Headwaters UpdateUS Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District, Vol. 2, Issue 2, June 2011

Water Safety

Night at PNC Park

• Spring cleaning

• District helps build Flight 93 Memorial

‘If you can make it in China, you can make it anywhere’By Scott Frechione, PAO Employees of the Pittsburgh District gathered on May 19, in the Port of Pittsburgh room for a presen-tation in honor of Asian Heritage Month by Nicole

Marisavljevic, Regulatory, about her trip to China this past year. Marisavljevic, who traveled to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Macau, brought chop sticks, Chinese currency and cloths from her travels to display and provided Chinese tea for participants. She spoke of each of the four cities and shared the experience of her visits to the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, and other historical places through a slideshow and stories. Chicken feet and Peking duck were among the exotic foods she ate while abroad, but she said every-thing she ate there was delicious. District employees asked her many questions about her trip and possible return to China after she was done with her presentation. “I really enjoyed it. At first I was intimidated, but I was able to adapt and I’m more confident now about traveling. If you can make it in China, you can make it anywhere” Marisavljevic said.

Many people attended the Asian Heritage Month Celebration in the Port of Pitts-burgh room, including Sue Gitto, Don Bole and Matt Mason, who are shown inspecting some of the Chinese souvenirs brought home by presenter Nicole Marisavljevic. (Photo by Sheila Tunney, PAO)

US Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District

COL William GrahamDistrict Commander

Public Affairs Chief

Jeffrey Hawk

Editor/LayoutSheila Tunney

Public Affairs Office412-395-7500

www.lrp.usace.army.mil

Headwaters Update is a quarterly publication of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District. It is produced for electronic distribution by the Public Affairs Office. Views and opinions expressed in the Headwaters Update are not neces-sarily those of the Department of the Army or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Submissions may be sent to CELRP-PA@ usace.army.mil for con-sideration in upcoming editions. Stories submit-ted should be in a Word document format. All photographs should include a caption and be high resolution (at least 4x6 inches and 300 dpi).

Cov

erApril showers bring trailers, trash to Opekiska Dam Two bright red

trailers got stuck against the Ope-kiska Dam in the early hours of April 20 on the Monon-gahela River south of Morgantown, W.Va., after a period of high water.

Welders from the district’s repair party work on the gates of the C.W. Bill Young Lock on the Allegheny River, which was dewatered for three weeks this spring. (Photo by Dan Jones, PAO)

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Conemaugh educates students on water safety, environmentBy Brian Keppler, Co-nemaugh Conemaugh River Lake hosted Bell Township Elemen-tary School’s 6th grade classes for their end-of-the-year celebration on May 27th. More than 50 kids, along with their teachers and parents, gathered to enjoy a day of both fun and education. Originally, the group was scheduled to tour the dam, however, with current security restric-tions, tours are not permitted. Alternative activities were developed by Park Ranger Mark Keppler and Student Training Expericence (STEP) Ranger Brian Hone. Keppler led the children on an educational nature

Buoys track real-time data for district, public By Sheila Tunney, PAO In early spring, Water Man-agement’s Rose Reilly and April Hawkey, Tygart, accompanied pro-fessionals from Fondriest Environ-mental, Inc., to oversee the installa-tion of water temperature buoys at 12 Pittsburgh District reservoirs. The buoys hold up a string of temperature nodes in the water that provide real-time profiles of our lakes, which is then transmitted to and compiled on the internet. Our water management team uses this information for decisions on hy-dropower and on how we operate the lakes and fish habitat. It is also made available publicly and often used by potential visitors when making deci-sions about recreation. The buoys will remain in place until October.

Student Training Experience Program (STEP) Ranger Brian Hone leads chil-dren from Bell Township Elementary School in a water safety program. (Photo by Amy Wylie, Conemaugh)

scavenger hunt along the Wood-chuck Trail, where they searched for things like feath-ers, seeds and natural features. Ranger Hone then taught the children the importance of wearing life-jackets through a water-safety pro-gram and rescue bag relay race. Student worker Amy Wylie as-sisted both rangers

and took photos. “Fun was had by all who attended,” said Keppler, adding, “We wish the best of luck to the students as they transition to Kiski Area Intermediate School this fall!”

Maintenance Worker Nate Lash, right, helps Doug Ngyuen from Fondriest Environmental, Inc., with the installation of a water temperature buoy at Mahoning Creek Lake. (Photo by April Hawkey, Tygart Lake)

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LPA tag-team busts file backlog

By Katherine Christ, Northern Area Office Recently, two Northern Area Lake Project Assistants (LPA) took it upon themselves to tackle the six-and-a-half years of filing back-log at two Northern Area projects that have had no LPA. Helen Stryker, Tionesta, and Diane Fisher, East Branch, donned HAZMAT suits and visited the of-fices of Woodcock Creek Lake and Kinzua Dam to clean out years of dusty files. “Enough paper was shredded to

fill several king size mat-tresses. I think that an ex-summer ranger was found buried and recovered as a result of the clean out,” said Kinzua Resource Manager Rodney Daum Northern Area Office Administrative Specialist Kathy Christ, who sup-ported Woodcock Creek Lake on some projects for the past three years, said, “I think the Woodcock

staff filed everything under ‘D’ for ‘Document.’ And, I believe they were waiting for Apple to come out with a de-clutter app.” On a more serious note, the staff at Woodcock and Kinzua said they are very appreciative of the help they are getting from their shared LPAs. “The help was very much needed…to take at last some of the burden off Park Ranger Steve Lauser and myself in the way of LPA-associated tasks,” Daum said. Dianne Kolodziejski from Mos-quito Lake, which shares an LPA with Shenango Lake, echoed her fellow resource manager’s senti-ments, and added, “An LPA is the glue that holds the project together. They know what needs done, where it’s filed and when it’s due. Otherwise, we flounder sharing the critical administrative responsibili-ties that are not our strength. “It’s crazy seeing managers, rangers and maintenance folks struggle with something that can be done with an efficient LPA in a fraction of the time...and God for-bid anyone would open those file cabinets,” said Christ.

