoWR as an institution and in its people.But the story doesn’t end here, for I

know there will be continuous contactswith Corps technical specialists over thenext few years. Iraq has the potential ofbecoming the “California of the MiddleEast,” and the Corps is helping MoWR toachieve that goal.

You may reach Dr. Stakhiv at (703) 428-8077DSN 328, e-mail:[email protected] PWD

2003 USACE Military Engineer of the Year

MAJ Regan P. McDonald is the USACEMilitary Engineer of the Year. He wasalso chosen as one of the top 10 candi-dates for the Federal Engineer of the

Year. In February 2003, he was deployed to

Kuwait as an infrastructure reconstruction plan-ner for post hostilities and went on to Baghdad,Iraq, immediately after the fall of the regime toprovide emergency technical assistance to theMinistry of Water Resources. He served on theCoalition Provisional Authority (CPA) AdvisoryTeam to the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources

as the Deputy to the Senior Advisor.MAJ McDonald is the Deputy Commander

of the Detroit District, U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers. As Chief of Staff, he supervises a diverseadministrative and support staff making significantimprovements in organization and efficiency. Hisresponsibilities include oversight of an Area Officein Western Michigan, and supervision of the Infor-mation Management, Public Affairs, Logistics, Safe-ty, Human Resources, and Equal Opportunityoffices and interfacing with numerous local, State,Federal, and Canadian officials including U.S. Con-gressmen and Senators. PWDMAJ Regan McDonald

Dr. Eugene Stakhiv meets with the Sheiks during a visit to the marshes.



On March 19, when President Bush gave theorder for coalition forces to hit a compound whereit was believed key Iraqi officials were meeting,Operation Iraqi Freedom began. However, mili-tary leaders had been planning the operationaldetails of the campaign for months prior to the airstrike, and the Engineer Research and Develop-ment Center (ERDC) played an important role inthose plans. That role continues today as the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers and others undertakethe task of rebuilding the country.

Before the war began, the ERDC providedairfield, bridge and infrastructure assessments,evaluated water control structures and portrestoration requirements. The ERDC also workeddirectly with soldiers on the ground in surroundingcountries to provide immediate technical assistanceon problems they were encountering in the field.Some of those soldiers were ERDC team memberswho are also members of Army reserve units…

Engineer soldiers are some of the first onthe ground in combat operations andsome of the last to leave when the con-flict is over. This was true for three

ERDC team members who also serve asactive Army reservists with the 412th Engi-neer Command (ENCOM). LTC StevePranger, from the Environmental Laboratory(EL), LTC Ray Moxley and CPT TravisMann, both from Geotechnical and Struc-tures Laboratory (GSL), deployed with facili-ty engineer teams (FETs) in February 2003to pave the way for coalition forces to enternorthern Iraq through Turkey.

To support war planner requirements, the412th ENCOM reorganized qualified andavailable engineer officers and noncommis-sioned officers into a FET module. Theirexpertise was used in support of combatplanning for roadways, bridges, airfields,structures, blast analysis, industrial hazards,pipelines and utilities. “While we didn’t actu-ally end up in Turkey to support infrastruc-ture development that would have becomethe base camp footprint and logistical tail forthe 4th Infantry Division,” Moxley said, “wedid use the information and training to sup-port soldiers who deployed into Turkey and

conducted the first night airborne combatoperation since World War II.”

In addition to his tour with the 412thENCOM, Mann served a second tour tosupport Middle East efforts, this time in hiscivilian role with GSL. Mann was assigned tothe USACE Afghanistan Area Office, whichhas primary responsibility for the construc-tion of the Afghan National Army’s infra-structure. There are approximately 35 Corpsemployees in the area office who rotatethrough the TAC (TransAtlantic ProgramsCenter) House. The TAC House doubles asworking and living quarters for USACE per-sonnel in Kabul. Mann’s mission was todeliver the ERDC-developed AutomatedRoute Reconnaissance Kit (ARRK) and trainAfghani engineers on its use.

“The Corps is coordinating with the U.S.Agency for Interna-tional Developmenton prioritizing roadsfor upgrade andreconstruction,”Mann said. “We aretraining the Afghanishow to identify theroadways and useengineering data tocome up with priori-ties along secondaryroads in the country.”

By training thelocals how to usethese systems, theCorps can minimizethe number of U.S.forces required toconduct reconnaissance missions. At thesame time, they are building a historical data-base from information collected to assist theAfghanis with future construction efforts.

This deployment gave Mann an apprecia-tion of the challenges associated with build-ing a nation. “It was an eye openingexperience. I saw a nation that has been onits knees for the past 23 years struggling toget back up and move forward. Wounds thatdeep take time to heal, but it was great to see

America being a part of that healingprocess.”

LTC Robert Knowles from the Topo-graphic Engineering Center (TEC) alsonoticed how much of this remedial assistancewas necessary during his tour with the 416thENCOM. “The lack of operating infrastruc-ture in a country as potentially rich as Iraqwas a surprise to me,” he said. “There is stilla lot to do if Iraq is going to have an operat-ing nation state.”

Knowles deployed to Kuwait with the416th in early 2003 with fellow TEC person-nel MAJ Rick Ramsey, MAJ Daniel Oimoenand CPT Sam Hunter from the Construc-tion Engineering Research Laboratory.

While overseas, the soldiers worked 18 ormore hours a day, assisting in the design of17 base camps, constructing two Patriot mis-

sile battery sites and a theater distributioncenter for all supplies and materials arrivingin theater, maintaining supply routes, anddesigning and constructing guard towers,sun-safe structures and wash sites. “It was aconstant stream of activity, but I enjoyed it,”Hunter said. “The trick was to get as muchdone as you could and get it done right.”

While most of their days were full ofactivity, the soldiers found time to discovercommonalities with the locals. “The

Operation Iraqi Freedom – ERDC was there beforeand during operations

by Angela Dickson

Dr. Ghassan Al-Chaar from the Construction Engineering Research Labora-tory talks with local Iraqis.

