ngineering E IN E U R O P E One environmental success after another Corps’ team lessens environmental impact at Camp Bondsteel, manages Europe’s largest “fuel farm”

Digging oases in the Sahara American engineers to oversee the construction and renovation of AFRICOM-funded humanitar- ian assistance “oases” in the Sahara

US Army Corps of Engineers Europe District Vol. 4 Winter 2009 Winter 2008 1 From the Commander Building strong in 2009! NAU geared for growth, ready for new challenges Happy New Year. 2009 is a year filled with promise, opportunities, and challenges for the Europe District. It is also a fitting time to reflect on our recent accomplishments and prepare ourselves for the future. More than ever before, the nation and our allies called upon the Europe District in 2008 to respond to new challenges on new frontiers. You all responded with the professionalism, teamwork, and sense of pride that are hallmarks of this district. We remain an organization of choice for our strategic partners. Our overall program exceeded our 2007 efforts across the board, with Installation Support in particular growing by over 50 percent. Most illustrative of our collective work was our construction placement, with the District turning over 31 major facilities and 100 small- to medium-sized renovation projects in 2008, totaling about $521 million. These projects included control towers, munitions maintenance facilities, inspection stations, schools, child development centers, a host nation base camp, 155 renovated Army and Air Force family housing units, and numerous other key renovations for garrisons across Europe. 2008 was also a record-breaking year for work in Eastern Europe, where we worked on 75 new projects in nine countries totaling more than $150 million. The lion’s share of this work took place in Romania, where District employees like Armando Solis and Charles Bulla managed the construction of barracks, company and battalion headquarters, and community support facilities built to sustain up to 2,500 troops on six-month rotations in support of the USAREUR-led Joint Task Force-East initiative. And at the District headquarters we made progress as well, adopting a new VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone system, migrating to Office 2007 and SharePoint 2007, and starting our first Leadership Development Program with a diverse set of six enthusiastic employees – Angel Acosta, Vanessa Bauders, Klaus Fiedler, Okan Nalbant, Charles Samuel, and Francisco Torres. We’re now well positioned to seize new opportunities. Our workload will increase in 2009 and 2010, so we must continue to refine our processes and teaming to achieve even more. We are just now standing up another JTF-E office to manage construction on the Novo Selo Training Area in eastern Bulgaria. Later this year, we will also establish new resident offices in Poland and the Czech Republic, where we’ll support the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s ballistic defense system. We’re still on solid footing in Western Europe, where we continue to expand our portfolio to accept our customers’ biggest challenges, like preparing Wiesbaden for the arrival of 7th Army and creating the blueprints for the new $405 million hospital at Landstuhl. And we’re geared for growth in Africa, too, starting to ramp up partnership efforts with the U.S. Africa Command to support exercise-related construction projects, humanitarian assistance projects, and multilateral military-to-military projects. It certainly is a great time to be part of a diverse and growing district team! For over 50 years in over 50 countries, our engineers have proven their technical excellence, reliability, and internationality. We’ve continued to build on our strengths, focus on customer requirements, expand our portfolio, and stay committed to our values. Our District is strong. And it grows stronger every year. I am exceptionally proud of your performance in 2008 and am confident that this diverse, vibrant, adaptable, and engaged workforce will prove itself once again in the year ahead. Happy New Year, Europe District! Essayons!

2 Engineering in Europe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers C o n t e n t s The Flux Capacity

4 USACE’s Europe District attempts to ease the market’s unpredictable effects by using an old method in a new place 4 6 6 Solving problems Europe District smoothly hands over a building retrofitted for one customer to another on Stuttgart’s Kelley Barracks

One environmental success 8 after another Corps’ team mingles old and 8 new technologies to lessen environmental impact at Camp Bondsteel 12 Digging oases in the Sahara American engineers to oversee the construction and renovation of AFRICOM-funded humanitarian assistance “oases” in the southern Sahara Desert 15 Fixing up for FLINTLOCK Despite challenges, USACE finishes 12 exercise facility in Mali on time 16 Mastering master planning Army architects and planners team to design the future footprint of the military in Europe 19 NAU up close Two mini-stories showcase Europe District’s compassion and passion during the holiday season On the Cover Engineering in Europe is an unofficial publication of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District, authorized One of 15 50,000-gallon under the provisions of AR 360-1. The editorial views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the U.S. ngineering Army Corps of Engineers or the Department of the Army. Engineering in Europe is a command information publication E IN E U R O P E bladders of fuel sits of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District. Circulation is 800 copies. Articles, photographs, and other ready to be drained contributions are welcome. The editor reserves the right to make changes to all material submitted. The submission deadline is the 1st of the month preceding quarterly publication. Send submissions to: Editor, Engineering in Europe, at Camp Bondsteel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District, CMR 410, Box 1, APO AE 09096. Details may be obtained from the PAO at (011) 49-611-9744-2720 or DSN 570-2720. Material may be sent via e-mail to: [email protected] , where the An electronic version of Engineering in Europe may be viewed on the Europe District Internet homepage at: U.S. Army Corps of www.nau.usace.army.mil Engineers has managed Commander: Deputy Commander: Col. John S. Kem Lt. Col. P. Anela Arcari a repeatedly successful environmental program Public Affairs Chief: Editor: Layout/Design: US Army Corps of Engineers Europe District Justin Ward Vacant Rebecca Lippman Vol. 4 Winter 2009 through the local DPW.