By Katherine Christ, Northern Area Office Recently, Pittsburgh District’s Lake Project Assistants (LPA) were upgraded from GS-0303-05 to GS-303-06. The upgrades were brought about by an increase in the use of office automation and technol-ogy. Gone are the days when LPAs mostly answered the telephone, filed, and typed documents on an IBM Selectric Typewriter. Today, LPAs must be experi-enced in the use of many office au-tomation software packages and be able to develop and devise reports for management, capturing and ex-tracting data from various sources. The positions require the ability to input and upload data utilizing complex formats, and which may require the integration of material from one type of software applica-tion into another.

The LPA Papersby Helen Stryker, Tionesta

Are you tired of watchingYour paper files grow?Call your Admin Pros,We’ll know what to keep or throw.No worries about the piles,It will be no trials,ARIMS has styleSo, you’ll be able to see the floor tiles!LPAs love the trees,So we’ll be recycling these.No need to dread,They’ll all be cross-shred.

Lake project assistants upgraded to GS-06

Under the protection of HAZMAT suits, Lake Project Assistants Helen Stryker and Diane Fisher cleanout years of dusty files at Woodcock Lake. (Photo by Pete O’Connell, Northern Area Office)

As for the LPAs, they said they were happy to do the work. “It was a pleasure lending sup-port and being so eagerly wel-comed. I also appreciate manage-ment’s support in permitting the double team effort!” said Fisher. Most of all, the staff at Kinzua Dam, Mosquito Creek Lake, and Woodcock Creek Lake said they will be happy to finally have an LPA to turn to for their expertise, not only in filing, but also in office automation assistance (timecards, purchase requests and commit-ments, etc.) and administrative policies and procedures.

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Rangers verify wetlands with Corps, state regulators

By Kyle Kraynak, Shenango On April 5, Park Rangers Ja-son Bowers, Tionesta, and Kyle Kraynak, Shenango, accompanied Alex Kostra and Matt Mason of the Regulatory Branch, and Scott Dudzic of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on a site visit to Cranberry, Pa., as part of their career internship requirements. The purpose of the site inspec-tion was to verify wetland delinea-tion mappings submitted by Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. Two separate sites were visited by the group. The first site was a 25-acre former KOA campground, which may be developed in the near future. The Corps group veri-fied it had several jurisdictional and isolated wetland areas and several streams. The second site was a property owned by a local church and had runoff from an adjacent farm field.

First responders train in Yough outflow area

By Emily Potter, Youghiogheny Five local fire and emer-gency medical service agen-cies participated in swift water rescue and emergency response training at the Youghiogheny River Lake outflow on June 4. A release from the dam was coordinated between the Water Management Branch, the project, and White Cap Water Rescue, a company that specializes in training first responders for water emer-gencies. Participants completed the “hands-on” portion of the 16-hour course, focusing on self-rescue and shoreline-based rescue techniques. Each participant practiced tossing a throw bag to a victim being swept downstream, doing a barrel roll in the water to avoid an obstacle, going over an obstruction in the water, and learning rescue tech-niques for a victim with a foot entrapment. The course was taught by Todd Stahl of White Cap Water Rescue.

Ranger Kyle Kraynak (left) and Matt Mason, Regulatory, reference a map for wetland loca-tions on a proposed development site in Cranberry, Pa., while Alex Kostra (right), also of Regulatory, lends a hand. (Photo by Jason Bowers, Tionesta)

Several jurisdictional streams and wetlands were located on the prop-erty, and the owner had requested a jurisdictional determination of the wetland boundaries. The two site visits provided the rangers with field experience in identifying wetland borders and re-inforced their commitment to natural resources. “It is important for rangers to know about wetlands because they provide critical habitat for wildlife, water storage to prevent flooding and protect water quality, and recreation-al opportunities for wildlife watch-ers, anglers, hunters, and boaters,” said Bowers. “As environmental stewards we too need to be able to identify and help protect these very important habitats. These wetlands may not look like much, but as a collective group, act as nature’s kidneys for the earth.”

First responder practice shoreline rescue techniques at Youghiogheny River Lake.

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Bobber, STEP rangers get ‘head start’ on water safetyBy Mike Setlock, Loyalhanna On May 18, STEP Park Rangers, Brian Hone and Amelia Lyons of Conemaugh and Loyalhanna Lakes teamed to conduct a water safety session with the Indiana County Headstart Program at the YMCA in Indiana, Pa. The audience consisted of 3- to 5-year-old children who had the opportunity to learn about safe boating and be fitted for a life jacket. Bobber the Water Safety Dog made an appearance and handed out water safety “goody” bags to all of the 34 kids that attended the session.

Bird walk, plantings brighten Berlin Lake Earth Day

Story and photo by Greg Feustel, Berlin Earth Day 2011 (April 22) found Berlin Lake bus-tling with activity with Rangers Kat Fatula and Greg Feustel leading separate events in honor of the annual clean-up celebration. Feustel organized a bird walk with the Mahoning Valley Audubon Club through the Mill Creek camp ground. He said bright sun and clear skies were a bonus on top of the 30 species of birds that were seen while walking. A few newly arrived avian migrants included yellow rumped, palm, and yellow warblers also added to the fun. Following the bird walk Boy Scout Troop #112 from Newton Falls, Ohio, arrived to assist Fatula in planting more than 70 tree seedlings around the Swampwood and Maplewood loops of the camp-ground. The troop worked quickly and efficiently to plant the seedlings and place tree guards around them. When the planting was finished the local Coast Guard Auxiliary group presented a knot-tying demon-stration to the group. In exchange for all of their efforts, the troop was invited to spend the night at the campground enjoying the warm spring weather.

