Teamwork made Montgomery Point a reality

Along with the promise of an increased workload for Little Rock District, Montgomery Point Lock and Dam has brought with it challenges that could only be accomplished through teamwork. And the challenges started early in the life of the project.

In 1980 the district was asked to look into a low-water problem in the White River Entrance Channel. In September 1986, the district began a feasibility study on the possibility of building a dam to correct the problem.

"It took a lot of people and time to get that study done on time, but we did it," said Chris Hicklin of Planning Division. "One thing that got us so far ahead in the study is that we quickly identified the environmental issues that were involved in the project.

"Then we began getting other state and federal agencies involved in the story. It really paid off in the end, because they were already familiar with and supportive of the project right up front."

The Montgomery Point Project managers have led by example. Hicklin was the original project manger for Montgomery Point, but then he passed the reins to Randy Hathaway, who managed the project for more than six years.

Eighty-seven people in the district office and 40 people from Harza, an A-E firm designing the dam and navigation gates, have been involved in Montgomery Point.

"That gives you an idea of the size of the project. The job is just too big for one person or even one team," Hathaway said.

"We actually have teams working within teams. Even though there are turf battles every once in a while, I have seen everyone put those aside to do what is best for the project and the district."

The teamwork that was instrumental in the beginning of Montgomery Point has carried over into every aspect of the project.

"It has been close to 30 years since this district designed a lock and dam," said Elmo Webb, a civil engineer in the Geotechnical Branch who worked on the project. "Most of the people with design expertise and experience from constructing the locks and dams on the navigation system had retired."

"The most challenging thing was to extend our thought processes. Almost every design phase of this project had been performed before by this district, but not at the magnitude that we were going to have to do it."

The learning curve was short for the designers involved in the project.

"It was very stressful being a part of this project team and trying to take lessons learned from other designs and designers without making mistakes of your own," said Exa Hartman, an electrical engineer in Design Branch.

"I believe we needed the time to design and redesign so that we could make mistakes in the beginning, correct them and end up with the best possible product in the end."

The coordination did not stop at the district boundaries, architectural and engineering contractors, other Corps districts and laboratories as well as a massive effort by district employees was needed to get the design done.

"It has been difficult because this is a large, first-of-its-kind project, and we are still basically a small district with a small design staff," said Tom Clement, technical manager for the project.

"It takes so many people to do a project of this size. We were always needing subject matter experts, so we were always pulling in the best people we had. Keeping up with it all was a big job."

Many of the people who have helped with Montgomery Point did it in addition to working on other projects.

"My major challenge has been supporting all the designers and technicians during the entire design phase of the project in addition to supporting the numerous other CADD-based project that have passed through Design Branch during the design of Montgomery Point," said Royce West, CADD system manager in the Architect and Support Section.

"It was difficult to stay focused on the design throughout the project to reach the final plans and specifications stage," said Mark Emmerling, lead electrical engineer for the team. "Being a part of the project required a strong will to follow through and complete all the required tasks."

In addition to the challenges experienced by Montgomery Point team members, they also recognize the benefits that come from working on the project.

"This project was one of my first assignments at Little Rock District, and it has enabled me to work with a very skilled team of engineers and technicians," said Larry Winters, a structural engineer in Design Branch. "It has been great on-the-job training to see and participate in the innovative team effort that has been required to solve complex design problems."

The uniqueness of the project also makes all the hard work worthwhile.

"I know that working on the project makes me part of what is probably the last major design effort that the Little Rock District will do," said Greg Yada of Hydrology and Hydraulics Branch.

As the plans and specifications are completed, the focus changes from design to contracting.

"Now my major challenge is to keep the solicitation and award process running as smoothly as possible and on time," said Virginia Moore of the A-E Construction Contracts Branch.

Because of the teamwork, everyone who has worked on the Montgomery Point project, from study leaders to CADD operators, has a vested interest in seeing construction begin, and eventually seeing the product completed.

"A lot of experience and confidence has been gained through this design process, and a lot more will be gained in the construction of this project," Webb said. "Five to six years from now, when this project is operational, there will be a lot of proud people in the district."