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December 2001The Pacific Connection5Employees of the MonthSally MinamiRichard SayHometown: Aiea, HawaiiPosition with Corps and how long: Program andbudget analyst with the Corps for 24 years. Started in 1978with the Middle East Division in Winchester, Va.Describe your job in 50 words or less: We’re responsible for coordinating the development, execution andanalysis of the District’s operating budgets; processingdirect and reimbursable funds; and performing studies andpreparing briefs on cost trends, overhead, performanceindicators, etc.What do you like best about your job? No matter howstressful or overwhelming a job can be, it’s incrediblehow people are willing to share their ideas, knowledge,and candid opinions to help us get the job done.What is the most difficult part of your job? I’m all forchange, but find it difficult to accept mandated changeafter change with no meaning or purpose and consolidation of functions across the ocean. We’ll miss ourfriends here who must leave us and move on to otherjobs.If I was the District Engineer for a day, I would. relax,trust that the work will be done well by the people in thisdistrict, and have fun. Guess I’d lose this job in less thana day.What is the best improvement in the District in thepast six months? Information overload and too much toread, but at least it’s interesting to know what’s going onwith the rest of the Corps.What is the best improvement in your office in thepast six months? The good news here is that we finallyhave a new RM and new manpower analyst on board.Hometown: Honolulu, HawaiiFamily: Wife, Marion and son, Nathan (senior atWaipahu High School)Position with Corps and how long? General attorneywith HED for four months, previously with the Kansas CityDistrict for 10 years.Describe your job in 50 words or less: My job is to findways to avoid problems. If we can’t avoid a problem, I try toshow that the Corps position was correct. At HED I workprimarily with issues involving government contracts, fiscallaw, real estate, and ethics.What do you like best about your job? Successfullyarguing a point and having my position sustained (WINNING).What is the most difficult part of your job? Identifying andanalyzing the effect of the numerous laws, regulations,cases, and guidance memoranda that can affect the outcome over the wide range of Corps of Engineers activities.If I was the DE for a day, I would. try to impress uponeveryone how important it is to do the job completely andcorrectly, particularly regarding those duties that seemdifficult or distasteful.What is the best improvement in the District in thepast six months? I have only been here four months but,from the perspective of one who has defended a few bidprotests since my arrival, I would say that recent effortsto improve the contractor selection processes should behigh on the list.What is the best improvement in your office in the pastsix months? I don’t know how things were here six monthsago. However, I hope that I have lightened the workload forthe other OC staff and that I can contribute to more improvements in the future.Enthusiasm:You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes risey Fordto the stars.—Henr—HenryFord

The Pacific Connection6December 2001“The stockings werehung in Office ofCounsel with care.”—Photo by MichelleCainHED celebratesthe holidaysAbove right: ShirleyKoga and DonnaKanetake, OC, wrappackages to giveaway. OC, with helpfrom CT, adopted afamily in need thisChristmas. At right:Clifford Olivera, LM,accepts the first-placeaward from ClarenceWilhelm, Fort ShafterChristmas card committee director. Oliveraspent many hours ofhis own time creatingHED’s entry. —Photosby Michelle CainWords:ords:Many wise words are spoken in jest, but they don’t compare with the number of stupid words spoken in earnest.—Sam Levenson

The Pacific Connection7Holiday greetings fromthe Chief of EngineersThe holiday season is traditionally a time to pause and reflect on thepast year, and the challenges of the coming year. I m sure you will all agree thatthis past year has given us a lot to think about. And we have much to be thankfulfor, both as an organization and as individuals.I am personally thankful that no Corps employees were lost during theterrible attacks on Sept. 11. And I am thankful to have the opportunity to leadour great organization with some of the finest people in the U.S. government.You all proved that this past year, and I am very proud of you.Although the terrorist attacks are foremost in our minds, they were not theonly emergency operations we faced in 2001. After an ice storm in Oklahoma lastChristmas, our employees cleaned up tree debris at their projects, often workingwithout electricity, phones, or water. Additionally, Tulsa District delivered250,000 gallons of water to stricken