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majority of Iraqis are just like us. “They wanttheir children to have an education and theyjust want to make a living,” Hunter said.“The Iraqi people know we are bolsteringtheir economy and they want to be free.They want what we have—basic freedom,but what people do not understand is we arenot just talking about speech, press and such.They want the freedom to be safe, safe fromthe fear they have felt for so long.”

ERDC Public Affairs Specialist WayneStroupe noticed this desire to improve dur-ing his deployment in late 2003. “It seemslike all you see on TV are the attacks on ourtroops. But there are a lot of good thingsgoing on,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent ofthe Iraqis I met were friendly and coopera-tive. They are just worried about how they’lltake care of their families, how they canmake a better life for their kids.” Stroupedeployed in support of activities in theSouthern Area Office of Task Force RestoreIraqi Oil (RIO) at Basrah, Iraq. Task ForceRIO’s mission is to rebuild Iraqi oil produc-tion facilities to pre-war levels.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, ERDCheroes could be found on the homefront aswell. They were sitting at computer termi-nals, pouring over mounds of data andimages sent in from the battlefields of Iraq.They were answering pagers and cell phonesin the middle of the night, coming back towork after only a few hours sleep to set upsecure video links to answer critical questionsfor soldiers in the field. They worked week-

ends to conduct video teleconferences(VTC), called morale VTCs, to connect sol-diers in Iraq and Afghanistan with their fami-lies in the states.

You may never know who they are, butthe Army is proud of the service they ren-dered, and continue to give, to coalitionforces. ERDC heroes faced some toughissues, before and during military operations,and provided quick and accurate solutionsthat directly affected U.S. and coalition suc-cess in Iraq.

For example, on April 1, U.S. SpecialForces seized the Hadithah Dam on theEuphrates River, taking away a potentialweapon (flooding by dam breach) from theIraqi arsenal. The U.S. Central Command’sdecision to seize the dam was based on infor-mation provided by the ERDC.

TEC personnel played a significant roleby providing geospatial information productsand services to numerous Army and Depart-ment of Defense (DoD) elements. TerrainAnalysis and Water Resource Programs areunique within Army and DoD and helpedour forces locate potential sites for waterwells. Analysts produced urban tactical plan-ners (UTPs) for strategic Iraqi cities to sup-port military operations. The UTPsprovided commanders with up-to-dateimagery, which described features that affecturban operations, such as buildings, terrainfeatures, bridges, lines of communication,key cultural features and landmarks.

TEC personnel also procured and quickly

disseminated national and commercialimagery in response to numerous dailyrequests from field commanders for informa-tion critical to the success of land combatoperations, such as identifying optimal para-trooper drop zones and bed down locations.

Combining all Corps of Engineers R&Doperations into one organization, ERDC isone of the most diverse engineering and sci-entific research organizations in the world.The experience, knowledge and expertise ofits engineers, scientists and support person-nel allow the ERDC to provide quality solu-tions to the complex challenges facing ournation and the rest of the world.

LTC Moxley summed it up: “The bot-tom line is if I never serve another day, I havenever been more proud to be part of a teamof U.S. Army engineers that when called,went; when asked, did; and when thingsturned out differently than anticipated, did asasked. Did I want to go? Heck, no. Was Iglad I did? Without question. ESSAYONS!!”

POC is Angela Dickson, (217) 373-7264, e-mail: [email protected]

Angela Dickson is a public affairs specialist with theEngineer Research and Development Center.

(Deborah Quimby, Jackie Bryant, and Wayne Stroupe,ERDC Public Affairs Specialists, and Jamie Leach, Edi-tor, ERDC-Information Technology Center, also con-tributed to this article.) PWD

Conditions were harsh and dangerous for coalition forces and contractorsworking in Northern Iraq. Scenes like this were common occurrences.

Bridge damage information was relayed to the ERDC researchers, whoassessed the damage to determine if bridges were capable of sustaining trafficof advancing coalition forces.


The Combined Joint Task Force-7 For-ward Engineer Support Team-Aug-mentation on Logistical Staging Area(LSA) Anaconda is helping transform

this former Iraqi airbase into an efficientlogistical hub for the U.S. military pres-ence in Iraq.

The six-member FEST-A, the thirdrotation of personnel from the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers Europe District toserve the CJTF-7 in Iraq, is transitional inthe types of duties it has been performing.Initially assessing war-damaged, neglected,or looted facilities for repair estimates, theteam is now largely engaged in projectmanagement, primarilyfor work to be done on orin the vicinity of LSAAnaconda.

This type of work isnormally the purview of aCorps of Engineers Resi-dent Office, explainedFEST-A Team LeaderCPT Derek Ulehla. Withmore than 40 active proj-ects, the team is busy sup-porting LSA Anaconda inthe role of a ResidentOffice in addition to thenormal FEST mission.That will continue untilmid-January when a Resi-dent Office will be for-mally established, Ulehlasaid. The FEST-A will fallunder the Resident Officeat LSA Anaconda.

“We anticipate as the remaining FESTsupporting all of CJTF-7 that all of theupper end, technical engineering work, willcome to us,” Ulehla said.

Europe District will fill the positions inthe Resident Office at LSA Anaconda, withMAJ Kenneth “Al” Reed from EuropeDistrict slated to become the ResidentEngineer by mid-January, Ulehla said.

“The biggest challenge we’re havingdown here is going from a FEST to get-ting million dollar projects built,” Ulehla

said. “We found we were good at assess-ments, but it’s certainly a challenge takingit the next step and getting things con-structed.”

In addition to team leader Ulehla, theFEST-A is comprised of seniorcivilian/master planner Ron Mott, plan-ner/project manager Hunter Dandridge,civil engineer/project manager BrytonJohnson, environmental specialist/projectmanager Tammie Stouter, and AutoCADDtechnician/planner/project manager Der-rick Walker, who joins the team from NewYork District.

Ulehla said the team is not doing many

more assessments and has concentratedmore on statements of work. About 75 per-cent of their current active projects are car-ried over from the previous team, he said.“In some cases, they completed the DDForm 1391 and the project is now beingstarted,” Ulehla said.