Boy Scouts plant tree seedlings around Berlin Lake campground.

Tionesta volunteers help clean shore, recreation areasBy Lynette Simko, Tionesta Tionesta Lake sponsored its 2011 Lake Shore Clean up on April 30. Volunteers took to the lake shore and recreation areas with the hope of beautifying Tionesta Lake and enjoying the great weather. A total of 85 volunteers paticipated and 108 bags of litter, 28 tires, and four bags of aluminum cans were collected.

Ranger Brian Hone helps a girl with her life jacket at the Indiana YMCA. (Photo by Amelia Lyons, Loyalhanna)

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Volunteers clear tons of trash at Loyalhanna Story and photos by Mike Setlock, Loy-alhanna As the wind and rain came down, 117 workers and volunteers gathered to pick up trash and debris during the Loy-alhanna Lake Cleanup day on April 16. By day’s end, the group had loaded up nearly six tons of trash including metal drums, propane tanks, and 75 car tires. This annual event, part of the Great Pennsylvania Cleanup was organized to remove trash and debris from the lake’s Bush Recreation Area. After registering volunteers, Park Ranger Mike Setlock conducted a safety briefing and issued gloves, safety vests and trash bags, which were pro-vided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). The volunteers were separated into three groups and assigned specific areas. Work pontoon boats shuttled participants to different points around the lake, while another group tackled the campground and nearby lakeshore coves. A third group was dispatched to a two-mile portion of Bush Road which is part of the Loyalhanna Lake/Westmore-land Cleanways Adopt-A-Highway Partnership. This road crew was led by Southern Area Park Ranger Joe Kolodziej. Park Rangers Mark Keppler and Mike Setlock, along with Resource Manager Paul Toman and Wildlife Biologist Tom Maier worked with the lake crews to pick up the col-lected trash and transport it to the boat launch area. It was then hauled to the trash pile by Frank Caruso of Peoples Natural Gas, Greensburg. The gas company also assisted in the effort by providing a backhoe, dump truck and four personnel as part of a Real Estate

Branch in-kind service agreement. Lake Project Assistant Mary Ann Wylie treated participants to hot dogs and drinks after the event. PennDOT ensured the proper disposal of several

dump truck loads of trash that the volunteers removed from the area. The majority of volunteers came from Latrobe, Pa.-based Adelphoi Village, a school for at-risk students in North Huntington Township. For many of the young volunteers, a day in the woods and on a lake provided a new experience of environmental stewardship. Members of Boy Scout Troop 109 from Pittsburgh, and Cub Scout Pack 551 from Hyde Park, Pa., also participated. The PA Southwest Bassmen fishing club and Stapleton’s Market, Saltsburg, Pa., do-

nated food and drinks. Pittsburgh District Realty Management and Dispos-al Supervisor Shekinah Bailey and Maier, transplanted three apple trees in the campground. The efforts of the volunteers were greatly appre-ciated by the Loyalhanna/Conemaugh staff as they provided a clean lakeshore and recreation area for the upcoming season.

Volunteers load tires onto a pontoon boat after collection from the lake shore. Loyalhanna Lake’s Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful event on April 16 rid the lake project of tons of trash, including metal drums, propane tanks, and 75 tires (below).

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Story and photos by Mike Setlock, Loyalhanna The second annual Youth and Family Outdoor Show was held on May 1 at Keystone State Park in New Alexandria, Pa. The purpose of the event was to introduce kids and their families to the outdoors in southwestern Pennsylvania, and to let them know when it comes to outdoor recre-ation there are many options of places to visit and so many things to do. Loyalhanna Ranger Mike Set-lock attended the show with dis-plays promoting water safety and recreational opportunities at Corps lakes. Water safety “goody” bags were distributed to all kids that partici-pated in the show. The event was sponsored by Keystone State Park and co-spon-sored by the Westmoreland County Sportsmen’s League, Gander Mountain, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The show fea-tured about 40 exhibitors promot-

ing the outdoors, and included local sportsmen’s clubs, Ducks Unlim-ited and Pheasants Forever, as well as retailers like Ligonier Outfitters. There were also plenty of non-consumptive groups and companies including Exkursion and Wildlife Works represented, providing in-formation about hiking, kayaking, birding, and wildlife rehabilitation. The day also featured demon-strations of sporting dogs, water-rescue teams and sled dogs, as well as opportunities for attendees to boat and take guided hikes. What made the day really spe-cial, though, is that the event was free. About 300 people attended the event, even with inclement weather in the forecast. Children 16-and-younger who attended the show had the chance to go home with gifts. All those who filled out a card were eligible to receive prizes during a drawing. The top prize included an all-day kayak float trip through Northwest Canoe and Kayak from Salina, Pa.

Loyalhanna attends youth and outdoor show

A young participant takes a lock tour through an interactive water safety DVD.

Crowd enjoys opening day at TionestaStory and photo by Jason Bow-ers, Tionesta Despite harsh weather, high water and close to freezing conditions, the Tionesta Lake campground at Kellettville becomes a hot spot for trout fishermen on opening day. For many people this is more than just the opening day of trout, but the beginning of their camping season at Tio-nesta Lake. Campsites were occupied during the opening weekend with people from Pennsyl-vania, Ohio, North Carolina, Colorado and New York, many of whom return year after year. Throughout the Tionesta Creek Valley, hundreds of fishermen can be found during opening day searching for the majestic trout, with the big-gest concentration of anglers always found fishing near Kel-lettville Bridge, just outside of the Kellettville campground.