Cover photo by Justin Ward

Winter 2008 3 SUPPORTING OUR CUSTOMERS The ”FLUX” Capacity

Milton Ricks

Incirlik Air Base’s Phantom Hous- ing complex was one site where District engineers tried to let a con- tract in foreign currency recently.

Story by Danielle Stephens, hen markets fluctuate, ex- which has climbed 11 percent in 2008 Special to Engineering in Europe change rates fluctuate. And alone. This combination left contractors Wwhen a foreign contractor is who won bids earlier in the year reeling awarded a contract in U.S. dollars but with costly out-of-pocket expenses. buys material and pays his employees Because of this, said Alex Tomosies- in a different currency, his profit is at ki, project manager, bids for a recent the whim of that fluctuating market. multi-year contract to renovate 515 In addition to the financial risk, the housing units on Incirlik Air Base all declining dollar also raises the issue of came in too high, as contractors were performance risk, borne when contrac- predicting similar trends in coming tors who suffer financial losses reduce years. staffing, reduce scope, or lower quality “The contractors gave up pretty standards to meet their targets. good bids for the near term,” said Pat- Because of these predicted risks, rick Daugherty, chief, Atlantic Regional foreign contractors often artificially in- Management Office, Air Force Center flate their bids, especially if the contract for Engineering and the Environment. exceeds one year. “However, they priced the work in the This has been especially noted in out-years very high.” Turkey, where the falling value of the By building risk into their bids for dollar was compounded by the rapidly the middle and latter time frames of inflating New Turkish Lira currency – the contract, explained Tomosieski,

4 Engineering in Europe Did you know? contractors overshoot the maximum al- From an average of 9 lira per U.S. dollar in the late 1960s, the lowed price of the contract. And when Turkish Lira came to trade at approximately 1.65 million lira this happens, he continued, the solicita- per U.S. dollar in late 2001, representing an average inflation of tion has to be canceled, prepared again, about 38 percent per year. and resubmitted. “It has to be on the street for thirty days, then goes in front of the tech re- awarded, the dollar value of the con- customer, and the current plan is to view board,” said Tomosieski, “Really tract will change according to exchange award this as a dollar or euro contract a lot of things have to take place.” rate fluctuations. However, this makes by July 2009. Worse yet, the project is usually “re- it nearly impossible for the District to But while the contract at Incirlik Air scoped or descoped,” ultimately mean- budget for the contracts, which can Base will no longer be awarded in lira, ing fewer products or services for the span over several years. The flux ac- the District will continue to consider same cost, a detriment to the taxpayer count is an account that uses a set rate the use of foreign currencies and the and, moreover, the warfighter. for budgeting purposes and is essen- flux account to benefit both parties. To solve this problem, Europe tially a bucket that money flows into or This flexible contract letting method District made headway into paying out of to compensate for fluctuation in decreases risk for all those involved its Turkish contractors in lira or euro, the dollar value of a foreign currency and could help to prevent overruns as opposed to dollars, said Thomas contract. and cancellations of future U.S. Army Moore, district chief of resource man- In the case of the 515 housing units contracts. agement. This decreases the risk for the “We want whatever is contractor by creating a stable con- more stable for them; tract amount, thereby allowing the whatever they are buying contractor to plan ahead for expenses. their materials and labor Through this, the theory goes, more with.” competitive bids – that is, less inflated bids – will be submitted. -Thomas Moore, Europe “We want whatever is more stable District chief of resource for them,” explained Moore; “whatever management discussing the they are buying their materials and benefits of letting contracts labor with.” in local currencies. While paying out projects in the foreign contractor’s local currency creates a stable contract amount for at Incirlik Air Base, Daugherty recom- contractors, it makes accounting and mended that an upcoming contract at planning for changes in the exchange Incirlik Air Base in Turkey be paid in rate difficult. New Turkish Lira, the local currency. For this reason, Europe District In an e-mail regarding the contract, uses what’s called a foreign currency Daugherty wrote, “I have asked that fluctuation account, or “flux account,” USACE look at awarding a best value to simplify the math. contract valued in Turkish Lira to limit The basic purpose of the flux ac- contractors’ risk as well as limiting count is to provide a place for money to project risk to continued foreign cur- come in or go out as the exchange rate rency fluctuation.” fluctuates over the course of a contract. Unfortunately, the bids were still too According to Moore, the rate for a high, said Tomosieski. So the District flux account is set in the president’s is in the process of rescoping with the budget and locked for each fiscal year. “They can change it,” he said, “but I’ve only seen it changed once. They might change it early in the fiscal year if they were really off.” “It basically freezes the exchange rate for the project,” said Daugherty. “If you didn’t have that account, as the value of the dollar changes, the value of the contract would go up or down.” When a foreign currency contract is

Winter 2008 5 SUPPORTING OUR CUSTOMERS

Solving problems: ANOTHER MODIFICATION? DIFFERENT CUSTOMER? NO PROBLEM

Europe District smoothly hands over a building retrofitted for one customer to another on Stuttgart’s Kelley Barracks

