Photo By Staff Sgt. Ruth McClary | North Carolina Army National Guard soldiers of the 878th and 875th Engineer Companies...... read more read more
BOONE, N.C. – Army National Guard soldiers drugged around through knee-deep muddy water in hopes of draining the flooded motor pool at the Army Readiness Center here after recent heavy rains on July 27.
The 878th and 875th Engineer Companies and the 621st Survey and Design Team began the project, slated to be completed in early August, in order to renovate the motor pool area by pouring three concrete pads.
The reason for the pads is that there is a nearby creek and river causing the motor pool area to be in a flood plain.
“The condition of this area after a flood or even moderate rain became unacceptable and decreased the unit’s ability to move equipment safely and in a timely manner,” said Major Mark Macmahan, 130th’s training officer.
The three concrete pads, totaling almost 26,000 square feet of concrete, help reinforce the overall foundation of the motor pool and will protect against excessive erosion throughout the facility.
When the team arrived at the readiness center, the motor pool area was covered in water. Soldiers drained the water and measured the area for the three pads. The weather was somewhat cooperative but each time it rained the creek overflowed into the lot.
Project managers are concerned with all of the excessive raining and flooding in the western part of our state recently, that the project is falling behind and may not be completed during the units’ annual training.
The soldiers used heavy equipment to pump water out of the construction area with the use of an electronic hydraulic generator. The generator pumped the water through a hose and out of the back gate.
“This generator is new equipment and this is its first field test,” said Sgt. John Hoyt, a combat engineer and electrician, of the 878th. “The new generator called a HEPPOE, an acronym meaning; hydraulic, electric, pneumatic, petroleum, operated equipment, pulled its own weight and then some.”
The HEPPOE consists of two power units and storage and transportation chests from which work teams can withdraw a variety of pavement breakers, saws, drills, and supporting tools for use at job sites.
Army Pfc. Jordan Pappas, a carpentry mason of the 878th, manned the controls of the HEPPO pump as the soldiers shouted on and off commands to her. She said the water was up to her calves when they arrived and after using the pump the water receded to a corner of the lot by noon that day.
In the process of them clearing the lot, one of the soldiers lost his glasses. In the true spirit of teamwork, each one of the soldiers working in that area took turns combing through the water in search of the glasses.
The soldiers didn’t mind the conditions. They even challenged each other to low crawls; which was a clever way to characterize sliding through a hole dug underneath the fence to push the flood waters back in the creek.
The progress of getting the lot free of water was swift, but the glasses were not found. By the end of the day, the soldiers were camouflaged in mud, blending completely into the landscape of the muddy waters.
“If we have to work in the mud, we might as well have fun,” said Pappas.
“The soldiers are receiving a lot of good training here,” said Chief Warrant Officer 1 Timothy Calton, the on-site supervisor. “Some of them haven’t worked with concrete and they welcome the challenge of picking up more skills of the trade. We are hoping to do more self help projects like this in the future.”
Calton owned a foundation company for 10 years in the civilian sector; therefore he brings experienced guidance to the site. Yet, he did not just stand back and push out directives to the soldiers; instead he pushed up his sleeves and helped on the site. Throughout the day Calton gave his soldiers tips on how to enhance to the project.
Army engineers from the 130th have been working throughout the year and across the state on projects call “self help”. These projects save the NCNG, and thus taxpayers, hundreds of thousands of dollars that would have been spent on labor costs.
“This self help project in Boone has saved over $180 thousand of taxpayers’ money,” Mcmahan proudly states.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2013 16:18 |
| Story ID: | 111454 |
| Location: | BOONE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 220 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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