NEW ENGLAND DISTRICT

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Site visits, briefings keep North Atlantic Division Commander busy

Brig. Gen. William Graham, North Atlantic Division Commander gets a tour and briefing of the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier in Providence, Rhode Island on November 29, 2016.

Brig. Gen. William Graham, North Atlantic Division Commander gets a tour and briefing of the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier in Providence, Rhode Island on November 29, 2016.

Brig. Gen. William Graham, North Atlantic Division Commander, visited the New England District to meet customers, go on site visits and to get informational briefings from District team members. 

The General’s first stop was to West Hill Dam in Uxbridge, Massachusetts on the West River.  The project was built as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Diane in August 1955.   The storm resulted in 90 lives lost and more than $540 million in damages.  Completed in 1961 at a cost of $2.3 million, the West Hill Dam has prevented $96.6 million in flood damages.  Dave Margolis, Acting Chief, Operations, Eric Pedersen, Deputy Chief, Operations, Basin Manager Adam Durando and Project Manager Joe Zanca were on hand to brief the General and answer questions.

From West Hill Dam, Brig. Gen. Graham visited the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier in Providence, Rhode Island.  Margolis, Sean McDonald, Cape Cod Canal Manager, and John McPherson, Assistant Canal Manager, gave the General a tour of the barrier and provided a briefing on the project.

Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is one of three hurricane barriers owned and operated by the District. Fox Point was built as a result of damages caused by the September 1944 hurricane that had the greatest known energy of any recorded storm along the Atlantic Coast. Fox Point was designed to withstand a storm of the magnitude of that hurricane.  The barrier was constructed at a cost of $15 million and was placed into service in 1966.  To date, the barrier has prevented over $3 million in damages.

During a working lunch, Larry Oliver and John Kennelly, Planning Division, presented an overview of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.

Brig. Gen. Graham spent the rest of his first day with a visit to the Armed Forces Center in Warwick, Rhode Island with Anne Kosel, Chief of Real Estate and Peter Quinn, Recruiting Team Leader.

Leadership Development Program (LDP) review by Stephen Dunbar was followed by a round table discussion with LDP members.  Later in the morning, the General traveled to the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston, Massachusetts, before heading to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for an afternoon of meetings and seminars.

On this last day in New England, Brig. Gen. Graham received a briefing by Dan Stenstream on the MIT/Lincoln Labs project and a briefing Cori Rose and Alan Anachecka-Nasemann on the District's Regulatory Program.  Brig. Gen. Graham 's final stop before returning to Fort Hamilton, New York, was to meet with the Massachusetts Port Authority (MASSPORT) where he received a Boston Harbor Dredging briefing and an overview presentation and a tour of the Conley Container Terminal.

The LDP members that shadowed the general during his visit were Bob Garrahan, Ben Emery, Mike Boirdi, Kim Russell and Maureen Davi.


The Pawcatuck River Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study

   This proposed plan is presented  to facilitate public involvement in the review and commenting on the remedy selection process for the Nantucket Memorial Airport (NMA) Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS.) 
    The Army Corps of Engineers is proposing a No Action under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act for the Munitions Response Site-1, Project Number D01MA049901 at NMA located on Nantucket Island, MA.  The proposal was prepared using the Guide to Preparing Superfund Proposed Plans, Records of Decision, and Other Remedy Selection Decision Documents (USEPA, 1999).
    The final decision for NMA Site-1 site will be made after reviewing and considering all information submitted during the public comment period. The proposed decision may be modified based on new information or public comments. The public is encouraged to review and comment on the proposed plan.
    The FUDS program addresses the potential explosives safety, health, and environmental issues resulting from past munitions use at former defense sites under the Department of Defense (DoD) Military Munitions Response Program, established by the U.S. Congress under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program.  
    FUDS only applies to properties that transferred from DoD before October 17, 1986 and the first priority of USACE is the protection of human health, safety, and the environment. 
    The Army is the executive agent for the FUDS Program, and USACE is the lead agency for investigation/reporting and remedial decision-making at this munitions site with regulatory support provided by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).


Updated: 05 December 2016