Crosscurrents - mvp.usace.army.mil Affairs... · Jon Sobiech, Natural Resources office in...

CrosscurrentsVol. 30, No. 8 August-September 2007

District activates emergency responsefor flash floods in southeast Minnesota,southwest Wisconsin

Crosscurrents August-September 2007

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CrosscurrentsCrosscurrents is an unofficial publication,authorized under the provisions of AR360-1. It is published monthly for theSt. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers.

Editorial views and opinions are notnecessarily those of the Corps ofEngineers, nor of the Department ofthe Army.

Address all inquiries to:

Editor, CrosscurrentsU.S. Army Corps of Engineers190 Fifth Street EastSt. Paul, MN 55101-1638

Phone: 651-290-5202

District Commander Col. Jon ChristensenPublic Affairs Chief Mark DavidsonMedia Specialist Shannon BauerEditor Peter VerstegenE-mail: [email protected]

“In life, we don’t get to choose which tragedies visit us or when, but wedo get to choose how to respond to them…”– Gov. Tim Pawlenty, State of Minnesota

by Col. Jon ChristensenDistrict Commander

St. Paul District Teammates:It has certainly been an eventful few months for the district. In addition

to our regular work load, we had the opportunity to make a difference inthe lives of those people touched by the recent stringof disasters occurring within our district boundaries.As a district, we chose correctly on how we wouldrespond – proactively, professionally and with greatdetermination.

Our first test came when the Interstate-35WBridge collapsed on the lower guide wall of theLower St. Anthony Falls lock and dam on Aug. 1.Corps’ employees James Crosby and Dave Nervawere on duty at that time and responded superbly in

the face of great uncertainty and chaos. They immediately launched boatsin the water and started calling for re-enforcements.

LSAF lockmaster Tim Meers expertly managed the work force down atthe lock, while Shelly Shafer coordinated our response in the EmergencyOperations Center. The district played a major supporting role in therecovery effort – in a wide variety of missions ranging from vehicleremoval to water control operations. As I visited the various supportedand supporting agencies, I heard nothing but great comments in regards tothe district’s assistance.

Just as operations started to wane at Lower St. Anthony Falls, manyareas in southeastern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin fell victimto record flooding. Eight of our St. Paul District teammates suffered somekind of damage to their homes and property – I ask that you keep theseteammates in your thoughts and prayers as they try to personally recoverfrom this tragic event.

Again, district employees and the EOC responded valiantly. The districtresponded to the crisis by dispatching flood engineers, sandbags andpumps to the affected areas in an effort to mitigate and prevent additionaldamage. As I toured the area, community leaders clearly were gratefulfor our support. I am extremely proud of everyone’s efforts – yourepresented the district well and helped to ease the suffering of others.

I thank everyone involved in both operations – you clearly made adifference.

District’s disaster response:proactive, professional, determined

Command Corner by Col. Jon Christensen

Photo by Gary Hazelton, retiree

Kevin Ressie, channels andharbors unit, Fountain City,Wis., travels south in thedistrict’s airboat on U.S.Hwy. 61 in Minnesota City,Minn. With him are threeresidents of Minnesota City.Flash flooding covered thehighway and much ofsoutheast Minnesota,Aug. 19. More, Page 4.

CrosscurrentsAugust-September 2007

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Corps’ personnel rescue residents fromrooftops in response to flash floods

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Rochester project protects community;district works to prevent Wisconsindam failure

District delivers crucial response on I-35W Bridgecollapse

inside

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District’s disasterresponse:proactive, professional,determined

Hydrographic surveycrew maps river channelin wake of bridgecollapse

Check with contractingbefore spendinggovernment money

Kids learn bike safetytips at Blackhawk Park

Domestic violencecrosses age, culture,social status andeducation

55 attend 32nd AnnualRetirees’ Reunion

News and Notes: LeechLake Recreation Areahosts 17th Annual KidsFishing Derby

Postcards from Iraq


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Corps’ personnel rescue residents fromrooftops in response to flash floodsby Mark Davidson

Two Corps’ employees used acanoe, kayak, motor boat and aCorps’ airboat on Aug. 19 torescue dozens of people andanimals from flooding insoutheastern Minnesota.

