The Voice - May 2021

MAY 2021

VOLUME 4

The Voice THE OFFICIAL EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER OF JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT

What's New JAXSTRONG HOSTS MEDIA DAY PUERTO RICO SILVER JACKETS ON TOP STORM SEASON AHEAD AND MORE!

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JaxStrong hosts first Herbert Hoover Dike Media Day Story and photos by Maya Jordan

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District hosted its first-ever media day by inviting media from across the region to learn about projects, mission, and completion dates for south Florida projects including the rehabilitation of Herbert Hoover Dike and Lake Okeechobee.

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The four-hour event was planned in part by the district’s corporate communications team and attracted both print and broadcast media.

Media days serve as an opportunity to provide open lines of communication for all stakeholders to be informed on the latest project updates and how projects could impact communities.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District Commander, Col. Andrew Kelly kicked-off the event with a safety brief and opening remarks.

“The goal of today is to provide a broad scope informational of all things related to the dike, the lake, onto how we move water, what things we are thinking about and projects coming up,” said Kelly.

Attendees included about 11 reporters from seven regional media outlets within the state arriving at John Stretch Memorial Park at 9:00 a.m. to participate.

“I appreciate events like this because it gives us access to stuff, we would never get to see otherwise, said Michael Raimondi of Fort Myers affiliate NBC 2.

The humid and sticky day began under a wooden picnic pavilion in the park, with a safety briefing and media representatives traded in there steno pads and pens for bright yellow and orange safety vests, safety googles and white hard helmets prior to a 5-mile tour of Herbert Hoover Dike.

Pictured: Project Manager, Ingrid Bon explains construction procedures with reporters at Lake Okeechobee during a media day April 14, 2021.

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Due to covid-19 restrictions, in separate vehicles the media trailed up the rocky road at 10 miles per hour for a tour of realtime maintenance construction work on Herbert Hoover Dike, along Lake Okeechobee.

Along the tour, media were able to see up close miles and miles of cut-off wall, heavy equipment cranes, different types of cement used for transporting and moving sediment which fill about 100 feet of material a day.

Next, members of the media were provided a one-on-one session with contractors and USACE engineers while on the dike.

PICTURED: Jacksonville District Commander, Col. Andrew Kelly, talks with reporters at Lake Okeechobee during a media day April 14, 2021.

Kelly and a team of subject matter experts explained construction, recent water discharges and current lake levels to local reporters.

“This is a public safety project, back when we had Hurricane Katrina the Corps looked at its overall portfolio of dams, we have more than 800 dams in the nation.

We classified the dams by the level of work they needed to reduce the risk of the failure and the dike was at the top of the list,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District project manager, Ingrid Bon,

Herbert Hoover Dike, is a 1.8 billion dollar project that started in 2007, consisting of a 143mile earthen dam that protects nearby communities Pahookee, Okeechobee and Belle Glade from flood-risk. Rehabilitation on the dike is expected for completion December 2022.

Then, members of the media gathered under a picnic pavilion at the South Florida office.

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Afterwards, reporters were provided information materials on projects that detailed Lake Okeechobee water management, operating manuals, Everglades Agriculture Area (EAA), Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs), ecology of the lake, flood risk management and ecosystem restoration.

Kelly provided remarks, prior to the start of the expert led discussion.

“Our construction folks and the contractor folks are out there working hard everyday. And that directly relates to the safety of those individuals living in or around Lake Okeechobee. It also means we can do things like adjust our water management and we can do that because the liquid heart of Florida, Lake Okeechobee has a lot of greatness,” said Kelly.

Shortly after media participated in a general overview session following a Q&A session from USACE experts which included about eight different professionals such as biologists, dam safety managers and engineers.

Lake Okeechobee, is comprised of a chain of lakes: Lake Tohopekaliga, Lake Istopoga, East Lake Tohopekaliga and Lake Kissimmee.

The lake is managed in partnership between the South Florida Water Management District and USACE. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Okeechobee water manager, Savannah Lacy, was the first speaker and provided current status about ecology.

“About 732 billion gallons of water enter the lake from the Kissimmee River on average every year which is equivalent to about 5 feet every single year, it's our priority to maintain current water levels that continue to provide a safe environment for Lake Okeechobee residents," Lacy.

PICTURED: Jacksonville District Commander, Col. Andrew Kelly, talks with media at Lake Okeechobee during a media day April 14, 2021. Kelly and a team of subject matter experts explained construction, recent water discharges and current lake levels to local reporters.

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Puerto Rico Silver Jackets named Silver Jackets Team of the Year The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Silver Jackets Team was selected as the 2020 Silver Jackets Team of the Year!

The award recipient is selected through a peer team voting process. Receiving a majority of votes, the Puerto Rico Silver Jackets Team was recognized as a model for the nation in 2020.

The team, which was formalized in May 2019, has focused on floodplains and coastal flooding issues, in recognition of the significant population located in floodplains due to the unique geography of the island.

The team has been working on two interagency efforts, including a Floodplain Manager’s Video, which will provide education and outreach in both Spanish and English, as well as a High-Water Mark project to support multiple municipalities. The team has also played a role in the ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria in 2017 as well as serving in a coordinating role to support recovery from earthquakes that occurred in 2020.

The successful accomplishments of this team can be attributed to the active participation of the many dedicated team members and agencies involved, demonstrating shared responsibility in action.