Story and photos by Justin Ward

ow that the dust has settled, it’s easy came in 2005 when the Washington, D.C.-based to see how the 6.3 million euro ($8.6 Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) asked for a million) renovation of Kelley Barracks’ partial renovation of the building for one of their building 3308 transformed the pre components. Since then, modifications came con- NWWII three-story building into what’s being called tinually, including renovating the remaining floors, the “nicest looking building on Kelley Barracks.” opening areas for large conference rooms, and But getting there wasn’t easy. changing of the end user from DIA to AFRICOM. From the outside, not much has changed to “We have some folks on other barracks here the building, which lay vacant for several months. in Stuttgart that are cramped for space,” said Jim “We put in new blast windows, we renovated Vardy, DIA facility operations specialist. “So when the roof, and we did some paint and patch work. an opportunity to move to a building with plenty But that’s it,” said John Gerlach, Resident Engineer, of space came up, the decision was made to reno- Stuttgart Area Office. vate it and move forward. They made another On the inside, though, it was completely re- decision as more groups came into that DIA orga- done, including the installation of the only central nization to go for the whole building and reno- air conditioner and elevator on the post and vate the whole thing. So the project was really workable attic space on the third floor. to consolidate people who are here in Germany “This facility was gutted from stem to stern,” for DIA and also to move them into newer spaces said Gerlach. “Because they are using the upper with some new equipment.” attic areas as office space, the building had to When AFRICOM announced in 2007 its eventu- be rebuilt structurally. It’s now completely differ- al home would be Kelley Barracks, plans changed ent than it was. And, in my opinion, it was really again for the building. wonderfully done.” “We analyzed all the space that was available The building now serves as a central location here on Kelley,” said Col. Chad Rotzien, chief, for U.S. Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) Intelli- AFRICOM reserve forces branch and facility coor- gence, Knowledge, and Development directorate. dinator for AFRICOM’s Intelligence, Knowledge, The original request to renovate the facility Development directorate. “All the other buildings

6 Engineering in Europe [had] pretty much max utilization. This build- and we really do appreciate being able to use ing, though, it was underutilized compared to the facility. … They stepped up and did us a the other buildings. So we went to DIA and huge favor.” asked them if we could use the building … as The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers partnered swing space until with the Reutlin- building 3315 is gen Bauamt (state “Switching customers, modifying the complete.” construction office) plans – those are things we’ve done The new com- and the contrac- before. But I’ve never been involved in batant command, tors Keller-Eckert such a complex process as retrofitting which officially es- Freie Archtekten this building. I’m thankful we had a tablished its opera- BDA and Ed. Züblin hardworking team.” tional headquarters AG to revamp the on Kelley Barracks -John Gerlach, Resident Engineer, Stuttgart building. in October, already Resident Office The hardest part, had a contract to [ ] said Gerlach, was retrofit building 3315, overseeing the new but it wouldn’t be complete until fall 2009, measures that had to be undertaken to reclas- said Rotzien. And the two floors of building sify the building. These included installing 3306 it was currently using weren’t sufficient to security equipment; alarms; multiple computer handle their requirements. networks; new doors and locks; new windows; “We’re pretty much sitting on top of each new vents, ducts, and pipes; and soundproof- other [in 3306],” said Rotzien. “It’s pretty ing material for the open bay offices to mini- crowded.” mize distractions. After a few appeals and negotiations, DIA “Switching customers, modifying the plans agreed to turn over the building to AFRICOM. – those are things we’ve done before,” said “We’re very, very pleased,” said Rotzien, Gerlach. “But I’ve never been involved in such “that they would allow us to use this fine facil- a complex process as retrofitting this building. ity until our building is complete. I know it I’m thankful we had a hardworking team. And I probably didn’t please a lot of people at DIA, really can’t say enough about how great a job but they’ve been very helpful and cooperative the Bauamt did.”

Left, an exterior view of Kelley Barracks’ Bldg. 3308 shows the new blast-proof windows, roofing, and paint put on by Europe District’s contractor as part of the retrofitting package necessary to classify the building as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility for the Defense Intelligence Agency and then, later, the U.S. Africa Command. Right, an inside view shows the stairway leading to the newly refurbished third floor, where offices replaced former attic space. The building is the first on the barracks’ with central air conditioning and an elevator.

Winter 2008 7 SUPPORTING THE ENVIRONMENT ONEONE ENVIRONMENTALENVIRONMENTAL SUCCESSSUCCESS AFTERAFTER ANOTHERANOTHER Corps’ team mingles old and new technologies to lessen environmental impact at Camp Bondsteel Story and photos by Justin Ward

en years ago, abandoned wheat fields spackled the hills just outside the village of /Urosevac in eastern Kosovo. There in late 1999, the UN sent Tin NATO peacekeeping forces to establish Camp Bondsteel, their forward expeditionary base for administering that disputed region of former Yugoslavia. The proposed idea has always been – and still is – to return the expropriated 955 acres on which Camp Bondsteel sits to the nascent Kosovo government when NATO’s (KFOR) is no longer needed. Until then, sound environmental stewardship is needed to limit the adverse ecological impact posed by the nearly 5,000 military and civilian personnel employed there. It’s no easy task. But through the ingenuity of mingling old and new technologies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Europe District has made it work.

