EODT Camp Wheeler Project Receives Locke L. Mouton Award for Excellence in Community Relations

Jun 15, 2006

In June 2006, a Community Relations Program developed and implemented by EODT, a Critical Mission Support and Site Redevelopment firm based in Lenoir City, Tennessee, was awarded the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Locke L. Mouton Award for Excellence in Community Relations. The award was made to the Community Relations program at the former Camp Wheeler site in Macon, Georgia, and all its participants: the USACE Huntsville Division as contracting agency, the USACE Savannah District as program sponsor and manager, and EODT as program developer and implementer. The Camp Wheeler project is part of the Army’s Military Munitions Removal Program (MMRP) that is intended to clean up formerly used defense sites throughout the country.

The Camp Wheeler project is led by EODT Project Manager Tiffany Midyett with full-time support from Public Relations Specialist Robin Hawn. EODT adds value to the community by first integrating community leaders and members into project decision-making to ensure that community as well as project objectives are met; then by maximizing community resource utilization by hiring local subcontractors who support the local economy; and also by leveraging opportunities to help the residents throughout the project with extensive brush cutting and scrap pile removal.

This added value has taken many forms including the County Commissioner’s assistance with obtaining 100% right-of-entry agreements; the local Sheriff’s Department’s help with temporary home evacuations; and individual homeowner’s help gaining project support and consistent evacuations. All of these efforts have helped EODT and the Corps of Engineers get the job done as safety, quickly, and efficiently as possible.

Chris Cochran, Project Manager for the Huntsville Corps of Engineers stated, “Robin Hawn and Tiffany Midyett with EODT are doing a wonderful public relations job because they really care about helping the residents. The residents are so grateful to have us in there that they make brownies for the field workers and leave them on the porch before they evacuate their house. At the Public Involvement meeting a month ago, people were hugging me and giving the team pats on the back. I have never seen this happen before.”

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