Every year, fishermen brave high water and close-to-freezing conditions to be a part of the opening day of trout season at Tionesta Lake.

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Aquatic specimens delight kids at Meadville research symposium

Biologist Rose Reilly, Water Management, shows children attend-ing Creek Connections’ annual Student Re-search Symposium one of many aquatic animal specimens that were collected from district waters. Creek Connec-tions is an outreach program of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., that brings hands-on, inquiry-based edu-cation about watersheds to students ranging in age from elementary to high school. (Photo by April Hawkey, Tygart Lake)

M.J. Kirwan ready for anglersBy Julie Stone, MJ Kirwan Fishing at M.J. Kirwan Dam & Reservoir is in full swing. Anglers have been catching muskies, pike, crappie, and some bass out of the reservoir daily. Marty Cisine of Hub-bard landed this muskie on April 10 while crappie fishing. He said he was us-ing an ultra light rod, 6-pound line and a 1/16 ounce Road Runner jig tipped with a minnow, and hooked the fish perfectly in the corner of the jaw. It took both him and his friend to fight this monster onboard!

North Park Lake reopens, filling upBy Scott Frechione, PAO On June 11, the Corps of Engineers and Allegheny County officially reopened North Park Lake after the two partnered on a two-year aquatic restoration project that included draining and dredg-ing the lake. The Corps’ involvement included planning studies, design, removal of 100,000 cubic yards of sediment, con-structing diversion channels, placing fish habitat structures and shoreline plantings. Project Manager Craig Carney said the only work re-maining is the shoreline veg-etation, which will commence as the lake fills. The work began after the lake was drained in Septem-ber 2009, and the total proj-ect cost is estimated at $17.5 million, though the federal portion provided by the Corps was capped at $5 million.

North Park Lake has reopened to the public and is slowly refilling as the two year project by the Corps of Engineers and Allegheny County wraps up. (Photo by Craig Carney, Project Management)

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Water Safety Night at PNC Park Photos by Dan Jones, PA

Nicole Marisavljevic (left) and Ashley Petraglia were in the stands for Water Safety Night on May 20 at PNC Park.

From left to right, April Hawkey (Tygart), Jason Quinn (Tionesta), Richard Mack (Crooked Creek) and Jason Bowers (Tionesta) presented the colors for the match up against the Detroit Tigers.

Free T-shirts with Pirates and Corps logos brought thousands of fans out to the ballgame.

Larry Furlong (PA Fish and Boat Commission) gives fishing tips to Pirates players before the game.

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Water Safety Night at PNC Park Photos by Dan Jones, PA

From left to right, Mark Smith (Maxwell Lock and Dam), Larry Furlong (PA Fish and Boat Commission), Cmdr. Richard Timme (Coast Guard), Col. William Graham (District Engineer) and Janelle Kaufold (Re-source Management) spent time with the Pirate Parrot before the game started.

Larry Furlong (PA Fish and Boat Commission) gives fishing tips to Pirates players before the game.

District Engineer Col. William Graham meets the Pirate Parrot before throwing out the first pitch for Water Safety Night at PNC Park

A video starring Berlin Lake Ranger Kat Fatula promotes water safety on the Jumbo-Tron. This public ser-vice announcement, which plays through-out the season, also features officials from the Coast Guard, the PA Fish and Boat Commission and Pirates player Garrett Jones.

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Co-op walks Relay for Life, remembers Ed JonesBy Scott Frechione, PAO Members of the district’s Castle Co-op Program participated in the Relay for Life walk on June 11 at the Bethel Park Community Center, to honor their friend and co-worker, Ed Jones. Jones, a long time Corps em-ployee who worked as a welder and supervisor at Pittsburgh Engineer-ing Warehouse and Repair Station on Neville Island, passed away last November of pancreatic cancer at 61. Each year he participated in the Relay for Life walk, a fundraiser for cancer awareness. It was at this event in 2007 when John Decolati, an accountant in Resource Management, met Jones for the first time while participating in the Relay for Life walk. “His attitude was contagious,” said Decolati. Jones’ kindness, persistence, and

the bank into the stream. Deflec-tors help stabilize stream banks by directing the stream current away from the banks, which creates slack water adjacent to the banks and dis-sipates the stream’s energy. They also add diversity to the channel by

Story and photo by Jason Bowers, Tionesta As a part of a partnership agree-ment for stream improvement between the Corps of Engineers at Tionesta Lake, the Kellettville Sportsman’s Club, the Collins Pine Company, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Ross Run has become a gateway where youth can come and fish. Under the agreement to im-prove the current stream condi-tions, plans have been made to install 13 deflectors along Ross Run’s banks to help create habitat and pools along the stream. Deflectors are also called “hard points” or “wing deflectors,” and are made up of spurs of rocks, logs or gabions that extend from

can-do attitude are the reasons why Decolati said he wants to dedicate this walk, his first without Jones, in his memory. “He was an inspiration for me to finish the last six miles my first

year, when I really wanted to quit--he didn’t let me,” said Decolati. Decolati said his goal is to walk 26.2 miles in 24 hours in honor of Jones and for the celebration of his life.

Ed Jones (right) helps out at Youghiogheny River Lake’s annual Special Recreation Day in May 2009. (Photo by Jeff Hawk, PAO)

Tionesta Ross Run partnership sees successconcentrating the flow of water and creating deep pools. The partners already have in-stalled several stream improvement devices along 1,000 feet of the stream and plan to install two more devices in August.