8 Engineering in Europe Kellogg, Brown & Root contractors walk by a 50,000-gallon bladder of diesel fuel on their way to install a unique “manhole system” that will provide secondary containment to any spill or contamination to the area. The bladder is part of the largest bulk fuel storage and distribu- tion “bag farm” in Europe. The contract for the facility is administered by USACE employees working at Camp Bondsteel’s Directorate of Pub- lic Works office in eastern Kosovo.

hysically and metaphorically, this camp to make it self-sustaining, not each cubic meter of waste, leaving re- Camp Bondsteel rises above the only because it ends up better serving sidual waste and ash to be transported Psurrounding villages like a city the needs of our customer, but because to an off-site landfill. Sewage sludge on a hill. It’s massive and symbolizes to we should,” said Furlong. and food waste also had to be trans- local Kosovars the ideals of the West. ported off site for disposal. Like many modern military bases, Dealing with waste Today, after a six-week curing pro- this “city” – NATO’s headquarters Bill Loman, the Corps’ environmen- cess combining chipped wood, paper, for the Kosovo Force’s (KFOR’s) U.S. tal officer on the camp from December cardboard, yard trimmings, and all the Army-led Multinational Task Force 2007 to January 2009, said his favorite sewage sludge and food waste gener- East – includes all the requisite environmental success story at Camp ated on the camp, the base produces conveniences of a modern metropolis, Bondsteel is the compost yard. cheap, clean mulch that is ready to be including residential areas, restaurants, The millennia-old technique of com- used as a base for new landscaping or commercial vendors, a big-box retailer posting was kicked up a few notches to aid with erosion control. (AAFES), education centers, religious in 2005 when Loman’s predecessor “I can’t say enough about how centers, and perhaps the best hospital negotiated with the U.S. Army Europe, much better this system is for the in Kosovo. Kellogg Brown & Root, and the private environment than the previous one,” To serve these activities, the camp German firm COMP-ANY GmbH to said Loman. “That’s probably why it’s requires all the infrastructure modern set up a “mobile aerated static heap” my favorite. … I hope we’re starting a cities do – roads, power plants, wells composting system at Camp Bondsteel. waste management trend.” and water distribution lines, gas, refuse The new system, he said, reduces man- collection, sewage sludge processing, power, accelerates the natural compost- Dealing with water etc. ing process, limits odors, and reduces Another “wasteful” endeavor for Relying on local utilities to pro- the effect of extreme weather. Loman was solving the camp’s nagging vide, maintain, and/or process these “What’s surprising is how high-tech water leakage problem. products and services has always this is,” said Loman, who oversees this For months, personnel on the camp been untenable, said Francis Furlong, performance work area. “And it’s also were complaining of low water pres- the Corps’ director of public works in simple.” sure. Experts examining the “lost wa- Kosovo. Previously, solid waste collected ter” phenomenon thought the camp’s “In terms of waste, water and ener- from the camp was incinerated on the aquifer was being depleted beyond gy, we do anything and everything on site using one gallon of diesel fuel for its means, signaling long-term conse-

Winter 2008 9 SUPPORTING THE ENVIRONMENT

“We are better able to leave this camp – whether intact or dismantled – in the hands of the Kosovars thanks to the environmental stewardship we’ve been able to provide to the task force.” [ -Francis Furlong, Director of Public Works (USACE), Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo ] quences for the camp’s mission. nated that leakage problem and very water, energy, and money.” We were losing over 3,600 gallons of shortly will be reducing it even further, water an hour, said Loman, enough to down to next to nothing.” Dealing with energy fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool A second water conservation issue Reliance on the Kosovo Electric every week. Loman has tackled was the laundry wa- Cooperative would even now tax the “The water just went away into the ter recycling center, which is expected still-fledgling public utility beyond its environment,” said Furlong. “And until to be complete in the spring. capacity, said Furlong. Thankfully, the Bill Loman stepped in to deal with the “There are 3,000 people at Camp camp has fashioned a way to be self- issue, it seemed nothing was going to Bondsteel at any given time,” said Lo- reliant, depending only on benzene- happen.” man. “And everybody’s laundry comes fired heavy-duty diesel load share The perpetrator turned out to be a here. That’s a lot of water used to clean generators for electric power. variety of pipe breaks and connection those clothes.” To power those generators, Camp failures throughout the water main The system to be constructed would Bondsteel houses Europe’s largest bulk supply network. And by systematically take the collected wastewater used after fuel storage and distribution “bag isolating sections of the network and each laundry cycle and pass it through farm,” where 750,000 gallons of avia- fixing underground leaks as they were a series of nanofiltration membrane tion fuel and diesel fuel are stored in discovered, Loman was able to reduce pods that remove up to 99 percent of 50,000-gallon bladders. And maintain- the loss to only 700 gallons per hour, dissolved solids. The water is then ing that has been the Corps’ mission. Furlong said. moved to a processed water tank where “It’s a permanently temporary solu- “His unflagging insistence that the potable make-up water is added for the tion,” quipped Loman of the farm, water distribution network was the next laundry cycle, said Loman. which powers generators that supply problem infuriated many, but eventu- “This is leading edge technology in electricity to the camp. “It’s actually ally forced all parties to deal with the water treatment,” Loman said. “We’re pretty state of the art, and not just for problem,” Furlong said of Loman. “He expecting about 80 percent recovery this area of the world.” has successively and successfully elimi- on a daily basis. That’s a lot of saved The bags are all separated and sur-

