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  • July

    A man in blue jeans, a blue shirt, and a yellow hat sits in a golf cart with grass and trees in the background.

    Robust volunteer program helps reduce recreation operating costs at Rathbun Lake

    Rathbun Lake, located in southern Iowa, is one of the largest in the state and boasts approximately half a million visitors annually. With over 22,000 acres of land surrounding the lake, there is plenty of work to be done to keep the lake project operable for one of its congressionally authorized purposes: recreation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the lake, which began operations in 1970. Managed by the Kansas City District, Rathbun Lake hosts recreators from all over the U.S., and even from around the world, at its over 400 campsites, 12 recreation areas, 21 trail miles, 11 boat ramps and three swimming areas. Spend a little time at the lake and you’ll understand why — the scenery in the area is beautiful. It might come as a surprise then, to learn the lake depends on dozens of volunteers rather than paid staff to keep it operating at a capacity able to satisfy the recreational needs of its visitors.

  • June

    Four soldiers in uniform stand with trees and a concrete path in the background.

    Force multipliers: 51 Charlies benefit both USACE and U.S. Army

    Behind almost every project at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is at least one contracting action. Depending on the size of the project, there could be dozens. Behind every contract is a dedicated team of professionals ensuring contracts are prepared within federal regulation. Most of these contracting professionals are Department of the Army civilians. But a select few are active-duty military serving in USACE as contracting officers, also known as 51 Charlies.
  • A man in a red shirt sits behind a computer with a blue coffee mug in front of him.

    Risk and reward: An innovative strategy pays off

    The toughest problems require the most creative solutions. Being willing to think outside the box to find the answers can feel risky, but often the rewards are great. This is something the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District’s Contracting Division knows firsthand. For the past three fiscal years, the Contracting Division has been able to successfully complete its mission, awarding upwards of $700 million in obligated funds and as many as 1,670 contracts per year. However, four years ago, the Contracting Division was facing a problem that was exhausting every current solution. It was time to get creative.

  • May

    Two men stand in waist high water with a net in between them and trees in the background.

    The Kansas City District’s Regulatory Program: a balance between the environment, development and public interest

    Ever wonder what the Regulatory Branch does? We asked several program and project managers and David Hibbs, chief, regulatory program branch, to tell us about the work they do; they do a lot that you might not know about.
  • Two men stand in grass with a construction fence to the right and a sidewalk to the left and trees in the background.

    National Levee Database, the resource you may not know you need

    Levee – is it dry? Is it going to break? Perhaps you’ve heard them mentioned in 1970s songs or on the news. We’ve heard the term, but what is a levee? Where are they? What do they do? Well – a levee is a human-made barrier designed to reduce the frequency of flooding to a portion of a floodplain. In fact, there are more than 6,811 total levee systems covering 24,000 miles throughout the United States with a property value of $2 trillion 23 million people behind them. The National Levee Database has all this information – and more!
  • A man in a green shirt and blue pants stands in front of a brown wall with silver writing on it.

    Striking a chord: District review appraiser and musician on being part of something bigger than himself

    The success of an organization often depends on having an effective support staff. An organization with a mission set as large and varied as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires many support offices and positions. Among these many critical support positions at the Kansas City District is David Capell, district review appraiser. A team of one, Capell is the Kansas City District’s sole review appraiser responsible for appraising and reviewing appraisals of all district property. If it sounds like an important job, that’s because it is. With an area of responsibility spanning five states, the Kansas City District has a robust civil works and military mission, which require a lot of real estate. Before a project can be completed, there is almost always some sort of real estate action and many of these actions require an appraisal or review of one.
  • A group of about 200 people stand on steps with tall city buildings in the background and a cloudy sky above.

    Growing the next generation: Safety and occupational health professionals gather for annual conference

    Springtime in the Midwest can be volatile as temperatures fluctuate and severe weather is common. This time of year often prompts safety drills across the region. Perhaps it was not a coincidence then that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Safety and Occupational Health Program’s community of practice gathered in the heartland — Kansas City, Missouri — for their annual community of practice meeting. The theme of this year’s meeting was “growing the next generation.” Safety and occupational health professionals from across the USACE enterprise came to Kansas City, Missouri, to discuss all things safety and occupational health. The five-day community of practice meeting was a chance for staff from all districts, divisions and headquarters to convene in one location and discuss current operations and the future of the program in USACE.
  • Five men stand side by side and the man on the second from the left holds a glass award.

    ‘Rooted in trust and respect’: Kansas Citys Levees team continues to deliver on commitment to Kansas City metro area

    Engineering, construction, planning, design — these are hard sciences, which require a systemic, methodical approach. While these sciences are by no means easy, they are easy to quantify. More challenging to quantify are the soft sciences — communication, trust, respect, partnership. Building structures is a science; building partnerships is an art. It might not always be obvious, but both are often required for a successful construction project. For the Kansas Citys Levees project team at the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the art of building and maintaining a culture of partnership and collaboration has proved to be just as critical for success as the design and construction of the project have been. The $529 million project, which aims to improve the reliability and resiliency of 17 miles of existing levees in the Kansas City metro area, is unlike any other in the heartland.
  • A woman in a grey jacket and red shirt stands with her arms crossed in front of a brown wall with silver writing on it.

    Full transparency: National Inventory of Dams a ‘powerful tool’ in emergency planning

    No news is good news. This common phrase can apply to countless scenarios but when it comes to dam safety, no news really is good news. Dam safety is something that most people probably don’t think about daily. The reality is most people probably don’t stop to consider the safety of a dam unless there has been an emergency or other type of incident. Thankfully, there are a number of individuals who work day-in and day-out to ensure the safety of the more than 700 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-owned and operated dams across the nation. The USACE Dam Safety Program uses a risk-informed approach to managing its dams, with life safety being the number one priority.

  • April

    A brown concrete structure with rock on either side and a cloudy sky in the background.

    ‘What we do here matters’: Smithville Lake conducts vital periodic inspection of dam to ensure safety

    It’s not every day that the stilling basin at Smithville Dam sits empty. However, before an inspection of the structure can be completed, it must be emptied so that staff from the lake and the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can enter and perform their inspection. Periodic inspections occur every five years to ensure the safety and integrity of the dam. Staff from the Kansas City District emptied Smithville Dam’s stilling basin and performed a thorough inspection over the course of several days in April.