Kellettville Sportsman’s Club annually stocks trout into Ross Run for a special fishing event for children. At this event children receive hot beverages and hotdogs. As a reward children who catch a tagged trout receive a free fishing pole. In addition, this section of Ross Run is designated by the PA Fish and Boat Commission as a children’s fishing stream, permitting only those children age 12 and under and persons with disabilities to fish for a designated period of 60 days in 2011.

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Shenango Keeps America Beautiful Story and photo by Eric Schreckengost, Shenango Volunteers came to Shenango Lake for its annual Keep America Beautiful Day event on April 30. Ranger Eric Schreckengost as-sisted the volunteers who concentrated their efforts in the campground area and a couple of the outlying access areas, where they raked and piled debris and col-lected trash. The volunteers also planted some trees donated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission around the Old

Story and photos by Kyle Kraynak, Shenango On April 13, Park Rangers Eric Schreckengost and Kyle Kraynak from Shenango Lake collaborated with PA Fish and Boat Commission (PAFBC) fisheries management staff for a fish habitat structure project. Assisting the state and fed-eral employees were 12 high school students from West Middlesex High School. The students and staff con-structed 16 fish structures. The habitat structures were placed in the lake to provide juvenile fish protection and improve recruitment of fish in man-made impoundments that lack abundant, deep-water sub-merged aquatic vegetation. Shenango Lake and the PAFBC’s Bureau of Fisheries Habitat Manage-ment Division have a formal three-year agreement in place for multiple habitat projects.

Duck Loop of the campground The volunteer efforts were greatly appreciated by the staff as the recent high water events have washed a lot of trash and debris into the recreation area.

A volunteer works on planting a Pine seedling in the Old Duck Loop campground during Shenango River Lake’s celebration of Keep America Beautiful Day.

Agencies, students partner for Habittack!

From Top: PA Fish and Boat Commission Bureau of Fisheries Habitat Management Di-vision staff and West Middlesex High School students assemble crib fish structures. Students and staff take a crib structure out to be placed in Shenango Lake.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will soon be undergoing a major over-haul in how it posts infor-mation to the Internet.

The goal is that all USACE web-sites will look and navigate the same, making it easier to find

information when moving from one USACE site to another. To do this, USACE will use the Armed Forces Public Information Management Service as the plat-form. AFPIMS is a customized con-tent management system that standardizes efforts by allowing personnel to submit news stories, images, video, audio and other text from around the world. The Department of Defense, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps already uses AFPIMS to manage information on websites. The head-quarters website will be the first to move to AFPIMS. Corps Divisions, Districts and Centers are scheduled to follow. All sites are scheduled to be moved to AFPIMS within 12-18 months.

(Editor’s note: Condensed from a story published in the May 2011 Huntsville Center Bulletin, By Wil-liam S. Farrow)

Corps’ Web sitesshifting platforms

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Shenango sets the standard for water safety educationBy Scott Frechione, PAO With boating sea-son officially under way, park rangers at Shenango Lake have been making a concerted effort to reach as many people as possible concern-ing water safety this summer. In 2010, accord-ing to Park Ranger Eric Schreckengost, the staff at Shenango Lake made around 900,000 local con-tacts and are pushing for more this year. The Hermitage Dairy Queen, Shenango Valley Shuttle Service, and Flynn’s Tires & Auto Service are just a few of the local busi-nesses promoting the water safety message. Electronic billboards, grocery bags, campground vehicle passes, and ads on the sides of buses are all being used. The Corps logo and “Wear It” water safety mes-sages and graphics are being displayed. Ranger Richard Egger and Kyle Kraynak first made the big push for the water safety educa-tion campaign last year, and the lake staff is now supplementing the promotional materials with other water safety activities. The pair decided to try promot-ing water safety using unique me-dia that hadn’t been tried before. Local businesses have been very

receptive and are providing ad space free of charge. In addition to their advertising efforts, Shenango Lake is home to the annual “Summer’s Best Two Weeks” event from June 20 – July 1 at the Mercer Recreation Area. Lake staff will be providing water safety programming during the first week and support day camp activities by local church groups during the second. The Leslie Sparano Sum-merfest at the project on July 15 provides an opportunity to teach physically and mentally chal-lenged visitors, their friends and family the importance of proper life jacket use while boating. Impromptu “Bobber” appear-ances are common throughout the summer recreation season at the Shenango Campground and Chestnut Run Swim Beach.

☻ Always wear sun tan lotion☻ Be alcohol free☻ Wear your US Coast Guard ap-proved lifejacket☻ Pay attention to warning signs☻ Exit water when warning horns sound☻ Plan trips in advance

Basic Water Safety Tips

Boating Safety Tips☻ Check and heed weather forecasts before boating. ☻ Keep clear of swimmers and desig-nated swimming areas. ☻ Alcohol is involved in over 50% of all boating fatalities - DON’T DRINK WHILE BOATING ☻ Take a safe boating course. ☻ The best protection against drown-ing is to wear your personal flotation device (PFD)

Swimming Safety Tips☻ Never swim alone. ☻ Never dive—underwater hazards may exist. ☻ Learn water rescue techniques. ☻ Avoid swimming in cold water for long periods.

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(Photo by Park Ranger Richard Egger, Shenango)

Story and photos by Dan Jones, PAO As the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks draws near, Phase 1 work at the Flight 93 Memorial is on track to be completed in time for the dedication weekend, Sept. 10-11.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers, Pittsburgh District has been involved with the $60 million proj-ect in a support role since approach-ing the National Park Service about assisting with the construction of the memorial.