Work can come directly from the Divi-sions, CJTF-7, or 130th Engineer Brigadetaskings, or the FEST-A members can findprojects of interest themselves, Ulehla said.Of that work he estimates 40 percent

directly supports the warfighter and 60percent is construction on LSA Anaconda.

Ulehla said the CJTF-7 FEST-A hasused its ability to engage Stateside engi-neers extensively, made possible by theTeleEngineering Communications Equip-ment – Deployable (TCE-D). “We’ve beenusing the heck out of ‘reach back.’ Proba-bly as much as any office, or team, outthere,” Ulehla said. “Warren Neiden,Mobile District, takes the work we sendhim and farms it out to one of ten basedevelopment teams, or to Europe District.”

Typical of the shift in work emphasis,FEST-A architect Hunter Dandridge from

Europe District’s Installa-tion Support Branch, hasworked on assessmentsand as a project manager.

His largest assessmentwas for two dozen build-ings on the border withSaudi Arabia which are tobe used by the Iraqi bor-der guard. Dandridgeassessed the looted build-ings to develop a scope ofwork and work up a costestimate using reach back.The buildings includedadministrative space, bar-racks, and inspectionfacilities.

His largest project man-agement job presently isthe renovation of onewing of a bomb-damagedhospital on LSA Anacon-

da, he said. The 30th Medical Brigade willbe erecting a modular hospital as a separateproject on the site once the other wings aredemolished. The remaining renovatedwing will be used for administrative andlogistical space.

“It’s critical because the combat surgicalhospital is in tents now with only 40 bedsand a patient population of 15,000 soldiers.They are also using field generators, sothey need a permanent facility,” Dandridgesaid. “They want a building adequate

FEST-A team expands to project managementby Grant Sattler

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This section of the existing Iraqi air force hospital on Balad Southeast, now Logistical Stag-ing Area Anaconda, will be renovated to serve as administrative space and medical logisticalstorage for a modular hospital to be built as a separate project.

Photo by Grant Sattler.


to support a growing population.”Bryton Johnson is a project manager in

the environmental branch at Europe Dis-trict. Johnson deployed to Turkey in Aprilfor a month for the planned push into Iraqfrom the north, returned to Germany, andthen deployed to Iraq in July with a multi-district Tiger Team engaged in masterplanning for the enduring bases in Iraq,working at Al Taji north of Baghdad. Hejoined the FEST-A in October after a two-week stint with Iraqi engineers working ona base for the New Iraqi Army.

Johnson said his major projects on LSAAnaconda are construction of a warehousefor medical supplies, building a theaterpostal distribution facility, and constructionof an 800,000 square foot concrete parkingapron for both the Air Force and Army.The warehouse is mechanically complicat-ed because of refrigeration for blood sup-

plies and security for narcotics, he said.Ulehla said the biggest challenge for the

FEST-A has been the Central DistributionCenter project because of efforts to get theproject funded and built.

The CDC is a large asphalt parking lotwhere the convoys will come in and down-load their supplies which will be brokenout and distributed to the units, he said.Close to $8 million was approved for thehorizontal construction project, but thechallenge has been to get a contractor as allbids have come in too high.

Stouter’s major projects include a watertreatment plant, a waste water treatmentplant, fuel bunkers, and a wash rack. Inaddition to these environmental-relatedprojects, she has made a number of envi-ronmental recommendations to the FacilityEngineer Team, or FET. The FET,belonging to the 416th Engineer Com-

mand, U.S. Army Reserve, is mobilized torun LSA Anaconda base camp as theDirectorate of Public Works and MasterPlanning.

Balad Southeast, now LSA Anaconda,was constructed by a Yugoslavian firm inthe early 1980s. “You can tell there havebeen a lot of [maintenance] workarounds,although the quality of the original con-struction seems reasonable,” Ulehla said.“You can see that repairs haven’t beendone, or the right materials were neveravailable. It appears the embargo hit thisplace pretty hard.”

Due to the population of the base,around 15,000 soldiers and airmen, mostpeople are housed in tents. Living condi-tions for troops, without plumbing or hotwater, are less than comfortable, Dandridgesaid. “I give credit to them for keepingtheir morale high, and they put their liveson the line every day,” he said. “They arereally doing a good job.”

“I’m glad to be able to support thecause of rebuilding Iraq,” Dandridge said.“I feel really good about being here tomake a difference. I could be comfortablesitting in my office. But it’s the experienceof a lifetime being over here.”

Johnson agrees that being a part of theFEST is good experience. “I get exposed toa lot of projects I wouldn’t get exposed toin the States or in Germany,” he said. “I’mon the traffic safety board here [for exam-ple], providing input to them from reachback,… there are a lot of different types ofprojects.”

“I like being able to serve the soldier,”he said. “We do that in Germany, but thisis much more direct and has a much fasterimpact, I think, putting life supporttogether.”

POC is Brian H.Temple, in Germany: 0611-816-2847, in U.S.: 011-49-611-816-2847 DSN 336-2847, [email protected]

Grant Sattler is a public affairs specialist, USArmy Corps of Engineers, Europe District. PWD

Forward Engineer Support Team project manager Hunter Dandridge looks at a ventilation system coveron the roof of the wing of a former Iraqi air force hospital to be renovated. Behind are bomb-damagedwings which will be razed to make room for a modular hospital to serve troops on Logistical StagingArea Anaconda.

Photo by Grant Sattler.


Fuel is the lifeblood of any modern militaryinstallation.

Bringing the fuel distribution systemback to life at the former Iraqi airbase

known as Balad Southeast, site of LogisticalStaging Area (LSA) Anaconda, is the aim of a$4.5 million contract proposal developed bythe Forward Engineer Support Team - Aug-mentation there.

Environmental specialist Tammie Stouter,a member of Combined Joint Task Force - 7FEST-A, has been working with MAJ DanielLamb, from the Support Operations Planssection of Headquarters, Headquarters Com-pany, 3rd Combat Support Command, to getthe looted fuel bunkers on the installationand a bulk fuel storage point outside the wire,back in operation.

