District Digest News Stories

Kaiser gets general overview of Nashville District construction projects

Nashville District Public Affairs
Published Nov. 20, 2014
Center Hill Power Plant Superintendent Jody Craig, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, (right) leads the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander, Brig. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser (center) and Lt. Col. John L. Hudson Nashville District commander,(left)on a tour of the Center Hill Dam Power Plant Nov. 19, 2014.  This was Kaiser's first visit to the district since taking command September 2014. He also toured the Kentucky Lock Addition Project in Grand Rivers, Ky and the Nashville District Headquarters.

Center Hill Power Plant Superintendent Jody Craig, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, (right) leads the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander, Brig. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser (center) and Lt. Col. John L. Hudson Nashville District commander,(left)on a tour of the Center Hill Dam Power Plant Nov. 19, 2014. This was Kaiser's first visit to the district since taking command September 2014. He also toured the Kentucky Lock Addition Project in Grand Rivers, Ky and the Nashville District Headquarters.

Jeff Flowers, power project manager at the Nashville District Mid-Cumberland Area Construction Office, discusses the functions of the control room at the Center Hill Power Plant to the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander, Brig. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser on Nov. 19, 2014.

Jeff Flowers, power project manager at the Nashville District Mid-Cumberland Area Construction Office, discusses the functions of the control room at the Center Hill Power Plant to the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander, Brig. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser on Nov. 19, 2014.

Bill DeBruyn, (left) Center Hill project resident engineer and Linda Adcock, (center) Center Hill Dam project manager, briefs the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander, Brig. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser (right) on the foundation rehabilitation progress and construction during a tour of the Center Hill Dam Power Plant Nov. 19, 2014.

Bill DeBruyn, (left) Center Hill project resident engineer and Linda Adcock, (center) Center Hill Dam project manager, briefs the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander, Brig. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser (right) on the foundation rehabilitation progress and construction during a tour of the Center Hill Dam Power Plant Nov. 19, 2014.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 19, 2014) – The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander visited two Nashville District projects for the first time today to interact with project managers and engineers, and to recognize Corps of Engineers employees for their professionalism and excellence.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 19, 2014) – The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander visited two Nashville District projects for the first time today to interact with project managers and engineers, and to recognize Corps of Engineers employees for their professionalism and excellence.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 19, 2014) – The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander visited two Nashville District projects for the first time today to interact with project managers and engineers, and to recognize Corps of Engineers employees for their professionalism and excellence.

Brig. Gen. Richard G. Kaiser toured the Center Hill Dam Seepage Rehabilitation Project in Lancaster, Tenn., and Kentucky Lock Addition Project in Grand Rivers, Ky.  He also stopped by the Nashville District Headquarters for briefings and to meet the staff.

Linda Adcock, project manager for the Center Hill Dam Seepage Rehabilitation Project, briefed Kaiser on the installation of a concrete barrier wall to stop seepage in the dam’s embankment.  She also updated the general on plans to installed roller compacted concrete dam adjacent to the Saddle Dam and existing self eroding fuse plug. 

“I think he gained an understanding of how the Saddle Dam remediation fits into the overall Center Hill project,” said Adcock.  “This visit allowed him to see the past grouting contract locations, the ongoing Barrier Wall construction and future plans for the Saddle Dam.”  

The $360 million project is designed to fix seepage problems in the foundation of the earthen portions of the dam. The contractor, Bauer Foundation Corporation, is installing a permanent barrier wall as the long-term solution to stop the seepage and keep the earthen main dam safe.

Bill DeBruyn, resident engineer at Center Hill Dam, escorted Kaiser around the construction platform and briefed him about safety issues, specialized machinery and operations.

“Safety is always first,” said Kaiser.  “There’s a lot of activity taking place on this work platform and now I have a better understanding of how congested it can get very quickly.” 

Jeff Flowers, power project manager at the Nashville District Mid-Cumberland Area Construction Office, then welcomed Kaiser to the Center Hill Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant and led a tour of the power plant and machine shops.

“It’s important that we show him how the power plant works and many of the components we plan to replace,” said Flowers.  “I think he enjoyed the tour and communicated his objectives for the program well.”

The general then traveled to the Nashville District headquarters to meet employees and to recognize two people for their outstanding duty and performance.

“First of all thank you for your hard work.  You are the backbone of the Corps of Engineers,” said Kaiser.  “It is always great to get out and talk to the hard-working men and women at the various districts.  It is our civilian work force that provides the expertise that we use daily and I thank you for that.”

Kaiser seemed to relish talking with workers and they were impressed by his attentiveness to their comments and opinions.

“It was my privilege to meet and talk to him and to see that he cares about what we do here in the Nashville District every day,” said Vicky Goostree, budget officer in Resource Management. “As he asked each employee their names and jobs, I could see it was important to him to understand our roles.”

Following the headquarters visit, Kaiser traveled to the Kentucky Lock Addition Project where Project Manager Don Getty provided an update on the progress of construction of a 110-foot by 1,200-foot lock adjacent and landward of the existing 110-foot by 600-foot lock to accommodate modern barge tows.

“The biggest impression I’m walking away with is about the hard work of the people,” said Kaiser.  “I’m very impressed and proud of the people who are making an impact on their communities.” 

The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.