10 Engineering in Europe rounded by plastic-lined clay berms, which form pits to contain the area in In a few months the new laundry water recycling center at Camp case of a spill, Loman said. Bondsteel will use leading edge technology to recover, treat, When the bag farm underwent a and reuse about 80 percent of its water used in a normal wash, long overdue rehabilitation recently, saving the government energy, water, and money. engineers recognized a design flaw that could have impeded the drainage sys- tem and resulted in a hazardous spill. “It would have compromised sec- ondary containment,” said Loman. “So we had to think of a way to contain the drainage system in case of contamina- tion.” Ultimately, engineers decided on a manhole system that called for a 12-foot long six-inch pipe to pass through each berm. These pipes, each with its own shut off valve, would drain the potentially contaminated runoff into a separate sump area. From there, it tor and not contaminate the other pits. the region. would run through an oil-water separa- It is a lot better now that we can contain “We are better able to leave this tor where the water runoff would be the contamination and not allow it to camp – whether intact or dismantled – cleared to enter the environment. run into the groundwater and possible in the hands of the Kosovars thanks to “This system allows us to be en- well contamination in the surrounding the environmental stewardship we’ve vironmentally friendly,” said Sgt. 1st towns.” been able to provide to the task force,” Class Mark Maness, Class III (Bulk) Taken together, although these waste said Furlong. “And really, one of the noncommissioned officer in charge, and energy programs primarily serve main players in making that happen is Camp Bondsteel. “Putting in the man- the task force by saving water, money, Bill Loman, who is an absolute bulldog holes allows us to release the water in and energy, they also allow decrease when it comes to environmental man- the pits evenly to the oil-water separa- the camp’s environmental impact on agement.”

An Army vehicle cruises toward the bulk fuel storage and distribution “bag farm” on Camp Bondsteel, able to hold 750,000 gallons of diesel and aviation fuel. A backhoe prepares the ground for a unique “manhole system” that combines old and new technology to capture and separate any contamination before it leaks into the local groundwater. The contract is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers, Europe District, through the camp’s Directorate of Public Works.

Winter 2008 11 SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE Digging oases in the

American engineersSaharaSahara to oversee the construction and renovation of africom-funded humanitarian assistance “oases” in the southern Sahara desert Story by Justin Ward, Graphics by Thomas Rodehaver rmy engineers recently agreed of wells – focus on providing basic Split principally between Niger and to oversee the construction and facilities to impoverished communities Mali, these projects total over $1.7 mil- Arenovation of 44 U.S. Africa in remote, isolated areas of the Sahara, lion and include 32 new or refurbished Command-funded Humanitarian Assis- said Tim Huwe, Europe District program wells, seven new schools or school ad- tance (HA) projects in the Sahara. manager for the U.S. Africa Command ditions, two six-room health clinics, and These projects – mostly in the form (AFRICOM). two small grain banks.

Labels show the locations of several AFRICOM-funded humanitarian assistance projects the Europe District will oversee in Niger. The projects encourage good relations with the national and local governments and improve the quality of life in the most remote areas of the country.

12 Engineering in Europe “These projects allow us to focus on tinent so we are more valuable in the many projects in Africa. humanitarian intervention in critical ar- future.” In another isolated area of Niger, five eas such as food insecurity, malnutrition, other wells in danger of collapsing will and infant mortality,” said Wil Pognon, Wells be renovated to a depth of 120 meters, acting defense attaché, U.S. Embassy The largest share of wells to be Cullins added, costing roughly $300,000. Niamey, Niger. “We focus on these criti- worked on is a series of 12 existing wells Four new wells priced at about $55,000 cal areas specifically in an effort to con- in danger of collapsing in the Sahel each will be constructed throughout tinue the embassy’s investment in people other areas of Niger. All these projects and promotion of economic growth and “These projects allow us are expected to be completed by Septem- prosperity.” to focus on humanitarian ber 2009. The projects will not only encourage intervention in critical “Niger is a poor country and every good relations with the national and areas such as food village has a need, but not every need is local government, said Pognon, but also insecurity, malnutrition, met by the government or [nongovern- improve the quality of life in remote and infant mortality.” mental organization],” said Pognon. “HA areas of the country that usually don’t projects provide a viable alternative (and benefit from Western influence. -Wil Pognon, acting defense sometimes supplement), particularly in AFRICOM’s humanitarian assistance attaché, U.S. embassy Nia- villages that are located in remote areas branch, under Dr. Diana Putman, has mey of the country. The end-users greatly ap- worked hard to prioritize and get these preciate the fact that their needs were not critical HA projects funded, said Huwe. overlooked and graciously thank the U.S. “[Our] role is just to execute contracts region of Niger. These projects, valued with every means at their disposal for to get these projects constructed,” he at about $100,000, would benefit local improving their quality of life.” said. “Our hope is to support AFRI- populations of nomadic Tuareg and In Mali, eight wells will be worked COM’s Theater Security Objectives and Wodaabe herders, said Darrell Cullins, on throughout the country, five of which gain experience working on the con- Europe District’s project manager for costing $11,400 each will be renovations

A map of Mali shows the locations of the eight AFRI- COM-funded wells to be constructed or refurbished in the country. The wells serve the least developed communities in the nation, which itself is consistently ranked among the world’s least developed.