The Corps’ airboat was used byKevin Ressie, a small craftoperator who works for channelsand harbors unit in Fountain City,Wis. Ressie lives in Fountain City.

The canoe, kayak and fishingboat were used by Jon Sobiech, aforester who works for NaturalResources in LaCrescent, Minn.Sobiech lives in Rushford, Minn., acity that was flooded.

Aug. 19 started early for Ressiewhen he got a call from a friendthat worked at the Winona, Minn.hospital at 5:30 a.m.

“My friend knew I owned anairboat, and they were looking forpeople to start rescuing people,”said Ressie. “I told him my boatwas broken, but I’d get back tohim.”

Ressie called Dan Krumholz, thedistrict chief of lock and dams, forpermission to use the Corps’airboat at Lock and Dam 5A atFountain City. Krumholz gave himpermission to use the airboat dueto the potential life threateningsituation.

“I got to the lock and damaround 6:15 a.m. and got theairboat into the water,” saidRessie. “I got the airboat acrossthe river and into the water on theMinnesota side.”

The [water] on the Minnesotaside that Ressie was driving the

airboat in was about three feet ofwater over Highway 61, whichparallels the Mississippi River onthe west side. The water wasrunning very fast down thehighway in a southerly direction.

“There was a Winona firefighterwith me, and we were rescuingpeople all along Highway 61 untilabout 11 a.m.,” said Ressie. “Werescued about 40 people, whichincluded some babies and elderlypeople. We rescued people withtheir cats and dogs.”

Ressie said most of the peoplewere on their house’s steps andsome were on the roofs. Thepeople and animals were deliveredto higher ground in another part ofWinona County safely.

“I remember picking up one

person from their house, and wepulled away from the property,”said Ressie. “I turned around tolook back, and I saw the person’sbasement cave in at that verymoment.”

While Ressie was busy inWinona, Sobiech was in the middleof the flooded area in Rushford,Minn., where he lives.

Three levees along Rush Creekwere overtopped Aug. 19, floodingRushford, with very little damageto the levees.

Sobiech and his family andfriends were up late Saturdaynight, Aug. 18, after being involvedin a wedding the day before. Atabout 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 19,Sobiech and his brother, Jeff,

Photo by Jon Sobiech

From left are Pat Vickman, resident engineer, Winona, Minn., andJeff Sobiech, and Jeff Gulan, locks and dams, Fountain City, Wis.Gulan and Vickman are walking a levee in Rushford, Minn., toinspect it from an engineering perspective.

Floods, continued on Page 5


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decided to get out of the house andsee how they could help people.

“We spent about 14 hours thatday, without the cell phonesworking, going throughout thetown, helping and rescuing peopleusing my canoe, kayak andmotorboat,” said Sobiech. “The airand the water smelled disgusting.My brother and I had a headachethe entire day from the smell.”

Sobiech and his brother used thevessels in a variety of ways to helpand rescue people. They rescuedfour people that were trapped intheir homes by the water.

“We also transported a bunch ofpeople to another part of townwhere their other family members

were,” said Sobiech. “We assistedabout 45 people that were trappedin town and helped them get out ofRushford.”

Sobiech and his brother, despitehaving to get out of the boat manytimes and walk through gas andsewer infested water, also assistedseven business owners in Rushfordby transporting them to theirbusinesses so the owners couldsave some of the products in theirstores.

“We used my motor boat totransport food and water when thelocal authorities got the donationfrom a local grocery store,” saidSobiech. “We probably transportedmore than 10,000 pounds of foodand water that day and city of

Rushford officials are still using thefood and water salvaged weeksafter the flooding.”

The Sobiech brothers familywere concerned about them beingout in the flood area with nocommunications but were relievedlater that day when their father,who lives in Little Canada, Minn.,saw them on a television newsreport.