counties.Seattle District rode out a magnitude 6.8 earthquake, then went into immediate action in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),and to assess the integrity of Corps projects in the area.We took part in a flood-fight last spring in the upper Midwest. We distributed 3.2million sandbags to local communities, and Corps emergency work (mostly levee building)prevented more than 50 million in damage to North Dakota and Minnesota cities.Corps personnel responded to Tropical Storm Allison. They supplied emergency power, temporary housing, debris removal and monitoring, distributed 100,000sandbags, and provided utility hook-ups for 950 temporary housing trailers.All that, plus our normal work-load supporting Army Transformation,environmental restoration at military and civil works sites, research and development, building housing and other facilities for the Air Force and Army, civil worksprojects throughout the country, and support for others, just to name a few.But the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon havedominated our thinking and emotions. I m enormously proud of the work wedid on Sept. 11 and the days following.At both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we had people on the groundin less than two hours assessing the situation and lending assistance. We had literallythousands of volunteers to help in New York, and the city welcomed the work they didthrough FEMA structural response, temporary power, debris removal, and more.The Corps response to the terrorist attacks was tremendous, and I couldn t bemore proud of you all. But work that intense takes a lot out of you, plus the uncertaintiesof the war against terrorism and what the future holds adds additional strain.I would appreciate it if everyone would take extra care of each other in thecoming year. There is no one better able to assess how people are feeling thanthose around them. Look each other in the eye now and then and earnestly ask, How s it going? Then listen and help each other.Our entire country seems to be drawing closer together and reaching out tohelp others, a little more aware of what s important in life, and of our need foreach other. If we in the Corps of Engineers continue to be thankful for ourblessings, and keep reaching out to one another, we will be more than ready totackle the challenges that next year will bring.My family joins me in wishing you a safe and joyous holiday season, anda happy, exciting New Year. Take some well-deserved time off, relax, and enjoybeing with your family and friends.Essayons!ROBERT B. FLOWERSLieutenant General, USACommandingCourage:Above: Pauline Kahalioumi, IM, and Rolando Castillo, LM, unload a truck-load of toys, clothing, and household items at theCommunity Clearinghouse. HED employees donated two pickup trucks full of items, including 689 pounds of food that wasdropped off at the Hawaii Food Bank. —Photo by Michelle CainHEDcelebrates theholidaysThey may be trying to disguise themselves, but we know ourleaders when we see them! Maj. Scott Schriner, DDE, Ray Jyo, PP,Lt. Col. Ronald Light, DE, and Sam Song, EC, enjoy a game at theSEPC Christmas party. —Photo by Donna KanetakePain nourishes courage. You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.—Mary Tyler Moore

8The Pacific ConnectionDecember 2001Spotlight on HEDEngineering andConstruction DivisionSpotlighting an office that is helping to make the Honolulu Engineer District“The Best Place for the Best People to Work.”Interview and photoby Michelle CainThis month I talked with JimBersson, HED’s Chief of Engineering and Construction, to find outhow his organization contributes to theoverall mission of the District.Pacific Connection (PC): What is E&C?Jim Bersson (JB): Engineering andConstruction Division (E&C) is the largestdivision in HED, comprised of approximately 230 engineers, architects, scientists, technicians, and administrativepersonnel. We are divided into sevenbranches: Design; Cost Engineering; CivilWorks Technical; Engineering Services;Environmental Technical; Regulatory; andConstruction, which is our largest branchand includes four resident offices. Theyare located at Ft. Shafter, SchofieldBarracks, Kwajalein, and Palau.PC: What are some of the responsibilities that fall under the E&C umbrella?JB: E&C’s responsibilities are many anddiverse. They include virtually all theservices the District provides its customers. To put it another way, E&C providesservices necessary to plan, design,construct, and (in some cases) maintainmilitary, civil works, environmental, andsupport of other agency projects throughout the Pacific region. E&C also providesengineering services for other PODdistricts, operates a Regional Visitor’sCenter at Ft. DeRussy, and administers theDepartment of the Army (DA) RegulatoryProgram in Hawaii and U.S. possessionsin the Pacific.Humor:PC: What is the DA Regulatory Program?JB: Department of the Army permits arerequired for all construction and dredgingin navigable waters of the United States;for projects discharging fill into jurisdictional waters of the United States, including wetlands; and for transportation ofdredged material for the purpose of oceandisposal. The program is unlike anything“ First and foremost ismaintaining the capability to provide superior services to our customers.”