ALCOAST 099/18 - MAR 2018 2017 SAME AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

R 200808 MAR 18
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-4//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N01650//
ALCOAST 099/18
COMDTNOTE 1650
SUBJ:  2017 SAME AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT
1. Congratulations to the winners of the 2017 Society of American
Military Engineers (SAME) Awards for making outstanding contributions
to the Coast Guard (CG) Civil Engineering (CE) Program and advancing
the 2017-2021 Shore Infrastructure Strategic Plan:
   A. The Cowart Plaque (for CE Organizations) is awarded to Civil
Engineering Unit (CEU) Oakland.  CEU Oakland is responsible for a
$5.5B shore plant (11,900 assets across 121 operational units) and
the Mission Readiness Product Line which provides management of
community services, housing, and training facilities shore assets. 
In 2017, CEU Oakland advanced 17 Major Shore Infrastructure (MASI)
Planning documents to identify and define new cutter homeports and
aviation capabilities and executed $26M in major maintenance and
repair projects.  CEU Oakland was also heavily involved in the 2017
hurricane season, assisting in the design and construction of the
Forward Operating Base at Air Station Borinquen, developing cost
estimates, and assessing damage reports.  CEU Oakland aggressively
pursued optimal lifecycle stewardship of Coast Guard Shore
Infrastructure through innovative, sustainable, and affordable
solutions.  They completed Phase 1 of the Shore Infrastructure
Vulnerability Assessment (SIVA), used digital sonar to provide
comprehensive inspections of facilities, and pursued the use of
autonomous UAV inspections of remote Aids to Navigation.  The
Mission Readiness Product Line completed a Small Arms Firing range
risk assessment, issued a Coast Guard wide cease fire until safety
concerns were rectified, and participated in an ongoing housing
Integrated Product Team to improve housing service functionality. 
Finally, CEU Oakland personnel volunteered in the local community
at the food bank and as mentors at schools and camps.
   B. The Cowart Plaque (for Facility Engineering Organizations)
is awarded to Aviation Training Center (ATC) Mobile Facilities
Engineering Department (FED).  ATC Mobile FED is responsible for a
$167M shore plant consisting of 44 buildings, 230 acres, and 485K
sf of building space.  In 2017, ATC Mobile FED achieved a preventative
maintenance (PM) to corrective maintenance (CM) ratio of 4:1, meeting
industry standards for a healthy facility maintenance program through
the execution of over 7,000 work orders and 71 organizational and
depot level projects.  Legacy issues, including pool leak repairs,
sewage backups, and flood damage were resolved with ingenuity and
low cost solutions.  ATC Mobile FED campaigned for energy awareness
and resurrected the advanced metering program, decreasing annual
utility costs by almost $40K.  Beyond their unit, ATC Mobile FED
provided regional support to outlying units on mold prevention
measures and assisted in developing contracts.  They also provided
logistics support for two major hurricanes, coordinating
transportation of 684 personnel and 720K lbs of relief supplies.
   C. The Oren Medal is awarded to CDR Jeremy Hall at Base Kodiak. 
As the Facilities Engineering department head, CDR Hall supports 13
federal and state partners along with 16 Coast Guard operational
units.  CDR Hall was instrumental in the review, award, and
execution of the Base Kodiak Base Operating Support Services (BOSS)
contract which shifted from requirements-based to performance-based
contract in order to incentivize the contractor and improves output. 
The Base Kodiak quality assurance surveillance program was
drastically improved when CDR Hall trained 26 Contracting Officer
Representatives to promote contractor accountability.  After
elevated lead was discovered in the water system, CDR Hall researched,
adjudicated, and conducted repairs to restore confidence in the system.
In addition to Base Kodiak’s Tsunami Plan, CDR Hall created a
Facility Management Strategic Intent guide to align with all the
four cornerstones of the DCMS business model and the Coast Guard
Civil Engineering community.
   D. The Sargent Medal is awarded to Chief Warrant Officer (CWO)
Dennis Amerson at Sector San Diego.  CWO Amerson diligently cared
for the 28-acre unit with six tenant commands, five patrol boats,
and five small boats as the Facilities Engineer.  CWO Amerson
expertly managed contracts valued at $5.2M, including $500K in
emergency repairs due to significant storm damage and
casualty-related mishaps.  His oversight and diligence on the $2.7M
renovation to the 130 year-old Point Loma Lighthouse ensured the
safety of civilians during extensive lead paint removals.  During
a rare heat wave, CWO Amerson effectively managed multiple air
conditioning casualties and personally lead a team in constructing
a fire break around a Rescue-21 tower, protecting the tower during
a wildfire that engulfed the area.  As an experienced Fire Chief,
CWO Amerson corrected a design flaw in the galley fire suppression
system and successfully installed a hangar foam abort system. 
Security measures were increased when CWO Amerson established a
contract base security team and acquired a new security barrier. 
In an effort to reduce waste, CWO Amerson worked with the San Diego
Gas and Electric company to establish saving opportunities through
a utility energy service contract including electric vehicle
charging stations, solar photo-voltaic structures, and irrigation
metering controls.
2.  The Panel would also like to recognize the submissions of Civil
Engineering Unit Miami and Air Station Borinquen FED which
highlighted their exceptional efforts throughout the 2017 hurricane
season.  CEU Miami’s Design and Contracting staffs executed over
$3M in emergency repairs, and their Real Property staff executed
over $1.5M in urgent real property actions.  Air Station Borinquen
FED successfully prepared and executed emergency power generation
and potable water provisions for their unit for 3 months.  In
addition to self-sustainment, Air Station Borinquen FED provided
critical utilities and support to eight government partners.  Thank
you for the dedication and devotion to duty throughout the hurricane
season.  Your enduing support and comprehensive documentation
resulted in a generous hurricane supplemental funding and
expeditious recovery efforts.
3. Award presentations will be held at the 2018 SAME Joint Engineer
Training Conference (JETC) in Kansas City, MO from 23 through 25 May 2018.
4. The selection process was extremely competitive in all categories, and
all of the nominees are commended for their accomplishments and hard work.
5. RDML M. W. Bouboulis, Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics, sends.
6. Internet release authorized.