The JaxStrong Puerto Rico Silver Jackets Team includes: Liz Batty - Puerto Rico Silver Jackets Coordinator, Brian Balukonis - Puerto Rico Silver Jackets Coordinator, Marci Jackson - Jacksonville District Silver Jackets Coordinator (Puerto Rico, USVI, and Florida), Brian Murphy, Marcelo Salles, Sally Garcia, and Johann Sasso.

A huge congratulations to the Puerto Rico Silver Jackets! **The following article appeared in the FRM Buzz newsletter and featured the Puerto Rico and USVI Silver Jackets teams.

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JaxStrong to award contract for dredging of Big Fishweir Creek Story and photo by David Ruderman

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District plans to award a contract at the end of July for remedial dredging of sections of Big Fishweir Creek in Jacksonville.

The project will remove nearly 30,000 cubic yards of material accumulated in the waterway, which flows eastward into the St. Johns River just north of the Ortega Bridge. The dredged material will be transported downriver by barge for deposit on Bartram Island. Construction is expected to begin in September and continue for nine months.

The endeavor is the result of a Project Partnership Agreement signed in June 2018 by the district and the City of Jacksonville, authorized by Congress under the Water Resources Development Act of 1996. The district and the city will share the estimated $5.125 million with USACE providing 65 percent of funding and the city contributing the balance.

“This is another small, but significant step by the Corps of Engineers in partnership with the City of Jacksonville to manage the health of the St. Johns River ecosystem,” said Corps project manager Juliana Matiz.

“It’s a smart application of the Corps’ ability to employ federal resources to study, design and implement smaller scale projects under the Continuing Authorities Program to enhance wildlife habitat and marsh bio-diversity,” she said.

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Now is the time to prepare for storm season Story by Amanda Parker

June 1 marks the official start of hurricane season, and now is the time to prepare.

According to weather predictions, this year's Atlantic storm season will be more active than usual. Predictions indicate a total of 18 named storms, eight hurricanes, and three major hurricanes may threaten our shores.

May is the perfect time to prepare and ensure you and your family can face any storm that may come your way.

Ready.gov lists the following ways to prepare: Know your hurricane risk Make an emergency plan Know your evacuation zone Recognize warnings and alerts Review important documents Strengthen your home Gather supplies Visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes#before to learn more!

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COVID leave guidance for employees Information via Executive Office

Two types of leave are enacted for COVID: Executive Order 13991 “Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask Wearing” was signed on 20 January 2021.

On 27 April 2021, USACE authorized a leave entitlement for employees to receive and recover from vaccination.

This leave is retroactive to the 20 January Executive Order. Four hours are allowed for receiving the vaccine. If the vaccine you receive requires two shots, the entitlement is 4 hours for each shot. If you experience a reaction severe enough to prevent you from working, you are allowed an extra 2 days for recovery.

The CEFMS code is LN with environmental hazard code PF. If you previously took sick or annual leave to receive the vaccine after 20 January, you can reverse your personal leave and use the administrative leave. If you took the shot on your own time or during work hours and you were already paid, no corrections will be made.

The American Rescue Act (H.R. 1319-74) was signed into law on 11 March 2021. This type of COVID leave is separate from the Executive Order and is effective 11 March – 30 September.

Full time employees may use up to 600 hours of this type of leave. Approved uses under this Act are:

If you are subject to government (federal/state/local) quarantine or isolation order If you have been advised by a health care provider to quarantine If you are caring for an individual who is subject to quarantine order or advised to selfquarantine If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID If you are seeking medical diagnosis related to COVID If you are caring for a child if the school or place of care is closed/virtual/unavailable due to COVID precautions

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If you are experiencing a condition substantially similar to COVID If you are caring for a family member with a mental or physical disability or who is 55 years of age or older and incapable of self-care, without regard to whether another individual is available to care for the family member, if the family member’s place of care is closed or the direct care provider is unavailable due to COVID-19 If you are obtaining immunization related to COVID or recovering from injury/illness related to immunization

CAUTION ON USE OF THIS LEAVE TYPE: This emergency leave will reduce total service used to calculate federal service and is capped at $2,800 for bi-weekly pay period.

The CEFMS code for the ARA leave is LN with environmental hazard code DW. If anyone used this leave and entered DV, which was the previous guidance, adjustments will NOT be made locally. Systems will be running a script to change all of the previously used DV hazard codes to DW up to PPE 24 April.

Employees are encouraged to coordinate with supervisors on usage of COVID leave, and with HR on any impacts you may incur from using the authority in the American Rescue Act.

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Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Story by Amanda Parker

Each May we celebrate Asian American Pacific Island Heritage Month. The Federal Asian Pacific American Council identified this year’s theme: Advancing Leaders Through Purpose-Driven Service.

The icon flower (pictured left) depicted is not a particular flower, but does use the colors of a Hibiscus (used in cultures including India, S. Korea, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, Philippines,and more). The correlation of the flower and a “leader”is represented as always evolving, reproducing, and making other leaders.

The Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in June 1978. This joint resolution was passed by the House and U.S. Senate, and was later signed by the U.S. President on October 5, 1978.

This law directed the President to declare a seven-day period, beginning May 4, 1979, as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.It wasn’t until 1992 that Congress designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.

The Department of Defense pays tribute to the generations of Asian American and Pacific Islanders who have enriched our nation’s history and who continue to be pivotal to our success as a nation as we move into the future

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