“The mayor and fire chief ofRushford knew where we weremost of time,” said Sobiech. “Westopped by the emergencyoperations center that the city hadset up in city hall many times,which was on high ground.”

Near the end of his long day,

Photo by Jeff Sobiech

Jon Sobiech, Natural Resources office in LaCrescent, Minn., and Josh Nelson, Red Wing, were inRushford, Minn., to support disaster response. Nelson is a family friend who attended a wedding withSobiech the day before. Sobiech and his family live in Rushford.

Floods, continued from Page 4

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Scott Baker, Eastern Area Office; Jeff Gulan, Fountain City channels and harbors unit; Pat Vickman,Eastern Area Office; Jeff Sobiech, Natural Resources Office, LaCrescent, Minn., and Melissa Gulan,Eastern Area Office, discuss flooding at the Emergency Operations Center in Rushford, Minn., Aug. 19.

Photo by Jon Sobiech

Sobiech contacted Jeff and MelissaGulan and Pat Vickman, all withthe Corps, to get something done inRushford.

“I contacted Jeff, locks anddams, Melissa, and Pat, both at theEastern Area Office, to get themto walk the levee in Rushford andinspect it from an engineeringperspective,” said Sobiech. “Townofficials were unsure what stepsshould be taken next and wanted aprofessional opinion from theCorps.”

After dealing with flooding in hisbasement, Bryan Peterson, chief ofmaintenance and repair section,operations division, helped assess

levee damage and supportedrecovery of public utilities.Peterson also lives in Rushford.

Said Sobiech, “We managed toopen the gates on the Rush CreekRiver manually, because there wasno power to open them. It tookhundreds of cranking turns to get itopen.” Opening the gate wellsallowed water to drain from theinterior.

Sobiech and his wife, Christa,donated the freezers in their houseand garage space to the local RedCross and Catholic Church sothese organizations could storefood in the freezers and storewater, food and clothing in thegarage.

Looking back, one memory ofthat day Sobiech said he willalways remember is people comingup to their boat to ask him and hisbrother to get one of their familymembers out of a house.

“The other memory of that day Ihave is how proud I was thatpeople didn’t complain or pointfingers,” said Sobiech. “It was allabout helping the other guy, even ifthe helping person lost everythingin the flood.”

Said Peterson, “I’ve lived inRushford my whole life. Theresidents there appreciatedCol. [Jon] Christensen’s [districtcommander] first-hand look. Itmeant a lot to them.”

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Rochester projectprotects community;district works toprevent Wisconsindam failureby Peter Verstegen

As a result of the district-builtRochester flood reduction project,the city of Rochester and propertyowners in the project area wereprotected from the heavy rainsAug. 18-19 and high waters thatflooded several neighboringcommunities in SoutheastMinnesota and SouthwesternWisconsin.

“Rains in the area during theflood ranged from 8-inches to 10-inches,” said Scott Jutila, hydraulicengineer, engineering andconstruction division.

Said Kevin Bluhm, an economistin project management, “The floodcontrol project worked very welland contained the high water as itflowed thorough Rochester withoutincident or need for emergencyactions. By using conservativefigures, the flood event that wascontained saved the community,the state and the federalgovernment an estimated $80million and prevented the need foremergency work, sand bagging,interrupting business and flood-related losses such as cleaning uphomes and businesses fromflooding.”

The project in Rochesterincluded several design reaches.They controlled flooding alongBear Creek, the South ForkZumbro River and Cascade Creek.

In the Bear Creak and SouthFork Zumbro River reaches, the

flood was contained several feetbelow the top of the channel.However, along Cascade Creekthe estimated peak dischargeequaled the design discharge, andthe flood control channel wasflowing full.

