Wayne Davis saved the government money on one project and got stringent state regulators to approve his technical work plans on another project that helped clean up an old Army firing range. For his successful efforts, Col. Trey Jordan presented him with the January 2015 Hero of the Month award.
“The Baltimore District issued a $13 million contract in August for investigations and to clean up various contaminated sites on Fort Drum in northern New York state,” said Davis, “but that award was protested by an unsuccessful bidder in October.”
Contracting law directs that the protesting company must be given all contract documents, emails, etc. to make a determination on whether to proceed with a lawsuit. As the project manager, Davis had to oversee and organize the required documents in support of the District’s Office of Counsel (OC). His nomination noted that he was relentless in this effort and OC was most appreciative of his professional work; in December, the protest was withdrawn. “Wayne worked tirelessly to prepare the technical paperwork and this saved both funds in the protest process and the need to issue a new procurement request,” said Emily Schiffmacher, chief, Engineering Division military section. As a result, the project is now fully underway.
Another Davis project came to successful conclusion at a range cleanup at Bircham Bend, Massachusetts, a former Army firing range. The Comprehensive Environmental Remediation, Compensation and Liability Act requires that various project documents, called work plans, receive approval from state regulators before work can proceed. Davis was able to work closely and effectively with state officials to obtain approval for his team’s remediation plans. “The site was on private property and had been used as a firing range in the 1940s so it had suspected unexploded ordnance (UXO),” he said. “We conducted a records search in 2009. In 2012, after our work plan was accepted, we found 15 UXO items including rifle grenades and a 37mm projectile. We also found elevated levels of lead in the soil.” Headquarters, U.S. Army National Guard, the customer for the project, lauded his effective work in gaining concurrence from Massachusetts officials.
Davis, a native of Elbridge, N.Y., is a 1994 graduate of Frostburg State University in Maryland with a bachelor of science degree in wildlife fisheries and biology. He has been with the Baltimore District for five years.
“Customer satisfaction and building a strong team to successfully complete the projects gives me the greatest satisfaction,” he said.
Both projects were complex and required patience and perseverance. “The greatest challenge on Fort Drum was working with the customer to determine scope on the numerous complicated sites. For the Bircham Bend site, the landowner was building a solar farm at the time the remedial investigation/feasibility study field work was being completed. Daily and sometimes hourly coordination was needed to ensure that neither project would be impacted and to ensure the safety of workers and nearby residents.”
Teamwork played a key part as well. “At Fort Drum, Ethan Weikel, Engineering Division geotechnical branch, played a key role in the protest withdrawl. For the Bircham Bend project, several team members adjusted schedules and priorities to successfully support and complete the field effort. The team included members of Engineering Division’s ordnance and explosives safety office and the geotechnical branch, as well at the Army National Guard and the Massachusetts Army National Guard, and contractors.”
Do you know someone that deserves to be recognized? Do you know someone that is constantly going above and beyond? The "Hero of the Month" is a monthly award that recognizes employees throughout the district, at the City Crescent Building or at field sites, who are making a difference. Nominate your colleagues, team members, or even a supervisor for recognition as one of Baltimore District's Hero of the Month! Each month, the District Engineer will recognize our Hero of the Month with a Commanders Coin, presented at the monthly birthday celebration or, for our field office employees who cannot attend the CCB event, at the employee's office the next time the commander visits.
Identify who you want to give a special thank you to and provide a two sentence justification. Your name as nominator and your home organization are required. Each month, district leadership will select one or two heroes from the nominations submitted.