USACE News

August

21 Aug 2020
A look back: Williams' 30+ years of service
"If you walk around this vessel, chances are you will find him working somewhere around here, even when he is off the watch," Dredge Hurley Assistant Master Tim Tucker said. "We sometimes have to make him stop to go to his room to relax after a long day. If some of the kids coming out of high school these days would show up with half of the work ethic that he has, we would really get a lot more done." Tucker is describing Curtis Williams, who is also known by many on the dredge as "Lil Wolf". Williams is the Dredge Hurley's ship keeper and has been with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a little more than 30 years.
12 Aug 2020
Critical drainage channels to be maintained
Throughout its history, the Lower Mississippi River Flood Plain has been besieged by floodwaters; that’s why flood risk management is one of the Memphis District's major mission areas. We serve as the first line of defense for the entire lower Valley. Working to execute this mission and serving as that first line of defense, a Memphis District Project Delivery Team awarded three major contracts to perform maintenance on drainage channels 1 and 251, which are located in the Little River Drainage District in Southeast Missouri. The contracts are for lower Ditch 251, upper Ditch 251, and upper Ditch 1 and authorize contractors to go in and return a total of 89 miles worth of drainage channels to their authorized level of flood protection.
6 Aug 2020
A look back: Hamilton’s 35 years of service
Hamilton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957, and later adopted by his parents at the young age of six months. "I grew up here in Wynne, where the (USACE) Area Office is located (and now where he works)," he said. "And I graduated from Arkansas State University in 1982."
3 Aug 2020
Contract awarded for Old Town Seepage Remediation project
Congratulations to the Old Town Seepage Remediation Project Delivery Team on reaching their Contract Award Milestone for their project located in Arkansas and Cotton Belt Levee District Number One. The project team awarded the $5,042,556 contract to the Sytes Corporation. The project involves extending the existing seepage remediation berm. The slated begin date for construction is Oct. 16 this year, with a tentative completion date of April 2023.
July

7 Jul 2020
Providing solutions worldwide
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ vision is, “Engineering solutions for our Nation’s toughest challenges.” Not only does this vision relate to challenges here in the United States, but it applies to those encountered all over the world. Part of working toward that vision asks our employees to deploy and sometimes work for and with other agencies overseas. Recently, two members of the Memphis District volunteered to do just that.
June

29 Jun 2020
Slide repairs contracted in four states
The Memphis District's Caruthersville Area Office team successfully held a virtual preconstruction conference to discuss contracts awarded for future levee slide repairs in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee. “The contracts furnish all plant, labor, equipment, and any incidental-related work according to the plans and specifications for repairing 18 slides under Work Area Three and 14 slides under Work Area Four for a total of 32 slides,” Lead Civil Engineer Jack Ratliff said.
3 Jun 2020
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

28 May 2020
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.
28 May 2020
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.
15 May 2020
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, 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.