The flood was estimated to beabout a 100-year event onCascade Creek, and a 15-yearevent on the South Fork Zumbro

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources requestedassistance from the St. Paul District in lowering the level of areservoir behind Hidden Valley Dam, one of the agency’s high-hazard dams in Vernon County. The Wisconsin National Guardairlifted in pumps supplied by the district. The dam is a NaturalResources Conservation Service structure with an emergency grass-lined spillway and low-flow conduit. Due to the high flows andvelocities, the spillway has reportedly experienced 8-10 feet oferosion, raising concern by dam safety officials of structural failure.The district’s Fountain City Service Base supplied three pumps Aug.19 for use at the location. Dick Otto, area flood manager, was at thesite to provide assistance. All residents downstream of this structurewere evacuated.

River.Said Jutila, “There is no estimate

for Bear Creek. The MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resourcesgauge on Bear Creek was notrecording during the flood peak.Based on high-water marks, theflood on Bear Creek was betweena 10-year and 25-year floodevent.”

St. Paul District photo


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Bryan Peterson, St. Paul District’s maintenance and repair unit chief,right, briefs Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, Mississippi Valley Divisioncommander. They are at Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam,Minneapolis, in early August. Crear was at the lock and dam for afirst-hand assessment of the Corps’ efforts to support local, state andfederal recovery efforts and debris removal from the collapse of theI-35 bridge into the Mississippi River Aug. 1. Part of the interstatebridge fell on the lower guidewall of the lock and dam.

Jim Crosby, left, and Dave Nerva, right, flank President George Bushduring his visit to Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam inMinneapolis. Crosby and Nerva were on duty Aug. 1 when the I-35WBridge collapsed during rush hour. The president commended theirswift and heroic response.

Photo by Aaron Snyder

White House photo

Districtdeliverscrucialresponse onI-35W Bridgecollapseby Shannon Bauer

The St. Paul District opened itsuppermost three locks and dams tolimited commercial traffic Sept. 6for the first time since theInterstate-35W Bridge collapsed inMinneapolis Aug. 1.

With the exception of emergencytraffic, the U.S. Coast Guardclosed the Mississippi River tonavigation between Upper St.Anthony Falls Lock and Dam andLock and Dam 1, both inMinneapolis, shortly after theincident. In addition to debrisblocking the channel, parts of thebridge fell on the lower guide wallof Lower St. Anthony Falls Lockand Dam, which is locatedbetween the latter two.

It took until Aug. 20 to locate theeight known victims (a total of 13died but the others were located onland), and debris removal could notcommence in earnest until then. AU.S. Navy dive team, being housedin the main building of the lowerlock, had to be called in to assistthe incident commander, theHennepin County Sheriff, inlocating the victims.

Greg Frankosky, physical supportchief, said the district’smaintenance and repair unit loaded

I-35W Bridge, continued Page 9


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and unloaded the Navy team’s fivesemi loads of equipment, set upbarge dive platforms and liftedvehicles out of the water thatcontained victims. They alsoremoved other vehicles, concreteand tress steel that were blockingin the occupied vehicles.

After the recovery missionended, the Minnesota Departmentof Transportation took over fromthe sheriff’s department as thelead agency on-scene. Theircontractor, Carl Bolander andSons, Co., who they hired toremove debris, initially focused on

removing items blocking thenavigation channel. Althoughdebris remains, they made enoughroom for a tow with barges to lockthrough.

Prior to opening for navigation,the district needed to make sure itwas safe. Tim Meers, lockmasterat Lower St. Anthony Falls Lockand Dam, said the district’s surveyteam and Launch 20 did soundingsin the channel. Then, Bolander’ssubcontractor, Portable Barge,swept the river bottom with a 30-foot steel beam to ensure thechannel was free of obstructions.

It’s still not quite business as

usual, though. The navigationchannel currently remains closed torecreational craft in this area untila date yet to be determined.

“There has been less urgencynow than during the initial searchand recovery operations,” saidMeers. “We’re still busy, though,supporting Minn. DOT and thecontractors, running tows throughthe locks and providing tours tovarious officials wanting to visit thesite.”

The Patrick Gannaway ofAggregate Industries was the firsttow to lock through Lower St.Anthony Falls since the incident.

