The Corps of Engineers’ Meghan Fischer won the teams-in-action category with her photo of a crew working on a rotor beneath a powerful crane inside Bonneville Dam.
It was a day for recognizing the talent and teamwork that keep the 31 dams of the Federal Columbia River Power System humming safely and reliably for the region.
The top executives of the three agencies – Administrator Elliot Mainzer of the Bonneville Power Administration, Regional Director Lorri Lee of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Brig. Gen. John Kem of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – gathered to honor the stars and unsung heroes of 2014 at the Dec. 16 meeting of the FCRPS Joint Operating Committee in Boise.
The JOC is the decision-making body that coordinates the staff and resources of the three agencies to steward the care – from daily operations to major infrastructure improvements – of the federal hydroelectric facilities in the Columbia Basin. Through the committee, which is nearly two decades old, the agencies work together to ensure these valuable resources continue to provide low-cost, reliable power to the Northwest for years to come.
BPA had two winners at the FCRPS Awards: engineers Kathy Hacker and Sandra Takabayashi of the Federal Hydro Projects team in Power Services.
BPA’s Sandra Takabayashi won the FCRPS award for a photo illustrating the multiple uses of the river with her image of the intersecting activities around the navigation locks of The Dalles Dam.
Hacker, who joined BPA in 2000 from the Seattle District of the Corps and retired at the end of December, received the FCRPS Meritorious Service Award for her contributions to the Capital Working Group, which evaluates and recommends major investments to the hydroelectric system.
“In her role as Large Capital Program Manager, Kathy worked effectively to build consensus within the group that represents a diverse cross-section of the FCRPS,” Mainzer said. “Her thoughtful expertise and deliberative leadership have maintained a positive meeting atmosphere for all members, while ensuring that needed projects are funded and program execution remains high.”
Deputy Regional Director Steven Jarsky of Reclamation, one of the original members of the JOC, received the year’s top honor, the FCRPS Hydro Hero award.
Roger James of the Corps won the “Hydro: Reliability and Low-Cost Power” category with his shot of The Dalles Dam and the moon over Mount Hood.
Jarsky was honored for outstanding contributions, collaborative leadership and superior management of the Grand Coulee Dam World Class Hydro Team initiative. Before his retirement last month after 39 years and nine months of federal service, Jarsky led improvements in processes and business practices, infrastructure rehabilitation and knowledge management at the largest hydroelectric plant in the United States.
Lee said Jarsky’s expertise, vision and collaborative skills fit the bill for the king-sized special assignment: “He stepped up and did an amazing job, and today Coulee is on a different path to addressing the things that need to be addressed.”
In the FCRPS photo contest, Takabayashi snapped the winning image in the category of “Many Uses/Multiple Purpose Mission: Trusted Stewardship,” at the navigation locks of The Dalles Dam.
The other winners were from Bonneville Dam in the Portland District of the Corps of Engineers. Roger James’ photo of The Dalles Dam, the moon and Mount Hood won in the category of “Hydro: Reliability, Low Cost Power,” and Meghan Fischer’s photo of a crew lifting the rotor on a generator at Bonneville was the top pick in “Partnership/Teams in Action: People and Culture.”