Lamb, a full-time officer from the IowaNational Guard, is coordinating the needs ofthe user for the project.

Each of the nine independent fuelbunkers has three large tanks and a smallertank for a total fuel capacity of more than105,000 gallons each, for almost a milliongallons capacity for fuel storage on LSA Ana-conda, the major said.

About seven miles away is a bulk storagefacility where refineries would deliver fuel,and the Iraqi Air Force would load to truck itonto the base.

There are a dozen soil-covered, concrete-encased steel tanks set up in two sections,each with a capacity of approximately 132,000gallons, for 1.5 million gallons storage. Thetanks are in good shape, Lamb said. However,there was considerable loss to the pumpingsystems from looters.

Stouter said Coalition Forces found as-built drawings and design diagrams on thebase that have been especially helpful indetermining the functioning of the systems.“The fuel distribution system was built byYugoslavians in the early 1980’s,” Stoutersaid. “But all the documentation is in English.I’m really surprised that under the previousregime that they would want to have any-thing in English.”

The fuel bunkers are essentially fuel stor-age and filtration systems housed in bomb

resistant shelters. Eachbunker provided fuelto a set of four largeconcrete aircraft hang-ers linked by shorttaxiways to the runway.The fuel bunker systems were designed tofeed fuel directly inside the hangers, allowingfighter aircraft to be refueled from hydrantsusing hoses and pump carts that would bebrought inside the shelters. U.S. Army avia-tion, however, does not follow the practice ofrefueling inside enclosed spaces for safety rea-sons, Lamb said.

The large fuel bunkers are most readilydistinguished from concrete hangars and air-craft and equipment revetments by the pres-ence of multiple lightning rods.

Despite some looting, the pumping andfiltration systems on the base are still largelyintact. “It’s still in good condition, but youcan see where they’ve tried to take the lights,here and there a pump is missing, or an elec-tric motor,” Stouter said. “We can still getparts for it.”

Lamb said the tanks were made inYugoslavia, but many of the other components are of German and French man-ufacture.

Stouter, who has worked on projects forthe Defense Energy Support Command inEurope, said, “We’ve used some of thesesame brands in fuel systems in Germany.”

Nevertheless, Stouter said there are differ-ences in facilities in Germany and those inIraq, particularly involving life safety standards.

Improvements to the life safety aspects ofthe fuel bunkers are part of the plan, she said.“We’re having them install a fire suppressionsystem. There is one here, but we are notsure it is a viable system.”

Additionally, the ventilation and exhaustsystems will be tested and upgraded, if neces-sary, to meet current Stateside standards. “Insome areas there were no pumps to circulatefresh air, just vents, so that’s something wereally have to address,” she said.

Some wiring of the electronically moni-tored, gauged, and switched systems has beenlooted, but wiring diagrams are still on hand

to make their repair easier, Stouter said.Because looters did not break the integrity

of the fuel distribution system’s piping, it isquite possible that the fuel in the bunkers willbe useable to Coalition forces.

“There’s fuel in all of these tanks,” Stoutersaid. “We’re not sure exactly how much, butwe believe they were filled fairly close to thebeginning of the war.”

Lamb said the fuel is good, but the Armywill have to treat it.

“From the initial testing here on post, thefuel tested out as JP-8, good for ground andaviation use. It has not been deemed suitable,it’s just tested out as JP-8. It will have to befiltered and tested again,” he said. The bot-tom-drawn fuel sample failed the particulatestest because it had been sitting for a while.

The sample off post tested as Jet A-1,Lamb said, which is strictly aviation fuel. Andeven though it is believed to have been storedfor years, it tested fine, he said.

“We can inject it to make it JP-8 byadding fuel system icing inhibiter, corrosiveinhibiter, and static dissipater,” he said, addingthat the capability to do so is in theater.

Stouter said, “The only fuel we expect wecan’t use is what’s in the lines from [the fuelbunkers] to the hangars.” She said the plan isto drain and cap the lines, and possibly pro-vide that fuel to surrounding Iraqi villages asheating fuel.

Outside each of the fuel bunkers are twoupload points and two download points fortanker trucks, Lamb said. The system allowedthe Iraqis to not only fill the bunkers, but tomove fuel from one fuel bunker to another.In addition, there is a point for upload of off-grade fuel. “The system is set up very well. Itcirculates [fuel] continuously and it stayswithin the system, taking the bottom fuel andwhatever gets taken off by the filter separa-tors is dumped off in, for lack of a betterterm, a slop tank,” Lamb said. That fuelcould be used for heating or other low-

Restoring life to former Iraqi airbaseby Grant Sattler

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grade purposes, he said.Once the repair project is awarded to

go through each of the systems, replaceany missing parts and check for leaks,work is anticipated to be completed withinsix months, Stouter said. The contract alsowill call for the assessment of the Al Asadbulk storage and five bunkers there forpossible repair under a separate contract.

POC is Brian H.Temple, in Germany: 0611-816-2847, in U.S.: 011-49-611-816-2847 DSN 336-2847, [email protected] PWD



Radiation safety may not invoke the kind ofexciting images associated with Army heli-copters and missiles, but it is a crucial partof our military and its high-tech work. In

the past, the use of radium in small amountswas not considered a risk to health or the envi-ronment, but with increasing knowledge andexperience, risk standards have become morestringent. More stringent standards mean manypreviously used materials and equipment atinstallations must be reassessed.

Keith Rose, Radiation Safety Officer forthe U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Com-mand, and his co-worker, fellow health physi-cist Jean Moore of Science ApplicationsInternational Corporation, and Safety Special-ist Bobby Taylor, U.S. Army Garrison-Red-stone, are responsible for protecting health,safety and the environment from radioactivematerials.

Recently at Redstone, Rose, Taylor andMoore found themselves on “tank” patrolbecause radium paint was used to highlightgauge numbers and dials used on early gener-ation military equipment—in this case, thedials used to guide tank turrets and oil tem-perature and pressure gauges. The paint com-position was radium salts with a phosphoradded and it glowed in the dark.