Photo by Al Van Guilder

Launch 20, the district’s hydrographic survey boat, conducted acoustic soundings in the navigationchannel at Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, Sept. 5. The soundings are read to check the depthand configuration of the channel, as well as wreckage and debris from the collapsed Interstate-35WBridge. For more, see “Hydrographic survey crew maps river channel,” Page 10.

I-35W Bridge, continued from Page 8


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The St. Paul District hydrographic survey boat, center left, scannedthe bottom of the Mississippi River Sept. 5 to verify the nine-footchannel could be opened for limited navigation. The boat is over thearea where the I-35W bridge collapsed, Aug. 1. The lock wall atLower St. Anthony Falls, Minneapolis, is in the foreground.

Photo by Tim Meers

Hydrographic survey crew maps riverchannel in wake of bridge collapseby Lisa Lund

In order to open up theMississippi River for commercialbarge traffic after the Interstate-35W bridge collapse inMinneapolis, Aug. 1, debris neededto be removed and the channelneeded to be surveyed.

As soon as the Corps was giventhe green light that the debris hadbeen removed, the Channels andHarbors unit in Fountain City,Wis., deployed the hydrographicsurvey launch to the site justdownriver of Lower St. AnthonyFalls Lock and Dam inMinneapolis. This consisted of atwo-man survey crew, Mark

I-35W debris field to Lower St.Anthony Falls Lock and Dam.

They electronically transmittedthe raw data to the channels andharbors office for processing.Some of the data looked a littlequestionable due to the globalpositioning satellites andinterference under the 10th StreetBridge.

Steve Tapp, operations managerfor channels and harbors, alongwith the U.S. Coast Guard,decided to rerun the survey toverify the data.

Thursday morning, the crewstarted the process again. Thistime, better satellite readingsallowed for tracking the data moreaccurately. So, again, the data wassent back to the channels andharbors office and processed.

However, before the channelcould be opened for navigation, theUSCG requested a beam sweep onthe river floor by the debrisremoval contractor.

USCG also requested a qualityassurance inspector from channelsand harbors. Al VanGuilder, asurvey technician from channelsand harbors, assisted thecontractor with that role.

With the knowledge and skills ofthe survey crew, the required datawas collected and processed in atimely manner to allow Tapp tomake the recommendation to theUSCG to open the channel.

The channel had been closedfrom river mile 847.0 at Lock andDam 1 to 854.0 at LSAF lock anddam for 36 days, from Aug. 2through Sept. 6. The evening ofSept. 6, the Corps released itsnavigation notice to commercialinterests that the channel was openagain for shipping.

Scholl and Steve Sing, andLaunch 20.

The crew arrived at the siteearly morning on Sept. 5 andstarted the hydrographic survey.This survey was a typical job afteran atypical event — collapse of amajor bridge during rush hour.They activated the computer,lowered the survey booms over thewater and began the hydrographicsurvey.

Hydrographic surveys record thewater depths and position by usinga commercial software program.

They recorded data for a 700-yard stretch from up-river of therailroad bridge, under the 10thStreet Bridge and through the


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Check withcontracting beforespendinggovernment moneyJim RoloffChief of Contracting

Given that the Corps is chargedwith serving the nation in widelyvarying capacities, it is a challengebeing sufficiently prepared for anyturn of events. Stuff happens, sothere are times when someone orsome organization in the districthas such an unusual andcompellingly urgent need forcontractor-provided supplies orservices that to delay would resultin serious injury, financial or other,to the government.

Haste makes waste –maybe

Immediate action in suchinstances may be warranted;however, if the action requires thesupplies or services of a vendor orcontractor, not just any employeeis allowed to simply pick up thephone and direct them to deliverthe requirement. This would resultin an unauthorized commitment —an agreement that is not bindingsolely because the governmentrepresentative who made it lackedthe authority to enter into theagreement on behalf of thegovernment. Only duly appointedcontracting officers have thisauthority.