Winter 2008 13 SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE

Workers construct a new well in the Tahoua region of Niger, where Army engineers are overseeing the construction of four new wells, six refurbished wells, two schools, and two grain banks as part of the the U.S. Africa Command-funded humanitarian assistance program split principally between Niger and Mali.

Edward Chang in the Timbuktu region that will include walls, they will do a lot for those vulner- Niger. simple pulley systems to bring water able communities, said Huwe. About $350,000 will be put into two up from the wells and watering places “Satisfaction comes in knowing that new, six-room health clinics in Mali, for animals. The others – two of which you are supporting projects that benefit Cullins said, which will include new will be part of new health clinics – will peoples in desperate need of water and bathroom facilities and new wells. be solar-powered water pump systems, medical assistance,” said Huwe. “[These] projects are chosen through including new 1,000-gallon water tanks, The four other schools throughout by a process,” said Mansir. “Once we new water troughs, and new piping. Niger and Mali – two in each coun- travel to an area that we are interested “Mali is 168/179 on the Human De- try – will average about $88,000 each in, we recommend a project (typically velopment Index,” said Richard “Kane” well, school, or health clinic …). [These] Mansir, the U.S. Embassy Bamako’s HA “Mali is 168/179 on the are important to the U.S. Embassy and team leader, citing the UN’s 2008 report. Human Development Index. the DoD because they allow interagency “Therefore, everyone in Mali needs Therefore, everyone in Mali cooperation. …” something.” And this HA program, needs something.” Other District projects outside the together with public diplomacy and Sahara include three concept designs for - Richard “Kane” Mansir, HA other civil-military engagement efforts, team leader, U.S. Embassy wells in Zambia, two school renovations he continued, helps to serve the needs of Bamako in Mozambique, and an exercise recep- the Malian people in areas which most [ ] tion facility recently completed in Mali need assistance. (See inset, page 15). and are estimated to be complete by For future work on the continent, Eu- Schools September 2009. rope District recently awarded a Multiple Roughly $725,000 will be put into “We maintain a successful collabora- Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) constructing seven new schools, class- tive relationship with AFRICOM and contract to allow for the provision of rooms, and classroom additions in Niger USACE,” said Pognon. “All projects are design, real property repair and mainte- and Mali during the next year, said Cull- carefully coordinated among all three nance, environmental work, incidental ins. The lion’s share will go toward small entities to ensure smooth and effec- services, force protection work, and con- communities throughout Niger where tive implementation. I have found that struction services throughout Africa until three new 690-square-foot, one-room individuals involved in these projects Sept. 2011 or until $14.8 million has been schools costing about $124,000 each will are energetic, dedicated, supportive, and used. The MATOC work will primarily be constructed. Although these schools open to new ideas.” be located in Niger, Chad, Mali, Senegal, – complete with a teacher lounge, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Gabon, dormitory, and separate latrines – will Other projects Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia, with work be rudimentary buildings made from Two grain banks costing about also supported in the Horn of Africa at cast-in-place concrete and cement block $121,000 each will be constructed in the request of the U.S. Navy.

14 Engineering in Europe Despite challenges, USACE finishes exercise facility in Mali on time Story by Rebecca Lippman of 1 Nov.,” Stone said. The exercise 31.” was to kick off at the site Nov. 3. At FLINTLOCK’s opening cer- To assist the Special Operations The challenge was to connect the emony, the U.S. Ambassador to Mali, Command and the U.S. Africa Com- new facility’s bathrooms (or “ablution Gillian Milovanovic, said he is proud mand prepare West African nations units”) to the local utility lines, Stone of the U.S. military’s commitment to to respond to “transnational” threats, said. the region. the Corps’ Europe District recently “There just wasn’t enough time to “We look forward to continuing rushed to hand over a $1.15 million connect it traditionally,” he added. our close cooperation with all the operations facility in Bamako, Mali, “So a plan was developed to install countries represented here today,” he used during a two-week joint military temporary holding tanks and use a said. “The multinational composition exercise dubbed FLINTLOCK. pump truck to remove the waste water of today’s audience clearly illustrates The most difficult part of the project as required.” our shared commitment to the pur- – a simple, 3,200-square-foot struc- Executing the plan required long suit of successful military and civil- ture to house communications equip- hours and renting excavation equip- ian cooperation in an environment ment and act as a briefing area – was ment uncommon in that part of the of mutual respect and confidence the timing, said Brandon Stone, project world, Stone said. But despite the among partners. Thank you all for engineer who deployed to Mali in late challenges, he was able to ensure the your engagement in FLINTLOCK, and October to execute the assignment. facility was finished one day early. for all that you are doing every day in “The project was far behind sched- After a walkthrough on Oct. 30, your respective nations to keep your ule and I was told it would be nearly said Stone, “the keys and O&M manu- country, the region, and our world a impossible to meet the turnover date als were presented to the user on Oct. safer place.”

