1st Lt Dyana K. Allen
CAVENDISH, Vt. -- The mission: Rebuild a road that is now a 65-foot-deep, 141-foot-long hole in a hillside in the town of Cavendish.
The call went out from the Vermont National Guard for heavy equipment and personnel and among other states, Ohio answered. In less than two days, Joint Task Force Tipper, which consists of the 1192nd and 1191st Engineer Companies, 200th RED HORSE Squadron, and Force Support Company and Headquarters and Headquarters Company from the 216th Engineer Battalion, arrived with 33 vehicles and 84 Guardsmen.
The 131st Engineer Company of the Vermont National Guard and JTF Tipper are working from dawn to dusk in Cavendish to complete this mission. With the Green Mountain Boys getting the project started and working out the engineering and the Ohio National Guard bringing in 20, 20-ton dump trucks and 3, 10-ton dump trucks the coordination has worked seamlessly.
“Vermont was ready for us and accepted us. As soon as we got here, they had everything set up and ready to go. They have treated us like one of their own,” said 1st Lt. Timothy Sutter, the Project OIC.
With the JTF Tipper equipment and personnel in state, Capt. Annaliese Baumer, Commander of the 131st Engineer Company, discussed the scope of the project explaining that it will take 3,500 20-ton dump trucks loads back and forth from the quarries to the jobsite. The project will require so much material, the quarries had to blast to fill the need of 70,000 tons of material.
The main concern for Capt. Tanner Dunlap, JTF Tipper Commander, is time.
“We estimate this project will take six weeks but our orders don’t extend that long. Our job is to support the Vermont National Guard and we will get done as much as we can while we are here,” says Dunlap.
This will prove to be a difficult task as one roundtrip to get material takes two hours. The quarries where the material is coming from are difficult to get to as the roads that would go directly to them, have been washed out. JTF Tipper is forced to find and what once was a 30-minute trip is now a 60-minute trip one way.
Dunlap expressed that the safety of his troops on site is also a main concern. There is a lot of material they have to bring in and there are also site hazards that are of concern. The hill on the other side of the jobsite looks like it may give away and create a landslide. Dunlap says that they will do what they can on the project they were brought in to help with and if any issues come up while they are working they will have to address them at that point. Playing the “what if” scenarios, Dunlap says, is never ending. For now, JTF Tipper will focus on the mission at hand and adjust if they need to.
The engineers of the 131st are integrating all of the support seamlessly into their fold. And it is a good thing. The project is massive and without the heavy trucks and operators from Ohio that are running 12 hours per day, the 131st would not be this far in the schedule.
The 131st is split between Dover and Cavendish with both working on Route 131. It is the magnitude of projects across the state that has brought welcomed support from Ohio. The multi-state mission being led by JTF Green Mountain Spirit continues and many National Guardsmen are working diligently to ensure reliable access to towns and residents across the State.
| Date Taken: |
09.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
09.13.2011 15:52 |
| Story ID: |
76967 |
| Location: |
CAVENDISH, VERMONT, US |
| Web Views: |
543 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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