— Jim Berssonelse we do in that we are acting in aregulatory capacity, as opposed to as aproject proponent. It is also highly visibleto the public and can be quite controversial.PC: Who does E&C deal with outside ofHED?JB: E&C deals with many organizationsand entities outside of HED. Theseinclude: customers, local and foreigngovernment officials, the general public,architect-engineer firms, constructioncontractors, the media, Pacific OceanDivision(POD) and other POD districts,and USACE Headquarters, laboratories,and centers of expertise such as theProtective Design Center in Omaha. E&Calso maintains close ties with localindustry organizations to include theAmerican Institute of Architects, theConsulting Engineers Council of Hawaii,the General Contractors Association, theBuilding Industry Association, theAssociated Builders and Contractors, andothers. We hold an annual workshop withthese organizations where we provideinformation and exchange ideas.PC: What engineering services doesE&C provide other POD districts?JB: In the past year we provided design,technical review, cost engineering, claimssupport, contract negotiations, andenvironmental support services to theother POD districts. HED has beendesignated a regional technical reviewcenter within POD, which the otherdistricts use to augment their own capabilities in this area.PC: What is E&C’s role in the ProjectManagement Businesss Process(PMBP)?JB: E&C folks perform technical servicesand form the bulk of project deliveryteams, or PDT’s. Most of our PDT’sinclude environmental specialists, costengineers, designers, design reviewers,negotiators, and construction managers.These and other PDT members are criticalto the success of our projects. In somecases, E&C folks serve as the projectmanager in addition to their technical role,particularly for projects with a narrowscope, such as an environmental study.PC: How do you ensure that everyone inyour division is trained and current intheir professional qualifications?JB: Obtaining professional registration forfolks in job series such as engineering orarchitecture is highly encouraged. ThereThe most wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed. —Nicholas-Sebastian Chamfort

December 2001The Pacific Connectionhas been an increased emphasis on this inUSACE. Some positions require registration as a prerequisite for selection.Everyone is required to maintain anindividual development plan which isgeared toward accomplishing the missionrequirements of each branch in E&C.Supervisors and employees reviewtraining needs annually and programneeded training. They also take advantageof unscheduled training that is relevant tomission areas. An example of the latter isunscheduled training we sent key peopleto in anti-terrorism/force protection, whichhas received increased emphasis in theaftermath of September 11th. We also holdmonthly technical seminars for our folks.PC: What role do the field offices playin accomplishing the E&C mission?JB: Our construction resident offices arekey to the accomplishment of not just theE&C mission, but the District’s mission asa whole. The resident office folks administer and manage construction projects,negotiate modifications, and ensure theprojects are constructed in accordancewith the contract documents. As ourrepresentatives at installations and projectlocations, they have frequent contact withcustomers and perform a myriad ofcooordination activities to facilitateconstruction. An example occurred duringthe high threatcon levels in the aftermathof September 11th, when our folks spentcountless hours assisting contractors gainaccess to military installations, thusminimizing delays to projects. Our projectengineers are also responsible for ensuringthat contractors adhere to the safetyrequirements in their contracts.We also maintain a small regulatoryfield office in Guam. Its primary missionis to administer the DA regulatoryprogram in Guam and the CNMI, but theoffice also acts as the District’s forwardpresence in that part of the world andassists the District Headquarters in anumber of ways, such as by facilitatingcontact with local governmnent officials.PC: What are some of the challengesthat face E&C?JB: First and foremost is maintaining thecapability to provide superior services toour customers. Continuing to do this willrequire us to shape the workforce toParenting:arenting:accomplish our current and