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Witt Anderson departs
for Afghanistan
Witt Anderson, Director of Programs at the Corps
Northwestern Division (NWD), departed today for Washington, DC on his way to
serving a six-month tour at the Corps Afghanistan Division office. David
Ponganis will take over Witt's NWD responsibilities in his absence.
PNWA members will be familiar with several other Corps staff
and officers serving in Afghanistan. Col. Tom O'Donovan, former Portland
District Commander, is wrapping up a year of service as the Afghanistan
District Commander. Former Seattle District Commander Col. Michael McCormick
will take over the Afghanistan District Command.
The Northwestern Division and the three Northwest Districts
are maintaining the strong tradition of civilian support for the Army in battle
zones. Witt is departing today. Portland
District Chief of Regulatory Larry Evans is serving as Deputy Commander of the
Afghanistan District. Danielle Bolte, a
Structural Engineer at the Walla Walla District who has been working on
navigation lock repairs, and her husband William, a Civil Engineer at the
District, are due to depart for the Afghanistan District later this month.
PNWA thanks all of the Division and District staff, many who
have not been named here, for their past and current service in support of the
Corps and the nation. We wish you well.
PNWA staff was able to say goodbye to Witt in person last week,
and would like to thank Walt Evans at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt
for hosting the farewell luncheon. | |
Final SEF released
The final Sediment Evaluation Framework
(SEF) was released last week. The goal of the SEF is to ensure that dredging
proceeds in a manner that is protective of the environment and consistent with
state and federal laws. It provides guidance for sampling, sediment testing and
test interpretation to evaluate the suitability of dredged material for
unconfined open water disposal for dredging projects in the Pacific Northwest.
The
SEF is intended to improve consistency in evaluation of projects between
different states and Corps districts, and between Corps civil works and
regulatory programs while still allowing flexibility for local differences in
site conditions or considerations. The
agencies plan to continually update the SEF based on new science and issues in
coordination with the region and through annual public meetings. Some important
aspects such as development of freshwater standards and bioaccumulation
evaluation methods are not complete and will continue to be developed and
refined.
The
SEF was prepared by a joint Regional Sediment Evaluation Team comprised of the
Corps of Engineers, NOAA Fisheries, the Fish and Wildlife Service and EPA from
the federal government and Idaho DEQ, Oregon DEQ, and the Washington
Departments of Natural Resources and Ecology. The 211 page final SEF is
available at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/pm/e/rset/sef/2009-Final_SEF.pdf.
Several
PNWA members had serious concerns about the draft and submitted extensive
comments in February 2009. Comments from PNWA, WPPA, Schwabe Williamson &
Wyatt and the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver and Portland, as well as the
RSET team's response to those comments, are available at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/pm/e/rset.asp.
PNWA plans to convene a group of
interested members to review the final document.
Staff
contact: Glenn Vanselow
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PNWA
welcomes Franklin PUD
PNWA is very excited to welcome Franklin PUD
as our newest member. Franklin PUD is a
customer-owned, non-profit electric utility voted in by the public in November
1934 for the purpose of engaging in the purchase, generation, transmission,
distribution, and sale of electric energy.
They have also built an extensive fiber optic and wireless
infrastructure that allows businesses in their market to compete in a
high-speed technical world, while also providing a state-of-the-art co-location
facility for retail service providers to house their networks.
Most of the power Franklin PUD purchases come
from the Bonneville Power Administration including: hydropower, thermal and wind generation, and
the open energy market. The majority of
the power is generated from the clean and renewable hydropower resources of the
Federal Columbia River Power System.
Franklin PUD serves approximately one-third of Franklin County which
includes 80% of the county's population.
For more information about Franklin PUD,
contact Commissioner Chuck Hall at chall@franklinpud.com or Debbie
Bone-Harris, Franklin PUD's Government and Community Relations Manager, by
email at dbharris@franklinpud.com or by phone at
509-546-5973.
Staff contact: Heather Stebbings
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John Day dam featured
on Discovery Channel
John Day lock and dam will be featured on an upcoming
episode of Discovery Channel's "World's Toughest Fixes: Columbia River Dam" on
Thursday, June 18th at 9pm.
The program, which follows some of the world's most daunting repair
jobs, will follow host Sean Riley as he rides up the Columbia River to film the
replacement of the John Day lock's upstream gate. Replacement of the lock gate was due to the
barge accident on February 28, 2008. PNWA
was able to provide background information on this project, as well as the Columbia
Snake River System, to producers of the show.
Don't miss this exciting opportunity to watch first hand, as the gate is
barged down the Columbia River, lifted into position, and becomes a fully
operational part of the navigation lock.
Staff contact: Heather Stebbings
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Port of Port Angeles
seeks Executive Director
The
Port of Port Angeles is seeking candidates for
the position of Executive Director. The
Executive Director (ED) functions as the chief executive officer of the Port of Port Angeles. The ED serves as the principal
resource to the Board of Commissioners and is responsible for implementing
policies and resolutions set by the Commissioners while overseeing Port
marketing, development of Port facilities, property management and community
relations. This includes overall
direction of the operation, maintenance, administration and use of the Port's
marine terminals, airports, marinas, industrial districts and other properties
and facilities.
The
ED is responsible for execution of contracts, delivery of services essential to
the Ports' mission, as well as financial, accounting and legal matters of the
Port. The Executive Director facilitates the development of goals, objectives,
business plans, budgets and programs for all business units and departments. The ED also develops and maintains positive
relationships with tenants and customers, labor unions, community groups, and
other public and government agencies.
The Executive Director oversees a $5.4 million annual operating budget
and manages and directs 33 full time employees, 5 of whom are direct reports.
The
minimum qualifications are executive and/or director level experience; Bachelor's
degree or the equivalent in work related experience and continuing education;
and work experience demonstrating increased responsibilities and
performance. Port industry knowledge and
public employment experience is preferred.
The Port Commission reserves the right to modify or waive the minimum
qualifications. The salary range depends
on qualifications.
Interested
candidates must submit a hard copy letter of interest and resume to request an
application package. Please send
materials to Port
of Port Angeles Attn: Human Resources PO Box 1350 Port Angeles,
WA 98362. Complete applications will be accepted until June
26, 2009.
Staff Contact: Heather Stebbings
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Last chance to receive $25 off PNWA Mid-Year Meeting registration fee!
Make your plans to attend today!
Monday, June 8, 2009 is the last day to save $25, and to register at the low rate
of $350. Our agenda is filled with innovative speakers and valuable
information, to leave you inspired and prepared to seek out new
opportunities and build prosperous communities. Don't miss this
opportunity to participate. For more information, log on to our website. We look forward to seeing you in Chelan!
Staff Contact: Heather Stebbings
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