The Corps and the National Park Service partnership has been vital to ensuring Phase 1A construction is completed before the dedication ceremony, according to Bryan Cic-cocioppo, who along with Sara Hil-legas are the Corps of Engineers construction management team for the memorial.

Preparation began at the 2,200-acre site with a groundbreaking cer-emony in late 2009 and construction began in March 2010.

The memorial design required the relocation of more than 480,000 cu-bic yards of soil. The average dump truck typically holds approximately 15-16 cubic yards, Ciccocioppo added.

“The topography was always part of the design,” said Paul Murdoch, memo-rial architect. “We reworked the area to get the slope. The orientation of the bowl needed to be at the crash site.”

The site also required the design and installation of a storm water drainage system.

Due to the amount of construc-tion, the district’s Regulatory Branch had to assist with the permit and installation of four new wetlands to replace the ones that were disturbed or de-stroyed.

“With a site this large, there was a lot of work involved in the permitting process for our Regulatory office,” Ciccociopo said. “But we have a good team and they walked the entire site to make sure everything was done right. The regulatory work was phenomenal.”

According to Murdoch,

there were concerns about the weather.“A lot of the parts of the memorial

were designed to be prefabricated off-site. This was done so that work could continue during the winter,” he said.

The items fabricated off-site include the precast concrete for the Memorial Wall and the Marble work for the Flight Path Wall. Other items include the pre-cast concrete benches and the wooden benches that set on top of them.

Once visitors travel down the road

and arrive at the memorial, they will enter through a visitor’s shelter. The shelter is constructed of concrete that was formed to look like hand-hewn hemlock wood. This is to sig-nify that the plane crashed in a hem-lock grove.

The same concrete pattern lines the back side of the concrete wall along the walkway to the Flight Path Wall, the focal point of the memo-rial. It is made of Vermont Danby marble and is where the names of the 40 heroes are honored.

“The recognition of all 40 names is important,” Murdoch said. “We used the same kind of stone for all the slabs and each individual has their own slab, but each slab is unique.”

In front of the wall, visitors will travel along granite paving stones that follow the path of the flight as it crashed into the field.

The families of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 will have a special parking lot and entrance to the memorial.

Funding for the memorial was raised by the Flight 93 families and the National Park Foundation’s Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign.

“There is a lot of significance to the completion of the first phase, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Murdoch said.

The next part of the project includes planting of 1,600 trees which are part of 40 groves to honor each victim. A visi-tor center will also be constructed at the site. The work is set to begin in 2012 and

be completed in 2014.“You see the road and the wall and

sometimes you forget about the effort that went into building this memo-rial,” Ciccocioppo added.

Visitors will be able to access the site directly from Route 30 as a new road will be completed by Sept. 10.

“Sometimes, when you stop and think about what you are working on, it can be difficult,” Ciccocioppo said

“The rest of the project is impor-tant because it is all part of the memo-rial experience,” Murdoch said. “It is always going to be special when you come here.”

Flight 93 Memorial Phase I nears completion

Concrete is poured for the family entrance to the memorial.

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A worker at the Flight 93 National Memorial site smoothes concrete for a walkway outside of the visitor shelter.

By Sheila Tunney, PAO Navigation Chief Dave Sneberger was named the National Weightlifting Champion in his age bracket after lifting 192 kilograms (422.4 pounds), the average of two lift categories, during the National Masters Championship in Savanah, Ga., in October. His total in the two categories exceeded the second place competitor by a hefty 35 kilograms (77 pounds). “I opened with higher lifts than the competition and I made five of my six lifts, while they made their openers and didn’t do much after that,” Sneberger said. In his three attempts at the two-hand snatch, where the competitor must take the weight from the floor to an over-head position with arms straight in one movement, Sne-berger was credited with lifting 85 kilograms (187 pounds), the heaviest of his lifts. And in the two-hand “clean and jerk,” where the weight is lifted from the floor to the shoulders (the clean) and then rapidly pushed overhead to arms length (the jerk), he was credited with 107 kilosgrams (235 pounds). “I equaled my personal best snatch and set a new per-sonal best clean and jerk, which gave me a personal best total of 192 kilos! My previous best total was 186 (kilo-grams),” Sneberger said. Sneberger, who has been with the district’s Locks and Dams Branch throughout his 40 years with the district, has been lifting weights since attending college. “I was originally a track athlete and used weight train-ing to increase my strength to be able to throw the discus. I became more interested in weightlifting and eventually quit track to devote my time to it,” he said.

He began competing shortly afterward and continued in the weightlifting arena until his late 30s, achieving the Allegheny Mountain Association (regional governing body for weightlifting) Weightlifter of the year in 1986. “Although I was never quite good enough to compete for the Olympic Team, I lifted against many Olympic and ‘World’ competitors over the years,” Sneberger added. Sneberger took a break from competing for many years, but continued to lift weights and work out regularly. He is a certified coach under USA Weightlifting (national govern-ing body for Olympic weightlifting in the U.S.), and works with a lot of up and coming young weightlifters to promote the sport. When he was in his mid 50s, he said the urge to com-pete returned. So he joined the Pittsburgh Barbell Club in Bridgeville, Pa., and began training. “I competed in the Masters National Championship back in 2007 and finished fourth. After a few years of train-ing and numerous state and local championships, I was able to win the National Masters Championship this year,” he said.(Editor’s note: Story compiled from interviews by Katie Cunning-ham, Water Management; photos courtesy of Dave Sneberger.)