The tanks have long been retired from“active duty,” but were later used for trainingactivities. Approximately thirty tanks occupiedTest Area 3 at Redstone. Rose, Moore andTaylor had to search the tanks for gauges and

assess the radioactive emissions. “The riskposed was very low, but our job is to ensureevery precaution is taken,” said Rose. Onlythree dials were found that still containedradium, and these were removed, stored andsecured while awaiting disposal through theproper authorities.

The “tank patrol” operation was nothingunusual—it followed the same process usedfor other radiation safety issues: survey andinspect. In the case of the radium paint, Rose,Taylor and Moore used radiation detectioninstruments to read the level of radiation.“The instruments serve as our protection byalerting us to potential danger,” said Rose.

Taylor, who recently attended the two-week Radiation Safety Officer Training courseconducted by Rose and Moore, said the mostimportant thing he took away from the safetycourse was the measurement and protectionaspect. “Learning how to monitor for yourprotection and others is the key to radiationsafety,” he said.

But Taylor also praised the on-the-jobtraining he received. “I had not been involvedwith radiation safety before I took the course,and having Keith and Jean take me into thefield and show me how they do this type ofsurvey and inspection was extremely valuable,”explained Taylor. “I will be handling the Gar-rison’s radiation safety issues now, so I’mextremely lucky to have such experienced pro-fessionals at AMCOM to consult with.”

The radium found in the paint of the tankdials is just one of many radiation safety issuesposed by old equipment on installations.Moore cited another example of an old high-speed camera used for photographing earlymissile firings. The technology was early ‘50sand the piece of equipment had been ware-housed. When the equipment was beingremoved for disposal, it set-off the alarm forthe radiation monitoring equipment it wasrequired to pass through.

According to Moore, although the piece ofequipment was identified as a camera part, noone knew why it contained radioactive materi-al. “After researching the internet and callingaround, I came to the conclusion the radioac-tive material was used as a static eliminator,”

she noted.Equipment that has been stored for long

periods is a radiation safety issue that manyinstallations have in common. “Most of thetime, no one has been in contact with thisstuff in years. It’s our job to ensure these itemsdon’t pose any type of risk to humans or theenvironment before they are excessed andremoved,” Rose said.

While radioactive materials and oldequipment pose one type of risk, new equip-ment presents a whole new challenge. “In thecase of the radium paint used for the tankdials, the problem was resolved by using a dif-ferent material that has insignificant radiationemissions. Nowadays, we know when any typeof equipment contains radioactive materialand we must account for it at all times. This isnot only a safety issue, but a significant securi-ty issue since 9/11 because of the potentialconstruction of dirty bombs,” explained Rose.

Technology continues to advance and theuse of radioactive materials is becoming moreprevalent. But the basics of radiation safetyremain much the same-- monitoring, invento-ries, surveys, inspections and documentation.“Just like with any other hazard, we’ve justbecome more knowledgeable about the effectsof radiation and how to better protect our-selves and the environment,” concluded Rose.

POC is Kim Gillespie, (256) 876-5302, e-mail:[email protected]

Kim Gillespie is the public affairs officer for RedstoneArsenal. PWD

Radiation safety at Redstone Arsenalby Kim Gillespie

Bobby Taylor, U.S. Army Garrsion RedstoneSafety Office, Keith Rose, Aviation and MissileCommand Safety Office, and Jean Moore, ScienceApplications International Corporation, search anold tank looking for old gauges containing radioac-tive material radium at Redstone Arsenal’s TestArea 3 vehicle targets.


The Cultural Resources ManagementProgram on Fort Drum is leading theway among military installations byusing state-of-the-art technology to

discover and define archeological sites onFort Drum.

Based on geophysical science, remotesensing technology allows for archeologicaldiscovery based on features rather thanartifacts found in the ground below theearth’s surface, and is substantially lessinvasive and damaging than digging moretraditional test pits. As a result, geophysicalor “remote sensing” surveys are becomingtechniques applied more regularly in arche-ological investigations.

The remote sensing equipment typical-ly used in archeological investigationsincludes three components: ground pene-trating radar, a magnetometer and a resist-ance meter. Ground penetrating radarequipment uses an electromagnetic wave todetect different features below the surface,said Dr. Laurie Rush, archeologist andmanager of Fort Drum’s CulturalResources Management (CRM) Program.

“The GPR sends an electromagneticwave into the ground and then measures,in nanoseconds, the variations in the speedof the wave as it encounters changes in thecomposition of the ground,” explainedRush. “As the wave is transmitted andreceived by the GPR antenna, data aredownloaded directly into a computer alsoconnected to the GPR.”

The second component, a resistancemeter, uses an electric current to measurechanges in the ability of the soil to conductelectricity; a property affected by compact-ness and water content of the soil. Forexample, in the case of burial sites, soilfilled back into a grave is typically looserthan undisturbed soil surrounding the siteand therefore offers less resistance to elec-tric current.

Lastly, the magnetometer is used todetect changes in the earth’s magnetic fieldcaused by metal objects or any feature inground that has been affected by a heating

episode, such as fired clay features.Used in tandem, the three pieces of

equipment can assist in discovery of poten-tial sites as well as define parameters of asite with minimal ground disturbance.

Although remote sensing technologyhas been used in other scientific applica-tions for nearly 30 years, it has been inonly the last six years or so that its usagehas become popular in the field of archeol-ogy in the United States.

Fort Drum recently loaned the collec-tive expertise of its cultural resources staffto the Village of Sackets Harbor, NY,located about 30 miles west of Fort Drum.A military cemetery on village propertycontains the remains of approximately 150soldiers, including BG Zebulon M. Pike,namesame of Pike’s Peak in Colorado, whowas killed in action during the War of1812.

Pike’s remains were moved, along withthose of numerous other soldiers, in 1909

when the cemetery was relocated across thestreet from its previous location in Madi-son Barracks. Because of poor weatherconditions, workers hastened to completethe job and many burial sites were leftunmarked.

Although a monument dedicated toPike stands in an area believed to be inclose proximity to his actual burial site, his-torians from Colorado as well as local offi-cials have expressed interest in finding theexact location of Pike’s remains.

