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  • April

    A Captain's role in an ACF build-out

    Editors Note: April 6, 2020 was the day the Memphis District awarded the contract to build an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) in Memphis, Tennessee. The article below was written by Cpt. Alex Burruss, who at that time deployed to the Memphis District to work as an Operations Officer and assist with ACF projects and operations. This is his account of what happened during his few months working here. At the onset of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the U.S.  Army Corps of Engineers. USACE collaborated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a plan for the rapid expansion of COVID-19 treatment spaces. USACE assigned each of its districts an area of responsibility, and the districts integrated into the local and state response agencies within their areas of responsibility. As local civil authorities conducted analysis and projected bed space requirements, USACE developed facility modification options for accommodating additional beds. Districts completed site assessments and provided project management support for converting existing buildings into alternate care facilities (ACFs).  In April 2020, three weeks after the President declared a national emergency, the U.S. Army Engineer School (USAES), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, deployed more than 30 Soldiers in support of the USACE response effort; Cpt. Alex W. Burruss was deployed to the Memphis District, USACE Mississippi Valley Division, Tennessee, for more than 60 days.
  • March

    Revetment Team returns after historic season

    The Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Army (Civil Works) Vance Stewart and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations Maj. Gen. William (Butch) Graham visited the Memphis District last week. While visiting, they had the opportunity to welcome home and congratulate the Revetment Team after completing one of the district's longest seasons in history.
  • 2021 Channel Improvement Team Meeting a success

    In a virtual get-together held mid-February, members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering and Construction Department, operations leaders from the Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans Districts, project managers, regional team members, environmental partners, and other representatives from the St. Louis District, all came together for their annual Mississippi River Channel Improvement meeting to discuss environmental projects and other current channel improvement issues.
  • June

    Following in dad's footsteps: A tour of MVM

    Cpt. Alex Burruss was supposed to move to Ft. Hood, Texas, but due to the Coronavirus situation, Army priorities quickly shifted and the captain found himself moving to Tennessee instead. “I was excited, but also a little frustrated,” he explained. “However, I saw Lt. Gen. Semonite discussing the Alternate Care Site mission on the news and knew that we were -are- living in a unique time in history and that it would take a national-level effort to beat COVID-19.”
  • May

    Metal Shop makings...

    Navigation is one of our oldest missions. We’re mandated by Congress to keep the Mississippi River open for commercial navigation by maintaining a 9-foot-deep and 300-foot-wide channel, and we do that by dredging on an annual basis. So, as one might imagine, our dustpan dredge, the Hurley, gets used quite a bit keeping the Mississippi open, so our talented team at Ensley Engineer Yard have their work cut out for them keeping her running year after year. This brings us to the project Machinist Brandon Almeida is working on – it’s something the Dredge Hurley uses called “propeller rope guards.” He’s also making the mount needed to make the rope guards on – talk about complex work.
  • April

    Thank you: Building a facility of hope

    The team of people building a facility made to care for people who contract the COVID-19 virus are working around the clock to make sure that if our local hospitals can't handle the caseload at that time, no one gets turned away. We want to thank all of our workers out there making this alternate care center ha reality. No matter what part of the team a worker is on, each is important and contributes an invaluable knowledge and skill to this facility of hope and care.
  • Corps electric engineer ‘makes’ much needed shields

    It’s no secret our country is experiencing a shortage of face masks. Ever since this virus was declared a pandemic, even those working in hospitals can’t seem to get their hands on the very medical supplies they need to do their day-to-day job. Some hear of the shortage and scramble to get their hands on whatever masks they can find, but not Navigational Electrical Engineer Jeffrey Farmer and the nonprofit group he’s apart of called the “Midsouth Makers.”
  • Social distancing, the MVM mission

    The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has several recommendations in place to try and stop the spread of this monstrous virus, to include such measures as wearing a face mask when out in public and practicing what has become mandated in many states: social distancing. While social distancing and other precautions are in place for the right reasons, they can unfortunately have a challenging impact on business operations. Especially difficult is when your employees cannot do their job behind a computer. So what do they do?
  • $10M contract awarded for ACM casting

    The Memphis District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded a $10 million contract for articulated concrete mattress (ACM) casting at Richardson Landing Casting Field to Mississippi Limestone Corporation from Friars Point, Mississippi.
  • Engineers continue working through weekend to bring alternate care facility online

    A multidisciplinary team of Memphis District engineers spent the weekend preparing documents that outline the scope of work required to convert the Gateway Shopping Center on Jackson Avenue into a COVID-19 Alternate Care Facility (ACF).
  • March

    USACE begins construction on Alternate Care Facilities

    Work is being done in support of FEMA-led COVID-19 Pandemic Response NEW YORK— The US Army Corps of Engineers, USACE, continues to make significant progress in its efforts to support the FEMA-led response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. Nationwide, USACE has received 5 FEMA Mission Assignments (MAs) totaling $357 million, and has more than 250 personnel providing support.
  • INFORMATIONAL PUBLIC NOTICE / MAIL PROCESSING PROCEDURES AND REQUEST FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS

    Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) precautions, effective the date of this Public Notice, the Memphis District Regulatory Branch is requesting all incoming correspondence be submitted electronically.
  • All U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed campgrounds have begun an orderly shutdown

    All U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed campgrounds have begun an orderly shutdown. Individuals with paid reservations will be contacted by email and full refunds will automatically be processed by Recreation.gov with no cancellation fees. Individuals should not attempt to contact Recreation.gov to request a refund as that will lead to a cancellation fee being charged. In addition, visitor centers, beaches, special events, and USACE-sponsored events such as shore sweeps, interpretive programs, Kids to Parks, Earth Day events, public meetings and other public gatherings have been closed and/or put on hold until further notice. USACE is maintaining access to our projects by keeping day use facilities and lake access areas open such as boat launches, picnic areas, fishing piers, and viewing areas, subject to change.
  • Memo from the Director of Contracting re: COVID-19

    For USACE Contractors, As the Director of Contracting for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, I wanted to personally reach out to all of you and let you know that we are actively monitoring the situation in regards to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Attached is the guidance we received on planning for potential Novel Coronavirus Contract Impacts.