Sneberger ‘lifted’ to top spot at Masters

Weightlifting 101by Dave Sneberger, Locks and Dams Weightlifting is the only recognized strength sport in the Olympics. It consists of two separate lifts. The “two-hand snatch” requires the weight to be lifted from the ground to an overhead position to arms length in one motion. The “clean and jerk” is a two-part lift, in which the weight is lifted from the ground to shoulder height (clean) and forced overhead to arms length (jerk). Sometimes people confuse weightlifting with power lifting. Power lifting consists of the squat, dead lift and bench press. This is also a great sport, but not what I do. While power lifting is more of a pure strength sport, weightlifting combines strength with speed, agility and flexibility and is a little more ath-letic.

Visit weight-lifting.teamusa.org for more information on the sport.

Dave Sneberger, Locks and Dams, who won first place in his most recent weightlifting competition and was named National Weightlift-ing Champion in his age bracket, is shown “jerking” 106 kilograms. Below: Sneberger receives first place medal for a grand total lift of 192 kilograms.

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Geology students see Corps’ civil works dams first handBy Jason Bowers, Tionesta TIONESTA, Pa. -- Ten students from Kent State University’s Advanced Engi-neering Geology class lead by Professor of Engineering-Geology, Dr. Abdul Shakoor and former Pittsburgh District Supervisory Geologist Dr. Brian Greene, visited two Pittsburgh District flood control dams in March. The group first saw Tionesta Lake’s dam, which has a compacted earth fill with impervious core, and then Kinzua Dam, which is a concrete dam and earth embankment with four 24 by 45 feet crest gates. This field trip was designed to give students a better perspective on how dams are designed and constructed. The tours were given by Park Ranger Jason Bowers (Tionesta Lake) and Main-tenance Worker Shawn Castro (Kinzua

Safety First…Catch It!

Story and photo by Kyle Kraynak, Shenango PYMATUNING LAKE, Pa.--Park Rangers Mat-thew Pook, Woodcock, and Kyle Kraynak of Shenan-go, attended the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Com-mission’s (PAFBC) open house at the Linesville Fish Hatchery here on April 2. The event showcased the hatchery program and educational aspects of the facility. Throughout the day more than 3,500 people visited the hatchery grounds. In attendance were numerous state agencies and non profit groups. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Water Craft had information booths set up along side the Pittsburgh District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ booth. The PAFBC brought several tubs of walleye, black and white crappie, and yellow perch from Pymatuning Lake’s 2,500-acre wildlife sanctuary to use for filleting demonstrations and for visitors to sample after bread-ing and deep-frying. Other activities included fish print T-shirts, casting demonstrations, a live reptile and amphibian display, walleye egg fertilization, estimating fish age by read-

2011 Linesville Fish Hatchery Open House Day

ing scales, and a fly tying demonstration. On display at the Corps’ booth were brochures for several of the lakes in the district and a variety of wa-ter safety promotional materials. The Pittsburgh District rangers answered many questions and provided information to the visitors. Children’s materials at the booth, including water safety trinkets and toys “lured” many children quickly to the table, which, in turn, gave the rangers the oppor-tunity to discuss Corps programs and water safety with parents and adults.

Woodcock Creek Lake Ranger Matthew Pook informs visitors on the Corps’ mission, lakes, and water safety initiatives.

Former district geologist Dr. Brian Greene (second from right) and Kent State Engineering-Geology Professor Dr. Abdul Shakoor, far right, brought Kent State’s Advanced Engineering Geology class to Kinzua Dam for a tour in March. (Photo by Shawn Castro, Kinzua)

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McWilliams earns $500K warrant Kirk McWilliams, Resident Engineer in the Lower Mon Field Office, recently earned his $500,000 Administrative Contracting Officer warrant issued by the Principal As-sistant Responsible for Contracting (PARC) - Atlanta. The warrant permits him, as an ACO, to execute modifications up to $500,000 in value to government construction con-tracts he is administrating. He previously had a $100,000 warrant issued by LRD. The award of the warrant is a significant achievement for McWilliams, who needed to complete 24-hours of college-level business credits along with courses from the Defense Acquisition University, and obtain Contracting Level 2 certification, to qualify. Although there are several contracting officers in the district with an equal or higher warrant, McWilliams is one of only three District’s construction engineers to hold a $500,000 one.--PAO

Sixth generation joins the fight District Engineer Col. William Gra-ham welcomed a new recruit to the U.S. armed forces. Josiah Lee Zeiler, son of Donald Zeiler, Lockmaster at Emsworth

Locks and Dam, was sworn in April 5 at the Federal Build-ing, Pittsburgh. Josiah will be attending basic training at Lackand Air Force Base and then tech school to become an air traffic controller. He is in the sixth generation of Zeiler family members who have served in the military. (Photo by Don-ald Zeiler, Emsworth)

Contracting review a successStory and photo by Sheila Tunney, PAO The Pittsburgh District’s Contracting Office received an overall risk assessment rating of low and several commen-dations during their first National Contracting Organization (NCO) Procurement Management Review (PMR) in April. The four-day review by the Principal Assistant Respon-sible for Contracting (PARC)-Atlanta assessed the efficien-cy and effectiveness of contracting operations, technical proficiency and customer relations, as well as compliance with applicable procurement laws, regulations, and policies. The office was cited for several “best practices,” which will be passed on to other districts and agencies. The of-fice’s use of SharePoint to disseminate information, having acquisition personnel meet or exceed the Defense Acquisi-tion Workforce Improvement Act certification and Continu-ous Learning Points requirements, and having excellent close-out procedures, were just a few of the best practices noted. As in any review, said Contracting Chief Cindy Smith, opportunities for improvement were identified, specifically in the oversight of service contracts, annual review of the contracting officer’s representatives (COR) files, non-com-petitive acquisition documentation and transparency, and execution of modifications in the contract writing system (Standard Procurement System/Procurement Desktop De-fense). Smith offered a special thanks to Carole Householder, Procurement Analyst, for her leadership and assistance to the staff in conducting the self-assessment with the pre-award and post-award toolkits. “Her preparation and coordination with the Administra-tive Contracting Officers/CORs/customers and PARC was exceptional,” said Smith, who also thanked the District Staff for their support and feedback during the PMR.