futuremissions. This is critical in view of theincreases we foresee in our program, interms of both dollars and missions; andour mature workforce. Many of our peoplewill be eligible for retirement in the nextseveral years. We want to make sure wehave sufficient numbers of trained folks toreplace them and capture the benefits oftheir knowledge and experience. To thatend, we have been hiring. We filled 39positions since Oct. 1, 2000 and arecurrently recruiting for 10 additionalpositions. E&C also has the lead on aFY02 OPLAN initiative to develop acomprehensive human resource plan forthe District, which will focus on this issuefor the long and near term.Another challenge is to continue toleverage technology. We rely heavily onautomation, such as Computer AssistedDrawing and Design (CADD) andDrChecks (an automated design reviewand lessons learned system), to increaseour productivity and accomplish our work.We need to continue to stay abreast oftechnological advances and ensure arepeople are trained. We are implementing aTechnology Integration Group withinE&C to help us do that.Improving our business process is acontinuing challenge. The District has9come a long way with implementation ofthe PMBP; we are now involved in theISO 9001 implementation process, whichis being lead by PPM. E&C is leading ateam working on a FY02 OPLAN initiative relating to our business process - howto improve our small and routine projectexecution. It is difficult for an organizationthat manages projects in the 100 millionrange to be efficient managing projectsunder 100 thousand. The team willaddress how we can better achieve that.There are also potential challengesover which we have minimal or nocontrol, such as mandates requiringincreased use of design-build contractingand privatization. For those, all we can dois stay informed, participate in thedialogue, and adjust our plans andprocedures accordingly.PC: Do you have any final comments?JB: E&C is involved in just abouteverything the District does, but we don’tdo it alone. We’re part of a team - manyteams, in fact. It would take a lot moretime to go into much detail on the wonderful things the individual branches do but Iwould like to close by saying that ourbiggest asset is our people. They arededicated and extremely capable. Theservice they provide to our customers andto the nation is invaluable.Lolly Silva, regulatory branch, takes soil samples to determine if this possible wetland falls within HED’s jurisdiction.Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly awayand exercise what’s been taught them. —Jonas Salk

10The Pacific ConnectionElectronic Libraryby Ruby MizueCONSTRUCTION CRITERIA BASE (CCB) UPDATEFor those of you who use CCB on the network, the newedition #58 has replaced the current DVD. Instructions forupdating as well as new installations are posted in the POHPublic Folders, Information Management Folder, ElibraryConnection box.Beginning in 2002, CCB disc sets will be published twice ayear, in April and October, instead of the current quarterlyschedule. This is the final regular quarterly edition of CCB. Wewill continue to have password access to CCB On-Line (Internet)for at least one year, with even more emphasis placed on thecurrency and completeness of documents and programs availableon the CCB website.The change will enable subscribers to take advantage ofCCB On-Line for timely updating and easy access to guidespecifications and other documents which are quickly updated onthe website. Alternatively, the option of CCB on CD-ROM orDVD will continue to be the choice for very large documents(which often take impractically long to download with normalinternet connections), and for proprietary documents such ascodes and reference standards which cannot be distributed on theInternet.Visit CCB Online at: http://www.ccb.org/ for generalinformation about the electronic collection of over 10,000documents used in building design and construction. Call RubyMizue at 438-8348 if you need a username/password or assistance in using the resource.Request for Leave and Approved Absence FormIf you are still using the old familiar SF71 to submit leaverequests, you are using an obsolete form! It has been replaced byDecember 2001OPM Form 71, same title, which can be filled out electronically in Formflow at: S:\forms\formflow\OPM0071.frz. Besure you save your DATA on a diskette or your hard drive—DoNOT save your personal data on the S:\ drive!INTERNET/INTRANET UPDATETwo Commander’s Policy Memos Posted at ander’s Policy Memo #7,

HED's Tripler Army Medical Center Project Delivery Team members are the recipients of the Hui O'i Loa award for their work on the TAMC laser eye surgery and vascular laboratory projects. The award is one of several pre-sented as part of the HED 's new awards program. — Photo by Michelle Cain David Okada, HED Design Branch civil engineer .