Unauthorized commitments oftenhappen innocently by anyone,regardless of position, grade orrank, when typically well-meaningindividuals are merely trying to geta job done or simplify a process.They are usually the result of

miscommunication.An example may be when a

Corps’ employee at one of ourrecreation sites directs a groundsmaintenance contractor to use achainsaw to cut down and haulaway trees that are threatening tofall after a major storm. If thisactivity is not included in thecontract’s statement of work, thisconstitutes an unauthorizedcommitment, also because achange to the contract wasdirected by someone other than acontracting officer.

It is not unlawful to seekinformation from contractors.What is important is that theyunderstand you are only seekinginformation, not asking them toperform, and that only anauthorized contracting officer maydo so.

The credit card has limitsGovernment purchase card

holders may authorize purchases,but only up to established limits:$3,000 for supply-type items;$2,500 for a service — somethingthat directly engages the time andeffort of a contractor whoseprimary purpose is to perform anidentifiable task rather than tofurnish and end item of supply; and$2,000 for construction —alteration or repair (including

dredging, excavating, or painting)of buildings, structures or otherreal property.

You’ll be stuck with thebill

Any person who makes anunauthorized commitment may beheld personally liable for the actand disciplinary action could bewarranted. If funds are notavailable, the agency may be inviolation of the Anti-DeficiencyAct, which is the authorization ofobligations or expenditures inexcess of or in advance ofappropriations.

In order to right the situation, aratification must be processed.This is the act of approving anunauthorized commitment by anofficial who has the authority to doso, typically a contracting officer.Depending on the dollar levelinvolved in the unauthorizedcommitment, however, this couldbe Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp,the chief of engineers.

Prevent, don’t cureStill, in order to ratify the

unauthorized commitment, anumber of things must be in place,including a determination that theprice is fair and reasonable. Legalcounsel concurrence with thecontracting officer’srecommendation that payment bemade to the contractor is another,and funds must be available andhave been available at the time theunauthorized commitment wasmade.

Potential impacts of anunauthorized commitment areundue financial hardship on thecontractor or vendor during theratification process, financial

Contracting, see Page 12


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impact to the government in termsof time lost processing theratification, and possible loss ofgoodwill and credibility with theaffected contractor.

Who gives the okaySo, how does one preclude the

need for ratification of anunauthorized commitment,especially in an emergency? Keephandy the names and phonenumbers of the district’s fourcontracting officers. The essentialinformation they will require is thenature and severity of theemergency and the knowledge thatfunds are available. He or she willthen contact the contractor. Thefollowing individuals are the onlydistrict employees who can committhe government:

• Jim Roloff: office651-290-5414; BlackBerry612-518-8434; cell 651-470-7968;

• Kevin Henricks: office651-290-5415; BlackBerry651-357-8078;

• Tina Guillot: office,651-290-5763;

• Dawn Linder: office,651-290-5407.

Contracting, from Page 11

Kids learn bike safety tips atBlackhawk Parkby Dan Cottrell

Blackhawk Park, located in DeSoto, Wis., hosted the second AnnualKids Bike Parade on July 1. Sixteen kids, 12 years of age and under,participated.

The participants were given a half hour to decorate their bikes inwhichever fashion they chose. Flags, streamers and red, white and blueleis were provided. In addition, patriotic glow-in-the-dark temporarytattoos were popular favorites.

The children ranged in ages from 3 to 12 years. Many of the older oneshelped younger ones operate the tape and scissors. Parents andgrandparents were on hand to help and took pictures of the proud childrenwith their decorated bicycles.

Once all the decorating was complete, Park Ranger Dan Cottrell wentover some bike safety topics including the use of hand signals and thebenefit of wearing a properly fitting helmet.

The parade meandered through the Upper Camp area with manycampers clapping as the bicyclists went by.

After the parade, all kids were given a Great Outdoors fun book andtwo lucky winners of the raffle were given bags of Independence Daydecorations to take home.

One parent commented “You know, he won’t take any of this off hisbike until September!”

