FORT DRUM, N.Y. (July 24, 2026) -- The Fort Drum Directorate of Public Works completed two vital infrastructure upgrades in July, replacing emergency power generators at the 10th Mountain Division (LI) headquarters and rebuilding a failing drainage culvert in the training area.
DPW Operations and Maintenance Division teams recently swapped out aging gas generators at Hays Hall for highly efficient diesel units to ensure uninterrupted power in the event of an outage.
First, Roads and Grounds personnel secured and removed the old equipment using flatbed trucks. The crew then worked with a contracted crane company to stage and lift the new generators into position. Fort Drum DPW Utilities Branch employees helped guide the heavy equipment onto concrete pads for installment.
“Everyone involved demonstrated seamless teamwork and maintained a safe working environment to complete the task,” said Gene Spencer, DPW Operations and Maintenance Division chief.
DPW employees just finished a second critical project this week in the training area, after identifying a deteriorating culvert that was failing to handle heavy water runoff. A Roads and Grounds crew began the repair by blocking off the culvert and safely rerouting the water under the road.
Once the old pipes were excavated, a contractor crane crew lowered new concrete culvert sections into place. DPW Carpentry employees cemented the sections together to permanently secure the structure to the ground and prevent future erosion or shifting.
“When we pulled the pipes out, they were very corroded along the bottom,” said Alex Avery, an engineering and equipment operator who served as project manager. “It was just a matter of time before there would be sink holes on the road.”
To complete the job, Roads and Grounds employees lined the bottom of the new culvert with sand to recreate a natural creek bed for local wildlife before backfilling the surrounding area with dirt and rock. Guardrails will be installed to finalize the roadway safety upgrades.
“From a Soldier’s perspective, this is going to help them get from point A to point B on these training ranges, and get them there safely,” Avery said.
He noted that the work caused minimal environmental impact and will ultimately improve the local ecosystem.
“With the old pipe, we always had to excavate all of the sand that built up so it didn’t interfere with the fish habitat,” he said. “Since we replaced the pipes, fish can go both upstream and downstream without any issues.”
Avery described the project as a team effort, drawing on personnel from nearly every echelon of DPW, including Real Property and Installation Geospatial Information Services, Master Planning, and the Business and Operations Integration Division.
“A lot of people were involved going back to the very beginning of the project,” he said. “We used GPS to lay this whole job out and make sure everything was spot on with the elevations. After that, we worked alongside Jason Murray (from Environmental Division), who really helped us out with the fish habitat.”
“It takes a lot of different shops working together to tackle jobs like this, and many months of planning before we get our boots dirty out there,” Spencer added. “But what has been critical here is our permanent seasonal workforce and the flexibility that they bring to the table. The same guys who are working the snowplows in the winter are installing generators and culverts in the summer.”
Roman Espinoza, engineering and equipment operator, said the team’s decades of technical experience and knowledge contributed to the success of the project. He appreciated knowing that their work is supporting Soldier readiness.
“We get to see the Soldiers come through these areas that we work on,” he said. “And, you know, it helps them get back and forth to their training sites and get them back home.”
As a retired first sergeant with the 41st Engineer Battalion, Espinoza said the work is deeply personal.
“Well, this is my home. I grew up here,” he said. “I got here in the early ‘90s and I just loved it here. It’s been a great opportunity just to come back and be at a place that I love to be at.”
| Date Taken: |
07.24.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
07.24.2026 08:06 |
| Story ID: |
570651 |
| Location: |
FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: |
18 |
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0 |
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This work, Fort Drum DPW enhances post infrastructure with major power and roadway projects, by Michael Strasser, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