Left: Local contractors prepare an area for waste water holding tanks in Bamako, Mali, just days before the opening ceremony for FLINT- LOCK, a military exercise designed to build relationships and capacity among security forces throughout the Trans-Saharan region of Africa.

Below: African and U.S. forces stand at attention during FLINT- LOCK’s opening ceremonies Nov. 3.

Below left: Local workers fill in the area around the new holding tanks, put in place just days before FLINTLOCK’s opening ceremony. Brandon Stone The new facilities may also support future operations at the site.

Tech. Sgt. Victoria Meyer, Brandon Stone FLINTLOCK Public Affairs

Winter 2008 15 SUPPORTING OUR CUSTOMERS Mastering Master Planning

Story by Rebecca Lippman, Europe District Public Affairs

n 2007 it was Babenhausen, tion, that means lots of collaborative Friedberg, and Giessen. In 2008 brainstorming sessions called char- Iit was Würzburg, Hanau, and rettes. Charrettes are intense multi-day Darmstadt. And soon, Mannheim, meetings where invested parties draft Pirmasens, and other posts throughout solutions to design or planning chal- Germany may be closing down, lenges. triggering the enduring U.S. military “Army transformation, the spate of communities in the country to bulk base closures, and the fact that many up in preparation for the hundreds of military facilities in Germany are old restationed Soldiers and Civilians. has meant plenty of charrettes for us Consolidating installations can save recently,” said Eric Garcia, architect money and result in higher efficiencies and technical team leader in the dis- – but only if done correctly. trict’s planning section. “We’re on the To the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- road all the time.” neers Europe District planning sec- The charrettes have ranged from

The notional design for a new military confinement facility - one of the most unusual planning requests the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ planning team has received recently - would include a gym, chapel, dining room, and 80 cells for inmates. The facility would replace the DoD’s current prison, built in 1963 and located in Coleman Barracks, an Army Airfield about one mile north of the city of Mannheim.

16 Engineering in Europe A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Europe District rendering shows the side view of a notional design for a new, $9.1 million military con- finement facility in Europe, a recent planning team project that would replace the DoD’s only prison in Europe.

planning or designing new or reno- less than one year. “Generally we try to build vated buildings, landscaping efforts, With Mannheim’s projected closure our buildings to ... invite transportation corridors, and even in the next few years, the planning people in; but in this case, entire military installations. team, led by Paul Ramey, was asked to we want to keep those But one recent session was a first plan a new facility. people in.” for the District’s team of designers and “The architecture of a prison is a architects. The team was asked to plan very interesting prospect,” Ramey said. -Paul Ramey, Europe a $9.1 million military prison. “Generally we try to build our build- District planning chief ings to ... invite people in; but in this Hard time in Mannheim case, we want to keep those people in.” The DoD’s only prison in Europe – When designing a prison, there are to learn about the operations. “The officially known as the U.S. Army Mili- some important concepts to keep in design we finally came up with was a tary Confinement Facility-Europe, or mind, he said. Sprinkler systems can’t combined effort by the user and our MCF – is located in Coleman Barracks, hang from the ceiling, as in most build- design team. … The round shape of the an Army airfield about one mile north ings. And security and monitoring cell block was actually brought up by of the city of Mannheim. systems have to be sensitive, layered, a user and derives from the desire to Although originally built in 1963 and durable. have direct sight lines into every space to house 236 inmates, the MCF today “We had to approach the design from a central control point.” houses only a few dozen detainees, from different angles,” said Marcus An important precaution, said varying in rank and crime and all Ballnath, a district architect, who said Ramey, was that the guards must be awaiting trial or serving sentences of he had a tour of the current facility able to shut anything down at any

Europe District’s planning team led an effort in early December to plan a new vehicle mainte- nance center for the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach. The effects of Army transforma- tion, the spate of base closures in Germany, and the age of military facilities has meant plenty of work for the US Army photo district’s planning section recently.

Winter 2008 17 SUPPORTING OUR CUSTOMERS time. Prisoners who want to shower or from Darmstadt. drhein-Westfalen, the largest charrettes even flush a toilet, he said, must call One charrette included the design were for two U.S. high schools – one the guard on duty who controls the of 7th Army’s new Command and for the Air Force and one for the Army. water usage. “All those things need Control facility. The other was to plan At Spangdahlem Air Base the new to be very carefully designed so that in- a townhouse community of 326 new facility is expected to replace the cur- mates can’t hurt themselves or disrupt dwelling units that will flank the south rent high school located 10 miles away the facility,” he said. side of the Wiesbaden Army Airfield, down the winding road to the Bitburg Other design considerations include where farmers’ fields currently lie, Annex. And at the U.S. Army Garrison common areas for inmates, lockers for estimated at $133 million. Kaiserslautern, plans are in the works personal possessions, a visitor’s and Projects for facilities like these for an elementary and middle school, in-processing section, and two layers of call for many pre-construction plans, which includes a new stadium, as well concertina-wire-topped fencing encircl- including the rerouting of traffic for as a $70 million high school that would ing the facility. truck access, storage, parking, and replace the original one, built in the “You don’t get to design a new pedestrian routes; the surveying of 1950s. prison every day,” said Ramey. groundwater, soil, and native species; “Another thing the Army’s trying to the clearing of unexploded ordnance; do is make their facilities as nice as the Elsewhere in Germany and a complete upgrade of the water, Air Force’s,” explained Ramey. “There’s In Wiesbaden, two recent charrettes sewer, electrical, heating, and telecom- always been this rivalry in the Kaiser- were held for operational and commu- munications infrastructure, including slautern Area with Ramstein always nity support facilities for the relocation running new lines to the proposed having all the nice stuff, and then the of the 7th Army from Heidelberg, 5th construction sites. Army side having kind of second best.” Signal Command from Mannheim, and In the Air Force-heavy German Other recent charrettes worked the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Nor- plans for a fitness center and a vehicle maintenance facility in Ansbach valued Did you know? at $16.5 million each, three barracks in Vilseck, Grafenwoehr, and Kaiser- The term charrette, which means “cart” in French, purportedly slautern ranging from $17 million to comes from 19th Century students who would work on their $33 million each, and a relocation of design presentations for Paris’s School of Fine Arts literally on the American Forced Network-Europe their way to class – while riding in the cart (“en charrette.”) headquarters, currently located in Mannheim.