Photo by Stacy Cottrell, volunteer

Dan Cottrell (left), park ranger at Blackhawk Park, helped organizea bicycle parade at Blackhawk Park for children, July 1. Childrenlearned bicycle safety tips and decorated their bikes for a parade.

Thunderstorms and winddamage Gull Lakerecreation site

A series of storms rolled throughthe Headwaters’ campsites, Aug.13. The only campground withsignificant property damage wasGull, reported John O’Leary,headwaters manager. Staff orcustomers were not injured. Manytrees were blown down. Twocustomer-owned vehiclessustained damage from fallen treesand the wind ripped shingles off ofthe picnic shelter.Phone serviceand power were out.


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by Nate Johnson

Nate Johnson, contracting, started onthe Special Emphasis Program fieldcommittee in 2004, which was mergedinto the Gender committee in 2006 whenthe field disbanded. He is now an ad-hocmember of the Gender Committee.

Domestic violence strikes across allages, cultural backgrounds, educational andeconomic levels.

Domestic violence is a prevalent andoften ignored societal problem. It is definedas physical, psychological, economic orother abuse inflected on a spouse, partneror other family member within a dwelling

National awareness and dialogue on thisissue rose in conjunction with the secondwave of the Women’s Rights Movementduring the 1960s. Prior to this time,domestic violence was often considered a“family matter’ and went ignored by thelaw enforcement and criminal justicesystems. Since 1987, October has beenrecognized as National Domestic ViolenceAwareness Month.

Minnesota has been at the forefront ofthe domestic violence issue with the firstnational battered women’s shelter openingin 1974 in St. Paul, Minn., the participationthe Minneapolis Police Department in theinfluential Minneapolis Domestic ViolenceExperiment and the Duluth DomesticAbuse Intervention Project.

It is difficult to gather concrete statisticaldata on this issue as it often goesunreported and some advocates differ onthe definition of abuse. Studies have shown

that domestic violence “accounted for 20percent of nonfatal violence againstwomen in 2001 and 3 percent against men(Rennison 2003), from 1976 to 2002, about11 percent of homicide victims were killedby an intimate partner (Fox and Zawitz2004), [and] in 2002, 76 percent of[domestic violence] homicide victims werefemale; 24 percent were male (Fox andZawitz 2004).”1

Domestic violence often repeats on acycle of build up, abuse and honeymoonstages. Buildup may last for years andoften escalates into abuse. After the abusethere is generally a honeymoon phasewhere everything seems normal and therelationship reverts to the pre-build upstage. The cycle time between abusestypically decreases with time. On average,it takes seven attempts to leave an abusiverelationship before the abused partner issuccessful.

There are numerous local and nationalresources for people who feel threatenedor are abused by their domestic partners.Lists of shelters can be found online andstate resources can be found online.

Phone Resources:Minnesota: 651-646-6177Iowa: 1- 800-942-0333National Hotline and Wisconsin:1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

1http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/ipvfacts.htm

Domestic violence crosses age, culture,social status and educationIt is not your fault

If it hurts or scares you, it is not healthyIt is not okay to feel afraid in your own home


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55 attend 32nd Annual Retirees’ Reunion

Photo by Jon Lyman

Fifty-five retirees and districtpersonnel attended the 32nd annualretirees’ Reunion at City View/Lost Spur Banquet andConference Center in Eagan,Minn., Sept. 13.

District retirees completed their 32nd reunion in Eagan, Minn., with agroup photo.

Col. Jon Christensen, districtengineer, met retirees for the firsttime and conducted a presentationon current district projects andmissions. He inducted retired Chiefof Engineering and ConstructionJohn Bailen into the Hall of Fame.

Bailen inducted intoHall of Fame

Col. Jon Christensen, St. PaulDistrict engineer, inducted JohnBailen (above), retired chief of theEngineering and ConstructionDivision, into the St. Paul DistrictHall of Fame at the retirees’Reunion Sept. 13.

