An informal awards ceremony took place Wednesday, Oct. 19, to recognize those individuals whose efforts contributed to the establishment of the Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants (POL) Mandatory Center of Expertise (MCX) Program in Omaha.
Center of Expertise Program Manager, Ms. Donna Smigel, from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters was in Omaha to lead a Center of Expertise seminar at the Omaha District and received recognition for her support.
“The more your popularity grows, the more usage you obtain, then you grow into a Mandatory Center of Expertise,” said Smigel.
Mr. Stacey Hirata, SES, HQUSACE, Chief, Installation Support Division, Mr. Bob Fenalason, HQUSACE, Deputy Chief, Consolidated Regional Integration Team (CRIT), and Tim Gordon, HQUSACE, POL-MCX proponent were presented their awards in Washington, D.C. the day before.
Retired fuels Program Manager Jimmy Brasch, Ken Anderson, retired fuels electrical engineer, and Joe Pesek, retired fuels mechanical engineer also received recognition, along with Joe Laird, Northwestern Division Military Program Manager and Dick Taylor Omaha District Deputy Director, Engineering Division, who were away on assignment in Colorado.
The POL-MCX uses its teams within the Omaha District to provide technical support, construction placement, project management, and contract administration services to meet specific military fuel storage and delivery requirements of any installation worldwide. Some of the more familiar installations include Quantico, Fort Bliss, Fort Hood, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and Camp Ripley to name a few.
The creation of a POL-MCX was approved in August by converting the existing POL Technical Center of Expertise (TCX) to a MCX. This new policy established the Omaha District as the Mandatory Center of Expertise for all USACE fuel systems projects that meet the criteria outlined in the Engineering Regulation (ER 1110-1-8167).
It is recognized by the Department of Defense as the authority for military fuel storage and delivery systems, providing an all-inclusive Design Center located in the Omaha District with a mission to design and implement military fuel storage and delivery systems that reliably provide clean, dry, fuel safety to support the U. S. Military.
The Omaha District Mandatory Center of Expertise ensures fuel system projects are executed on time, within budget, and with assured quality to meet or exceed the fuel system commissioning requirements.
Requests for POL-MCX services may be submitted to the POL-MCX by telephone, by email, or in writing. “Informal communication is encouraged,” said Greg Etter, Program Manager, “however, before any reimbursable work commences the POL-MCX and the geographic district (or other Agency) will develop a mutually acceptable scope of work, schedule, and cost estimate for the efforts of POL-MCX.”