My Real Work

I've posted so many blogs about our great adventures and the sweet DOC outings that I thought I should let you know about the projects I am working on and what's interesting about them.

The project work is amazingly similar.  Clarify the scope of work, coordinate natural and cultural compliance, put together drawings, specs and a cost estimate, obtain any required approvals, advertise the project through a contracting method, award the project, oversee construction.

What is different is that as a project manager, I'm also the contracting officer!  There is a legal person who reviews the documents but I put together the entire contract documents, post them, receive proposals, etc.  This eliminates all stress and struggles between the project manager and the contracting officer, unless I want to argue with myself.

I have had to wade through new regulations and approval processes but it's not any more painful than dealing with Arizona Department of Environmental Quality...actually much more pleasant! 

Coordination with the native Moari is also a very interesting aspect of the project. 

Mostly it is the daily work of going through the process that is interesting and exciting.  The major steps and end result are the same but it's the way of getting there that gives me joy.  Another significant benefit of working here is the ease of getting to the sites (all a day drive out and back) and encouragement, support and resources to get to the sites (enough cars, no travel restrictions).

Driving to the sites to the south...it's a beautiful drive.  I do take it easy though, the roads are narrow and windy, I'm driving on the left hand side of the road and the work cars are all manual transmission and you have to shift with your left hand. 

Jackson Bay Carpark  - small gravel "carpark" for 7 cars and 2 RVs.  Way, way, way, way at the south end of the region.  The design was sketched by a landscape architect (by training) in the office.  This LA has another job now but does help with design projects as needed.  Contract rules allow direct negotiation with a contract for projects < $20k (about 16k US$).  We tried this approach first but the price came in too high, so now I am preparing contract documents for a restricted request for proposals.  I will send the contract documents to four preselected contractors.  The site is really remote and a challenge is finding a local good gravel source and a local place to dump the cleared trees and excavated material.  The gravel source may be a new "slip" (rock slide) off the edge of the highway near the site.  Another interesting issue with this project is the concern for penguins that may be impacted during construction.  I am including instructions to the contractor regarding inspection for penguin nests prior to construction and what to do if a penguin is encountered.  This project also requires approval from the native Moari tribe. The project will be presented to them at a "mahu tahi roopu" meeting to make sure the site does not impact any cultural significant sites from pre-European history.  I've already got clearance for the European era cultural resources.  It's a great little project which is allowing me to understand the entire process of preparing a scope of work, contracting, and constructoin. 

The trailhead for the Whare Kai Te Kau walk, where the new carpark being constructed.

Turn around and see this view!

The construction drawing  :)

Vehicle Wash Down Pads  - Two areas want to wash their vehicles and legally dispose of the wash water in an environmentally appropriate way.   One of the areas also needs to wash down equipment and vehicles that have herbicide residues on them.  The rules and regulations for vehicle wash down pads are just about the same as in the US.  This project does need approval from regional authorities so I've learned how to do that.  I'm fortunate that the district approval office is a block from my office and I can pop down there very easily to meet with the reviewers to discuss the project which does have some "issues".  It turns out one of the sites falls under a new regulation regarding potentially hazardous contamination of soils on site.  Same old stumbling blocks.  It's interesting to see the reviewer who has your project on their desk (the person that you really want to have sign off on the project) in line at the grocery store!  The other interesting aspect of this project was meeting with the "affected neighbor", a farmer, because a discharge pipe will be directed towards his land.  He was fine with the proposed project and mostly told me about an amazing search and rescue he was involved with up the valley in 1948.  The incident is famous and one of the people in the hiking group that had an emergency was Edmund Hillary.  He is so well known here.  His life and accomplishments are part of the school curriculum.  Oh yeah, this was designed by an a/e.  I have determined that I don't care to review a/e work no matter where I am in the world. 

Left - the "affected neighbor" Mr. Sullivan.    Right - the local DOC employee, Gary, explaining the new project to the neighbor.  Gary is wearing the typical work uniform.  Short shorts, all year round.  Sometimes work boots, sometimes gum boots.  

The Sullivan neighbor's cattle farm.  No cattle at the moment.  Both these men have a long, long history in this small town of Fox Glacier, population 330ish. 

Replace On-Site Septic Tank and Drainfield - I will do the design to replace a failing septic tank and drainfield.  It's a pretty straight forward design but I'm not used to working with soils that are really gravel deposits from a glacier!  Also the idea of placing the drainfield in the middle of the forest stretches my comfort zone.  No problem, just cut all these trees down...they grow back pretty fast.  The challenge for me here is just determining what local materials are used...i.e. septic tanks, infiltration chambers, pipe. 

Yeah - lets put a drainfield in this jungle.  Quiz - what is a better measure of the humidity?  The vegetation or my hair?

The little back hoe could practically climb trees.  We were getting test pits dug at the proposed drainfield site.

There it goes.....

We are going to put a drainfield here?  Really?  Really?

Tom did the work of categorizing this "soil" type.  

And at the end of the day...a nice drive home...

The positive side of rain...Rainbows!

And sometimes you just have to sit and pause for several minutes...

Just sat in the road, waiting for the herd to get to where then needed to go.