When the village requested FortDrum’s assistance to help locate the burialsite, Rush recognized the ethical issues andsensitivity surrounding the possible distur-bance of the dead entailed by digging. Tominimize any such disruption, she recom-mended using the less-invasive remotesensing technology rather than traditionalexcavations.

“Remote sensing equipment is especial-ly useful where cemeteries are con-

Fort Drum’s Cultural Resources Program uses state-of-the-art technology to search underground

by Karen J. Freeman

Ground penetrating radar being used by Fort Drum’s cultural resources staff to locate burial sites atSackets Harbor (NY) Military Cemetery. Photo courtesy of Fort Drum

➤


cerned,” Rush explained. “Digging is adamaging process, and remote sensingtechnology can provide a great deal ofinformation without disturbing any humanremains.”

In September, Rush’s crew marked a20-meter by 20-meter grid in the cemeteryand began surveying the area using theground penetrating radar. Data from theGPR were automatically fed into a com-puter, which then generated a three-dimensional contour map of the grounddown to depths of about 9 to12 feet. Aresistance meter recorded the changingresistivity of the soil, the results of whichwere downloaded to create a two-dimen-sional map of anomalies, which was thencompared with GPR data.

After careful data analysis generated bythe remote sensing equipment and thecumulative research of local historians,Rush is 80-90 percent certain that her teamhas located Pike’s burial site. In earlyNovember, Rush presented her team’sfindings to village board members in Sack-ets Harbor, who will decide what next step,if any, to take in this process.

Remote sensing technology has provedequally useful in numerous archeological

applications on Fort Drum.Currently, the cultural resources pro-

gram is using the equipment in coopera-tion with the National Park ServiceStudent Conservation Association Diversi-ty Intern Program to determine accurateboundaries of five cemeteries located onpost. Defining the cemetery parameters hasled to other important discoveries.

“Our NPS intern, Ayeisha Kirby, hasalready discovered a series of unmarkedgraves in the Gates Cemetery in associa-tion with SGT William Anderson, a U.S.Colored Troops Civil War veteran,” saidRush. “We suspected that his was the onlymarked grave in the midst of an African-American community, and it looks like wewere right.”

The equipment will also be used todevelop a ruins map for the Fort Drum’sLeRay Mansion Historic District and todetermine the extent of an early-1800sbrick kiln site discovered on Fort Drumin July.

“The discovery of the brick kiln is espe-cially exciting, since the kiln location doesnot appear on any map,” said Rush. “Itseems it was used on a short-term basis toform brick for buildings in the Village of

LeRaysville, including the LeRay Mansion.”

The beauty of remote sensing equip-ment is the variety of application outside ofthe field of archeology in which it can beused on Fort Drum, continued Rush. Forinstance, the equipment can be used by theEnvironmental Division to locate under-ground fuel tanks, or, the Operations &Maintenance Division can monitor deteri-oration in the concrete at Fort Drum’s air-field.

Fort Drum is one of only a few Armyinstallations known to be using remotesensing technology and is perhaps the firstinstallation to own a complete set of theequipment. With tight budgets, the cost ofthe equipment, approximately $75,000 forthe three components, is prohibitive formany installations. The non-invasivemethod of discovery however is intrinsical-ly valuable, especially when used in the dis-covery of human remains and subsequentsite protection.

Rush was able to acquire Fort Drum’sremote sensing equipment through anagreement with the chief of Fort Drum’sEnvironmental Division who used year-enddollars to purchase the technology in 2002.Over the last year, six full-time staff mem-bers have trained on the equipment. Onoccasion, the cultural resources staff hastaken the equipment to local colleges anduniversities for student training exercises.

Questions about the use of remotesensing technology in archeological appli-cations on military installations may bedirected to Dr. Laurie Rush, federal arche-ologist and manager of Fort Drum’s Cul-tural Resources Management Program,telephone: 315-772-4165; e-mail:[email protected].

Karen J. Freeman is a Public Relations Specialist,Adecco Technical, Environmental Division, PublicWorks, Fort Drum, NY. PWD

Remote sensing equipment being used to survey Sackets Harbor (NY) Military Cemetery in a search forthe grave of BG Zebulon M. Pike.

Photo courtesy of Fort Drum


The transition from investigation tocleanup at Camp Edwards, Massachu-setts, began November 21 when bull-dozers began removing 25,000 tons of

contaminated or potentially contaminatedsoil from the former munitions burningand detonation site known as DemolitionArea 1.

The removal and treatment of Demoli-tion Area 1 soil, designed to eliminate a

continuing source of groundwater contam-ination, is the first large-scale cleanupaction conducted by the Impact AreaGroundwater Study Program and one ofthe largest soil cleanup efforts ever under-taken on an active installation.

The project is removing soil contami-nated with explosives constituents from a4.5-acre area to depths ranging from oneto more than eight feet. Treatment of thesoil with a low temperature thermal des-orption system that destroys contaminants

using temperature of 500 to 900 degreesFahrenheit began in November.

“This is why we are here -- to clean upthe contamination found by our investiga-tions and protect public health and theenvironment,” said Program ManagerKent “Hap” Gonser. “Our work at Demo-lition Area 1 is a major step toward fulfill-ing that commitment.”

The Groundwater Study Program

began looking into potential contaminationon Camp Edwards’ ranges and trainingareas in 1996. The investigation at theArmy National Guard installation, locatedon the upper 15,000 acres of the Massa-chusetts Military Reservation on CapeCod, later expanded to include remediationof groundwater contamination and itssources.

Until early 2003, the GroundwaterStudy Program’s efforts focused on identi-fying and delineating areas of groundwater

contamination on and emanating from theinstallation. The program also concentrat-ed on defining the sources of the ground-water contaminants.

In December 2002, with the extent ofcontamination nearly defined in severalareas of investigation, the U.S. Army Envi-ronmental Center (USAEC) was tapped tooversee and bring its expertise in environ-mental cleanup to the Groundwater StudyProgram. In May 2003, USAEC appointedGonser to lead the program’s transition tocleanup.