The District Contracting Branch includes, from left to right, Deb Dubay, Cindy Smith, Carol Householder, Megan DeMarchi, Terence James, Donna Dooen, Michelle Anderson, Sue Gitto, Pam Broglio, Jeff Zbezinski, Arlene Bigger, and those not pictured, Jim Costantino and Anne Goodman.

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West Branch State park at Kirwan wins national award On March 25, the staff at West Branch State Park was honored with the Region 1 Award of Merit from the National Water Safety Congress. The park staff was nominated by M.J. Kirwan Ranger Julie Stone, of the Corps of Engineers. Stone and Kirwan staff worked in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to promote boating safety, with nearly 5,000 contacts made with recreational boaters last year. “2010 was the first year that water safety out-reach was emphasized and fully engaged at West Branch Reservoir, which resulted in no reportable boating-related fatalities,” said Stone. The 2,650-acre lake in Portage County permits operation of powerboats with unlimited horsepower and is patrolled by USACE and Division of Water-craft officers. “The award recognizes the outstanding effort and significant contribution that was made through a partnership effort to promote local boating safety awareness at West Branch Reservoir,” said Pamela Dillon, chief of the ODNR Division of Watercraft. Dillon presented the award during a brief cer-emony at the reservoir. The National Water Safety Congress is dedicated to promoting safe use of both private and public wa-ter resources in the United States. For more informa-tion, go to www.watersafetycongress.org.--PAO

Wage Grade: Charles Weight

Lock 3, Mononga-hela River

Employees of the 3rd Quarter

GS: Conrad Weiser

Environmental & Planning

M.J. Kirwan Resource Manager Doug Krider (left) presents the Region 1 Award of Merit from the National Water Safety Congress to West Branch State Park Manager John Wilder. (Photo by Julie Stone, MJ Kirwan)

By Scott Frechione, PAO Members of the Pitts-burgh District gathered on June 20 for the an-nual Kennywood picnic. Outgoing Deputy Engineer Lt. Col. Randall Wheeler presented awards to district members. Two types of awards were given: peer awards, which are voted on by employees from each job category, and commendatory awards, which are based on recommendations by supervisors or co-workers.

Commendatory Awards Team of the Year - Pike Island L/D EmployeesTeam of the Year - Upper Ohio Area Construction Office TeamAmbassador of the Year - Mike EstockAmbassador of the Year - Ashley Petraglia (pictured)Ambassador of the Year - Sherrie PlonskiAmbassador of the Year - Jennifer SavitzVolunteer of the Year - Sue GittoVolunteer of the Year - Kim PolingOutstanding Leadership - Paula BorenOutstanding Leadership - Dick HetrickOutstanding Leadership - Ian McKelvey Peer Awards Admin - Mark IvanisinTechnical - Denise StefanyszynEngineer - Bryan CiccocioppoAnthony Clark - Lock OperatorJake Haring - Lock OperatorLawrence Kubica - Lock OperatorTyler Bintrim - ProfessionalRose Reilly - ProfessionalJoe Arnett - RangerGabriel Stala - StudentRyan Kinneman - Wage GradeShekinah Bailey - SupervisorChris Johnson - Supervisor

Corps Day at Kennywood

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U.S. Congressman Tim Ryan and District Commander Col. William Graham show off their Grassman Festival T-shirts given to them by Ohio State Parks Regional Manager John Wilder during a recent meeting at Mos-quito Creek Lake. “Grassman,” a mythical creature, akin to Sasquatch, is said to have been seen in Ohio. (Photo by Julie Stone, MJ Kirwan)

A work boat owned by River Salvage Company of Neville Is-land, Pa., pulls a 2,000-ton coal-filled barge from the Emsworth Locks and Dams back channel dam in early May. The barge is one of four that broke free on April 27 in the back channel of the Ohio River at Neville Island. All of the barges have since been safely removed or salvaged. (Photo by Jeff Hawk, PAO)

This old photo of District rangers was taken in October of 1975 at Seven Springs, Pa. The rangers may have been gathered for a Visitors Assis-tance conference. Front Row: Buzz Jamison, Burl McVicker, Pete Colan-gelo, George Turak; Second Row: Unknown (maybe Harvey Wilson), Les Hixon, Harold Conners, Bill Sterling, Vince Sweigert, Harlan Grafton, Doc Tressler, Dennis Jones (PGC); Third Row: Clyde Braun, John Robbins, Jack Ewers (hidden), Jim Conway, Ken Watson, Charles Dachtler, Joe Rellick, Gerald Purvis (ORD). (Photo contributed by Patrick Kline, Mahon-ing, and found by Amy Keitzer-Wallace, Tionesta)

Natalie Carlson (daughter of Dave, IWR) offers Bobber the Water Safety Dog a treat during the district office’s observance of Bring Your Child to Work Day on April 28. The event is an opportunity for children to be exposed to the wide range of occupations that exist in the Corps of Engineers. (Photo by Margie Luzier, ACE-IT)

Jessa Corton, Dam Safety/Geotech, recently returned to the district after working for more than a year at the Basra Resident Construction Office in Iraq. Corton is standing in front of the Umm Quasr Pier, a project she worked on for a few months. The pier is part of the only Iraqi naval base. (Photo courtesy of Jessa Corton, Dam Safety/Geotech)

Headwaters Snapshots

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