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Archive: 2020
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  • June

    Memphis District Commander tours several project sites

    Memphis District Commander Col. Zachary Miller had a busy day June 17 kicking off a summer full of visiting several of the district's project sites in our area of responsibility. Encompassing almost 25,000 square miles, the Memphis District is responsible for federal civil works projects in portions of six states - Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
  • Oldtown Seepage Remediation Project site showing

    Working remotely from their separate homes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in concert towards the same goal, the Oldtown Seepage Remediation Project Delivery Team (PDT) successfully reached their Site Showing milestone. The PDT held the project site showing on June 11 in Helena, Ark., which helped contract bidders familiarize themselves with the geographical area and work associated with the project.
  • Memphis Revetment Season in full swing

    The Memphis District Revetment season officially began this year on June 11, with District Commander Col. Zachary Miller hosting a kickoff meeting at the Ensley Engineer Yard to get things started. “Protecting the Mississippi River banks keeps the channel in place, which maintains the necessary depth and alignment that allows the thousands of tows to travel up and down the river year round,” the commander said. “Without this work, the river would shift resulting in new, shallow cutoffs that could not be safely traveled.”
  • Yazoo Levee Seepage Remediation PDT awards contract

    Congratulations to the Yazoo Levee Seepage Remediation PDT for reaching their contract award milestone. They recently awarded the contract to sure-up the integrity of the levee in Commerce, Miss. to the Syte Corporation. The contract work consist of installing 30 relief wells and extending the seepage berm 2,700 feet. The seepage berm extension and relief well installations will help reduce water seepage under the levee which could weaken the integrity of the levee and the overall flood protection system.
  • 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.”
  • Harbor dredging contract awarded

    Congratulations to the Harbor Dredging Project Delivery Team (PDT) for awarding the contract to dredge four local harbors: Elvis Stahr Harbor in Hickman, Ky.; Memphis Harbor-McKellar Lake and Wolf River Harbor in Memphis, Tenn.; and Helena Harbor in Phillips County, Ark.
  • A look back: Nadler's 40 years of service

    Ensley Engineer Yard (EEY) Pipefitter Guy Nadler recently celebrated 40 years of federal service with 20 of them being with the Memphis District. Nadler started his exciting career with the government in 1978 when he joined the U.S. Air Force. He attended Basic Training and Technical School before going into the security police career field in Italy.
  • May

    PDT conducts first virtual VE study work session

    The Slope Flattening Project Delivery Team (PDT) recently conducted the first virtual value engineering (VE) study work session with team member Neal Newman, who happens to be one of only 12 certified value specialists in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • Future leaders during COVID-19

    The Memphis District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is known for executing many different tasks, projects and missions all at the same time. Even when COVID-19 presented itself, this district didn’t stop doing everything it’s normally charged to do. Like many other organizations around the world, the Coronavirus altered how some projects were carried out within the district; this included how the Leadership Development Program (LDP) continued on as well.
  • A look back: Marshall’s 40 years of service

    “First and foremost, what inspired me was the veterans,” Marshall said. “While serving as a purchasing agent in the Prosthetics Department of the VA, I enjoyed helping the veterans get the products, medicines, home alterations, and equipment they needed. Providing equipment for the blind and handicapped, and seeing their appreciation for the small things filled my heart with joy.  I enjoyed having input in the selection of the equipment provided, and enjoyed informing them of products or services they were unaware that they may have qualified for.”  Contract Specialist Valerie Marshall recently celebrated 40 years of federal service, so we decided to step back and take a look at how she spent those years, as we are very grateful for her service to the Memphis District as well as to this nation.
  • Virtual PDT awards contract for Island 18 Phase 5 project ahead of schedule

    Despite being new to virtual teamwork, the Island 18 Phase 5 Project Delivery Team (PDT) performed exceptionally well and exceeded expectations when they reached their Contract Award milestone on May 20, ahead of schedule.
  • Virtual PDT reaches Contract Award milestone ahead of schedule

    When the COVID-19 pandemic required the Memphis District to mass telework, our Project Delivery Teams (PDT) suddenly became virtual teams. With the sudden pivot to virtual teamwork, you might expect a lag in PDT performance. However, despite their lack of experience as a virtual team, the Mellwood Seepage Remediation PDT quickly adjusted to remote teamwork and reached their Contract Award milestone, on May 19, ahead of schedule.
  • Fisk Scour Repair Project is Ready-to-Advertise

    Reaching a project milestone is the result of successive interim achievements along the way. Successive interim achievements have propelled the Fisk Scour Repair Project Delivery Team (PDT) to successfully reach its important Ready-to-Advertise milestone on May 15.
  • Pre-construction teleconference held to kick-off levee slide repairs

    Today, the Memphis District held a pre-construction teleconference with C&M Contractors, Inc. to kick-off levee slide repairs on the White River Backwater levee and along the Mississippi River levee. This teleconference discussed and issued the Notice-to-Proceed for levee slide repairs in Work Areas 1 and 2, both in Arkansas.
  • New Supplemental Program Manager, Programs Management Branch

    Simmerman began his career as a Civil Engineer in the Survey Section, where he completed a year and a half “intern” rotational assignment rotating through various Memphis District Offices. Andy has also worked on the Mississippi River Channel Improvement Project and has served over four years as a Project Manager working on projects in Eastern Arkansas, mainly the Grand Prairie Project and White River Comprehensive Study, as well as the St. Johns New Madrid Project.
  • 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.
  • Memphis Builders: Behind the Mask III

    This next builder of the care facility really stood out to me – and it wasn’t the side by side braids either. It was her presence. Have you ever just met someone who gives off a certain type of aura or energy that makes you feel a little more calm or at ease? This person had it. Here from St. Joseph, Missouri, her name is Jonna Henry, and she works for a subcontractor in Safety. I guess her occupation explains that aura I felt earlier.
  • Memphis Builders: Behind the Mask II

    Building this FEMA-assigned Alternate Care Facility requires a great variety of skill sets; that’s quite obvious to most people. What isn’t so obvious is just how many of one skill set a person can find in a matter of two days and two floors worth of construction workers. After meeting Anthony Bell on Tuesday this week, the Low Voltage Technician from Memphis, I thought that was a pretty unique job title to be honest. I’d actually never heard of it before. Let me introduce you to two more low voltage technicians, Hunter Dunkin, who I found working on the second floor, and Nick Marcy, who I saw on a ladder gathering cable on the fourth floor.
  • April

    Memphis Builders: Behind the mask

    Walking around the Alternate Care Facility construction site, people are usually focused on what workers are doing, not so much the people themselves. And if you’re like me, you’re also very focused on the ground as you don’t want to trip and fall over something as simple as a little cord. But, it’s important to get to know the people doing the work. They are the ones making this facility a reality after all. They are also the people sacrificing time with their families, working 12 hours a day and seven days a week.
  • 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.