Efforts to begin remedial activities atCamp Edwards have accelerated underUSAEC and Gonser’s guidance. The soilremediation at Demolition Area 1 is justone of several soil and groundwatercleanup actions proposed by the Ground-water Study Program over the past year.

Work is underway on designing a sys-tem to treat contaminated groundwaterfrom Demolition Area 1. Additional soilremovals are planned, through summer, attwo former defense contractor testing andtraining ranges and at targets in the instal-lation’s impact area. An examination ofpotential groundwater treatment options atthe former testing ranges also is underway.

All of these cleanups are being per-formed as Rapid Response Actions. Theseare designed to accelerate the reduction orelimination of contaminants while work tofully define contamination and select finalremediation solutions continues.

“It is exciting to achieve the crucial goalof the investigation by beginning cleanup,”Gonser said. “We recognize this is just thestart and will continue to look for opportu-nities where we can reduce or eliminatecontamination on an accelerated basis tospeed up the restoration work at CampEdwards.”

POC is Kristina S. Curley, (508) 968-5626, e-mail:[email protected]

Kristina S. Curley works in Public Affairs, ImpactArea Groundwater Study Program. PWD

Cleanup begins at Camp Edwards by Kristina Curley

An excavator begins soil removal at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts.


Often when a community and itsinhabitants have died, the stories oftheir lives go with them. They leavebehind the carefully placed monu-

ments at cemeteries as proof of their exis-tence. These carved stone spires say little --names, dates and the occasional inscription.They only hint at the lives they represent.Redstone is full of such hints at the past.

Long before the Army took up resi-dence, the area that would become Red-stone Arsenal was made up of smallcommunities of various sizes and origins.People were born here. They lived theirlives here. They died here. Over the years,one or two graves became small family andcommunity cemeteries. The oldest record-ed date goes back to 1820. There are about48 of these cemeteries scattered across

Redstone. While the number may raise theeyebrows, volunteer John Rankin says thatis not an unusual amount, given the size ofthe Arsenal.

“We have over 50 square miles of Arse-nal property and that’s less than one ceme-tery per square mile,” Rankin said. “If youlook at a plot of Madison County, that’s notunusual to have at least one cemetery persquare mile. That’s not an unusual densityat all. It’s about average.”

The Environmental Office is responsi-ble for the welfare of these graveyards.Besides ensuring that the grounds aremaintained, the staff tries to research thehistory behind the families and individualsinterred here. Public records are perused tofind clues to the bigger stories behind thetwo or three lines etched in stone. When a

living descendant isavailable, they conductinterviews to fill in thegaps in information.The long-term goal isto put together a reportor resource for infor-mation about the ceme-teries and theirresidents, but comple-tion of such a goal isnot expected for anoth-er two years or so,because of the amountof work that must gointo every entry. Theresearch is still an ongo-ing process.

The people buriedon Redstone may bequiet, but they are notsilent. Each tells a story.Some are inspirationaltales of free black farm-ers who raised theirfamilies in prosperityalongside white planta-tions. Others speak ofRevolutionary War sol-diers, who settled hereto enjoy the freedom

they had fought so hard for. Some arestrange and almost funny. Other graveshint at mysteries.

One cemetery at Redstone is still in use.It is the pet cemetery. There, people payloving tribute to the animals that were apart of their lives. The grave markers rangein age and style. Some are simple woodenplaques. Others are carved stones bearingnames, dates and occasionally, the story ofan animal’s life.

The presence of these former residentsof Redstone speaks to the richness of histo-ry in the Redstone and Huntsville commu-nity. They are silent reminders of the rootsof this community. Uncovering the historyof these people and pets is a great commit-ment, and one the Environmental Officetakes seriously. If you are the descendant ofor have information about a person or apet interred on the Arsenal, please call Bev-erly Curry at (256) 955-6971 or e-mail herat [email protected].

Kelley Lane is a Redstone Rocket staff writer atRedstone Arsenal.

POC is Kim Gillespie, (256) 876-5302, e-mail:[email protected] PWD

History uncovered at Redstone Arsenal cemeteries by Kelley Lane

Beverly Curry listens as Phyllis Montgomery tellsthe story of Schatzi, her beloved dog, buried inRedstone’s pet cemetery.

Photo by Kellyey Lane

Lacy Cemetery, 75-1, Redstone Arsenal, Madison Co., AL, May 1, 2003.Box crypt of Prudence Kasandrea Howell in background; stone for Jane S.Davies mysteriously buried.


Fort Drum Forest Management Pro-gram, Natural Resources Branch, Envi-ronmental Division, Public Workshosted a group of 48 silviculturists

from across the United States and aroundthe world Saturday, October 25.They were on a tour highlighting FortDrum’s silviculture. Tour participants rep-resented academia, along with public andprivate sector silviculturists.

Silviculture is the theory and practice ofcontrolling the establishment, composition,character and growth of forest stands to sat-isfy specific objectives. Fort Drum manages46,191 acres of forestland to satisfy missionrequirements for the military as well asrecreational requirements for both the FortDrum community and general public.

“Fort Drum has a unique program ascompared to more traditional areas of forestmanagement, such as in the private andindustrial sectors,” said Paul Zang, manager,Fort Drum Forest Management Program.“Our primary management objective is toserve the United States military mission.”

Fort Drum training lands are used notonly by the U.S. Army’s 10th MountainDivision and other Army units, but also theAir Force, Marines, Navy, Army Reserves,National Guard and non-U.S. forces.

Serving that management objective canpose many challenges, but this forestrytour clearly demonstrated the success withwhich Fort Drum foresters have createdand maintained the variety of training ter-rain required by the military mission, whileat the same time preserving the integrity ofthe installation’s forests and vegetation.

The tour took place in the southeasternquadrant of Fort Drum’s 99,418-acre training area and stopped at several loca-tions to demonstrate various forest man-agement initiatives. The first stop featureduneven-aged management of high qualitysugar maple trees. A second location fea-tured pine and oak management with pre-scribed fire.