An overhead rendering shows the design for several additions to the Kaiserslautern school complex, including a new joint Elementary and Middle school, a multi- purpose room, a sports complex, and a new bus parking area. Located on the Vogelweh Military Complex, the campus would also call for a new $70 million high school to be placed nearby.

18 Engineering in Europe Mailing Holiday Cheer

he highlight of Crystal Peterson’s their hearts and puts smiles on their day is at 6 p.m., when she gets to faces,” Peterson said. Ttalk to her deployed husband for So, because the Europe District about an hour. Then it’s back to taking doesn’t have an established Fam- care of her two small children – one ily Readiness Group – a command- only a few month’s old – and getting sponsored support organization for ready for another full day’s work. deployees’ families – Peterson thought The story is shared by many spouses she’d take on the task herself and collect of Corps of Engineers deployees, donations to send to each of the Dis- especially in Europe with the recent trict’s deployed personnel. departure of the eight-member FEST-A “I got the beef jerky from my sister (Forward Engineering Support Team in the States because it’s a lot cheaper at – Augmentee) team to Afghanistan Wal-Mart,” she said. to conduct installation-level master Add to that USO-furnished items like planning and facilities design expertise trail mix, calling cards, and hand wipes, throughout the country. as well as employee-donated items and And because the holidays were com- personalized holiday greeting cards and ing up, Peterson wanted to do some- it starts to add up, she said. Justin Ward thing special for her husband, Sgt. Ga- “This is the second shipment,” she briel Peterson, and the other members said, pointing to the tower of boxes Crystal Peterson, engineering U.S. Army photo of the FEST-A team – something like taller than she was. management assistant, stands next sending them holiday care packages. The Europe District FEST-A team to a tower of holiday care packages “With the team away from home joined with USACE members from Sa- she put together for members of and family during these very special vannah District and the North Atlantic the District’s FEST-A team, which holidays, there’s nothing like getting Division in November. They are expect- includes her husband, Sgt. Gabriel mail filled with gifts and love that warm ed back in February. Peterson, deployed to Afghanistan. Two District employees get married in Israel

ot many love stories start off see each other. on construction sites. But that’s And on December 11, they tied the Nwhere two Europe District knot. Or crushed the glass, as they do employees living and working in Israel here. fell in love a few years ago, by the bar- “It was a beautiful wedding outside ren backdrop of backhoes in the Israeli Jerusalem,” said Zvuloni, who moved desert. to Israel 11 years ago from Hillside, N.J. “We worked on the same project “It took place at Kibbutz Hulda. Very together – SOOFA 4,” said Smadar beautiful.” Zvuloni, an Israeli office engineer about Mendelovich described it as a “big how she met her husband, Eyal Mende- party with 350 people. “[The] dance lovich, a civil engineer at the southern floors was full all the time.” area office “And we just started seeing The couple didn’t keep their office each other at meetings and construction romance a secret, said Zvuloni. Olpanei Rehuvot sites.” “Everybody knew. The whole office The SOOFA 4 project involves the knew,” she said. construction and renovation of various For their honeymoon, they are plan- Europe District employees Smadar Israeli Air Force (IAF) projects at various ning on flying to Puerto Rico for a week. Zvuloni and Eyal Mendelovich, who bases throughout the country. Highly Then they’re off to Smadar’s homeland. met and fell in love while working technical in nature, this $24 million “We’ll go to America for a bit and see on construction projects in Israel, project to be turned over to the IAF this New York and Las Vegas. Eyal has never pose outside Jerusalem Dec. 11. spring required many meetings, allow- been there and I want to show him the just before their wedding. Zvuloni ing the couple plenty of opportunities to country.” designed her own wedding dress.

Winter 2008 19 Mediterranean Marriage Two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees working in Israel, Smadar Zvuloni and Eyal Mendelovich, were married Dec. 11 after falling in love on a construction site. Their wedding took place at Kibbutz Hulda, outside Jerusalem. See story on page 19.

Olpanei Rehuvot

20 Engineering in Europe