When Col. Jeffrey Hall passed the colors — and command — of the Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Col. Thomas J. Tickner little more than a week ago, he described his successor as “the right person in the right place at the right time.”
“The Army knew what it was doing when it sent Tom Tickner here,” Hall added.
No faint praise, as Tickner inherits a far-flung district with responsibilities that range from overseeing water resources in a multi-state jurisdiction to wrapping up military construction across two states and taking the point position on Savannah’s complicated and controversial harbor deepening project.
Add to that the fact that sequestration cuts have finally come home to roost, putting some 63 percent of the district’s employees on furlough one day a week, and Tickner has his hands full.
A graduate of Penn State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, Tickner received a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado and a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the Eisenhower School, National Defense University.
No stranger to contentious harbor deepening issues, Tickner recently served as commander of the Corps’ Philadelphia District, where a deepening project eerily similar to Savannah’s has been underway.
The Port of Philadelphia is deepening the Delaware River channel, which it shares with the river’s namesake state, from 40 to 45 feet for about 100 miles inland. It, too, faced opposition from environmental groups and its neighboring state, which was not inclined to offer a water-quality blessing.
When the Corps proceeded without it, Delaware sued, naming Tickner among the defendants. However, both the district and appellate courts found in favor of the Corps.
Tickner began his military career with the 101st Airborne Division, followed by stints with the combat heavy 84th and 52nd Engineer Battalions, including a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also has served as military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.
Col. Tickner sat down last week with the Savannah Morning News to talk about his new assignment.
Q. How do you feel commanding the Philadelphia District has prepared you to oversee the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, and do you feel your experience there was one reason you were chosen to command Savannah?
A.“Knowing the Army, I’m sure having that experience under my belt came into play when choosing Col. Hall’s successor. I consider myself very fortunate in that I’ve watched the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project from afar for a long time.
“It’s an honor now to have the opportunity to be part of a project that has been studied for 15 years, has the blessing of four major federal agencies and has brought two states to agreement.
“I know firsthand how difficult that can be to achieve.
“I’m really excited. With a lot of the heavy lifting already done, we’re just waiting for Congress to give final authorization to the project’s funding levels.
“We need to begin the actual construction phase as soon as possible. Considering where we are now, I’m pretty confident we’ll be dredging on my watch.”
Q. What do you see as some of the biggest challenges for the Corps in general during this economically stressed time?
A.“There’s no doubt we’re operating in a fiscally restrained environment. The Army is cutting its budget and, with that, military construction will be drawing down.
“Under the Base Realignment and Closure program — better known as BRAC — we’ve had some huge military construction projects in this area in the past decade or so.
“Currently, we’re wrapping up work on two hospitals, a renovation at Fort Stewart and a new hospital at Fort Benning. When those are done, there really isn’t much else on the horizon.
“I’m expecting military construction to be on hiatus from fiscal 2014 on, lasting for at least a few years. It’s one of the ways the Army is reducing its budget.
“Unfortunately, when work draws down, we have to draw down our workforce. We’ve been affected more than most districts because we’ve had so much work in the past.
“One of the ways we’re trying to minimize the impact is by offering to assist with operations and maintenance at the bases in the area. They also are operating with reduced budgets, so anything we can do that keeps people on our payroll while helping out at the bases, we want to do that.”
Q. Many people may not realize the scope of the Savannah District. What’s your take on our district’s particular challenges?
A.“Right now, I’d say our biggest challenge is to get the harbor deepening underway as soon as possible so the project can deliver the economic benefits for the nation. The authorization we seek will be included in the new Water Resources Development Act that’s making its way through Congress. We don’t see any issues with that.
“But we need to start soon or risk losing momentum. Our job will be to manage dredging and make sure all the mitigation pieces are working. While this is a challenge, it’s also an opportunity, as we can move some of those positions that were in military construction to harbor construction.”
Q. Georgia Ports Authority director Curtis Foltz recently told his board that the Brunswick harbor — one of the top five auto ports in the country — was several feet above its authorized depth and in serious need of dredging maintenance. What can you do to help facilitate that even as budgets get tighter and tighter?
A.“Unfortunately, this is a problem with ports across the country, especially as budgets get tighter. Ports are prioritized for dredging maintenance funds according to their level of use, and Brunswick is considered a medium-use port.
“So we have to get creative in how we address the problem. Right now, we’re working with Georgia Ports to find ways to keep the harbor at depths that are efficient for traffic and safe for our river pilots. We will continue to work with them to stay on top of this.”
Q. Currently, 527 employees — or 63 percent of the Savannah District — are being furloughed one day a week. How will that impact Corps services in the district?
A. “Furloughs impact the district by removing our people from productive work. Not all employees were subject to furlough due to the funding streams used to pay them. Those in strictly civil works positions were exempt from furlough by Corps policy. The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is a civil works project, so many, but not all, of the SHEP workers were exempt from furlough.
“Again, it’s a matter of prioritizing and making the most of the personnel and time we have available. I can assure you, there won’t be any degradation in the quality of the work we do — these are professional folks who already know how to make the most of their time.”
“Frankly, I’m more concerned with morale. These are many of the same people who have served in Iraq and Afganistan. They’ve responded to disasters such as Hurricane Sandy.
“These are among the most deployed people of any district. And we also have situations where both a husband and wife are Corps employees, so they get hit doubly hard.
“We owe it to them to try to come up with plans and strategies that will help ease the hardship and hope that beginning the government’s new fiscal year on Oct. 1 will end the furloughs.”