The final location highlighted a train-ing corridor, commonly referred to as Fort

Drum’s Cross CountryManeuver Corridor, in whichthe Forest Management Pro-gram focuses vegetationmanipulation in areas to mostbenefit training. A variety offorest types was present withinthe training corridor, thereforemultiple forest managementoptions were executed to cre-ate maneuver lanes, firingpoints and landing zones.

Fort Drum hosted the touras a prelude to the Society ofAmerican Foresters (SAF)National Convention that tookplace the following week inBuffalo. For the conference, the Forest

Management Program createda video presentation and aphotographic exhibit high-lighting Fort Drum’s vast nat-ural resources.

Additionally, forester JasonWagner presented a paperentitled “Use of NaturalResource Management Units(NRMUs) for Forest Manage-ment on Fort Drum” at theconvention. In 2002, the FortDrum Natural ResourcesBranch completed a long-termundertaking that delineated all Fort Drumacreage into an accurate land cover classifi-cation based on the Federal GeographicData Committee’s National VegetationClassification Standard. Overall, more than18,000 NRMUs were delineated and digi-tized to form a large-scale planning toolthat will facilitate integration of all pro-gram elements involved in ecosystem man-agement efforts on Fort Drum.

Following the SAF convention, theForest Management Program was honoredto host Major General Larry J. Lust, Assis-tant Chief of Staff for Installation Manage-ment (ACSIM) and Mr. Bill Woodson,Natural Resources Manager, Department

of the Army, Office of the Director forEnvironmental Programs, both of whomvisited Fort Drum on October 30. MGLarry Lust and Bill Woodson were briefedby Zang and Tom Lent, Fort Drum’s Inte-grated Training Area Management Coordi-nator, during a luncheon and then taken ona tour of Fort Drum’s garrison and anabbreviated silviculture tour.

“It was a great opportunity to showMG Lust, who has a degree in forestry, andMr. Woodson, who is a forester, forestmanagement on Fort Drum,” said Zang.

POC is Paul Zang, Manager, Forest ManagementProgram, Fort Drum, 315-772-3170. PWD

Fort Drum foresters host silviculturists andACSIM for installation tour

by Karen J. Freeman

Paul Zang, manager of Fort Drum’s Forest Management Pro-gram, addresses a group of silviculturists during a recent tour ofFort Drum. The tour was a prelude to the Society of AmericanForesters National Convention that took place in Buffalo duringOctober.

Photo by PFC Anthony J. White, Fort Drum Public Affairs

(Left to right) Bill Woodson, Natural Resources Manager(ODEP), Paul Zang and Jason Wagner, Fort Drum foresters,and MG Lust, ACSIM, during a recent tour highlighting FortDrum silviculture.

Photo by Richard LeClerc, Chief-Natural Resources Branch


The Army’s Standardized Unex-ploded Ordnance (UXO) Tech-nology Demonstration SitesProgram was awarded the

Strategic Environmental Researchand Development Program(SERDP) Project of the Year Awardin the UXO category on December2 in Washington, D.C.

It is a collaborative effort spear-headed by the U.S. Army Environ-mental Center headquartered atAberdeen Proving Ground, in coop-eration with the U.S. ArmyAberdeen Test Center, the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S.Army Environmental Quality Tech-nology Program, the EnvironmentalSecurity Technology CertificationProgram and SERDP.

Each year, the SERDP honors pro-grams in five environmental categorieswith its Project of the Year Award. Theselected projects are exemplary researchand development efforts resulting in signif-icant technological impact on the Depart-ment of Defense environmental programs.

“This program meets a major challengeto DoD’s UXO program by developingstandards of testing widely recognized andacceptable to regulators and the rest of theUXO community” said Jeffery Marqusee,SERDP’s technical director. “The technol-ogy demonstration sites will play a majorrole in developing and transferring newUXO detection and discrimination tech-nologies in the future.”

For decades, soldiers and weapons devel-opers have gone to ranges and training areasto train with and test bombs, projectiles,grenades and other munitions. A portion ofthese munitions did not function asdesigned, becoming what is known as UXO.Over the years, UXO has accumulated fromthese activities at an estimated 1,700 former-ly used defense sites, 25 base realignmentand closure sites and a number of activeinstallations covering millions of acres.

One major barrier to cleaning up thesesites to a condition consistent with their

intended use is the lack of adequate tech-nology to reliably detect UXO and dis-criminate between the UXO andnon-hazardous materials common to theranges and test areas. Failure to discrimi-nate between UXO and non-hazardousmaterials such as shrapnel, target parts ormunitions parts result in a high percentageof false alarms that add significantly to theamount of required excavation, driving upthe costs and time required to clean up asite. Even modest advances in technologiesmay save the Army millions of dollars inclean-up costs.

The Standardized Unexploded Ord-

nance Technology DemonstrationSites Program is designed to helppromote the development of thesetechnologies. It maintains two tech-nology demonstration sites; one atAberdeen Proving Ground, MD, andthe other at Yuma Proving Ground,AZ. The program provides realisticstandardized technology demonstra-tion sites, protocols and targets fortechnology testing and performance.A standardized, automated scoringprocess has been developed to docu-ment the performance of UXO detec-tion and discrimination sensor andplatform systems. This removes sub-jective evaluation and allows forobjective performance comparisonsbetween system platforms across var-ied test conditions.

“The award is the culmination of a lotof hard collaborative work by a teamformed from members of many differentagencies,” said Mr. George Robitaille, Pro-gram Manager for the project.

For additional information about the project,please visit the web site at http://www.uxotest-sites.org or contact the USAEC Public AffairsOffice at (410) 436-2556,[email protected]

Michael Dillaplain is a Booz Allen Hamilton spe-cialist supporting the USAEC Technology Branch.

PWD

UXO Technology Test Site Program wins national awardby Michael Dillaplain

A team tests a prospective UXO detecting system on the Standard-ized UXO Technology Demonstration Site on Yuma ProvingGround, Ariz. USAEC file photo.

Call forArticles The March/April issue of the

Public Works Digest will feature

Housing IssuesPlease e-mail all articles to

[email protected] no later than February 27, 2004.

2003 dpw worldwide training workshop

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