Bailen served the Corps ofEngineers for 33 years, the last sixas the chief of engineering andconstruction. He providedexceptional leadership and soundtechnical guidance to the district,the Mississippi Valley Division andthe Army during a period of greatchange, including regionalizationand an increased emphasis onprotecting and enhancing thenation’s environment. Bailen wasknown for his quick wit, astutebusiness sense and unquestionableintegrity. He was a champion fornational, regional and local effortsto advance the organization’sability to deliver quality products ina timely and cost-efficient manner.Building strong relationships wasthe cornerstone of his workphilosophy, and he worked tirelesslyto strengthen partnerships anddevelop subordinates.

Photo courtesy John Bailen


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News and NotesAnnouncements:

Teri Alberico, environmental,was selected late August as thedistrict’s new emergencymanagement specialist, effectiveSept. 2.

Jon Petersen, hydraulics andhydrology, was selected early-September to fill a temporarydetail as executive assistant,effective Sept. 17.

The Employee BenefitAssociation Council announced itselection results mid-September.New council members includeStephanie Dupey, projectmanagement; Angie Peterson,executive office; and NatalieSiok, Eastern Area Office. They

join current council members RickHauck, engineering; KariLayman, hydraulics and hydrology;Tom Sully, project management;and Diana Tschida, programmanagement.

St. Paul District employeesdonated 73 pounds of food and$100 to Keystone CommunityServices Food Shelf at its annualSummer Awards Ceremony andPicnic held in June.

Newcomers:Bruce McFarlin, Dredge

Goetz;Kong Meng Vang, Lock and

Dam 5A;Major Preston Hayward,

contracting division;

Xai Vang, Lock and Dam 5;Chee Meng Xiong, Lock and

Dam 8.

Retirements:Joseph Dale, Lock and Dam 4,

effective July 31, after more than25 years federal service.

Judith Brownell, DredgeGoetz, effective Aug. 31, withmore than 7 years federal service.

Taps:Capt. Tim Milum, the senior

Master of the Motor VesselMississippi, passed away late-August.

Allen Rosenberg, regulatoryspecialist, passed away Aug. 6

by Jason Hauser

The staff and volunteers at the Leech Lake Damand Recreation Area, in Federal Dam, Minn., hostedmore than 50 young contestants ranging in ages fromsix months to sixteen years old for the 17th AnnualKids Fishing Derby, July 21.

Park staff and volunteers taught the children thepositive values of fishing and water safety, as well asproper catch and release practices.

Three different age groups received first, second andthird place prizes for catching the largest fish.

Nine area businesses donated food and prizes for theevent. Each contestant received at least one prize andwas able to enjoy a fee hot dog with chips and an icecold pop.

Contestants split into three age groups, 0-5, 6-11 and12-16.

Leech Lake Recreation Area hosts 17th Annual Kids Fishing Derby

Photo by Seth Kuhn

Jason Hauser, park ranger at Leech Lake, joinedthe youngest group of contestants at the fishingderby, July 21.


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Postcard from IraqHere’s a picture of aninfrequent mortar detonatingin our proximity. The photowas taken in July ‘07 at CampFallujah, where no bodyarmor is required.Deployed to Baghdad andFallujah for 13 months. Agreat experience, but I’m gladto be home with my family asof Aug. 18.

Sincerely,Paul Kosterman,project management

Postcard from Iraq

Gulf Region Division2007

Baghdad, Iraq

I am not sure if you guys are still

interested in photos from Iraq, but I

figured that one with Col. Michael

Pfenning, Gulf Region North

commander, and me would be a

nice one to send – seeing that we

both came from the St. Paul District.

The location is at one of my

projects, the Mosul passenger

terminal. I gave a tour of the facility

to Pfenning and Brig. Gen. Michael

Walsh.

Alda P.R. Ottley

Project Engineer

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Mosul Resident Office

Gulf Region Division2007

Baghdad, Iraq

Crosscurrents - mvp.usace.army.mil Affairs... · Jon Sobiech, Natural Resources office in...

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