EVENT: #2016outreach contractor opportunities event draws overflow crowd

Contract Compliance Officer Diana Jones greets guests January 21.

Construction contractors from Northeast Ohio and across the Midwest came to Cleveland recently to hear details about $140 million in construction projects presented by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

Sewer District engineers rolled out plans for nearly a dozen construction projects—including the Dugway South Relief and Consolidation Sewer in Cleveland and East Cleveland—on Thursday, January 21, at the Centers for Families and Children in Cleveland.

“We were very pleased with the significant turn out for this outreach event” said Tiffany Jordan, manager of contracts and compliance. “It was exciting to see the diverse businesses and operators in the room."

You can hear the full event podcast courtesy Diane Helbig below.

TUNNELS: Devotion to St. Barbara is a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of tunneling

When tunnel workers began their Euclid Creek Tunnel shifts by brassing in—a safety practice of moving a small brass disc from one side of a signboard to another to signify they are heading underground—they passed an unassuming paragraph of text masking-taped to the corner of the painted plywood.

Oh dear St. Barbara, bring us grace and bless us with your everlasting devotion. Protect us from danger and accidental death, and protect us from the evils of this world.

Brassing in and out atop the Euclid Creek Tunnel shaft.

The text is a traditional prayer of Saint Barbara, a third-century Christian martyr who is considered the patron saint of underground workers. Devotions to St. Barbara date back to the "earliest mining traditions" which continue even today.

"December 4th is her feast day," said our Senior Construction Supervisor Ryan Sullivan who is working closely with the Dugway Storage Tunnel project. "The contractors usually find some way to mark the day."

Other traditions are more recent but just as prevalent in the tunneling community, including the practice of naming tunnel boring machines. Just as a boat is christened and named, these large drilling machines that burrow deep underground are traditionally named after a female as a sign of luck and respect.

Our Euclid Creek Tunnel was bored by the TBM named Mackenzie, the same machine that will dig the Dugway Storage Tunnel beginning next year. She is currently being rehabilitated in preparation for her three-mile-long, 24-foot-wide tunneling journey.

We had a chance yesterday to visit our old friend Mackenzie, the tunnel boring machine that dug our Euclid Creek Tunnel. She's in the process of being rehabilitated to be relaunched for a new project, the Dugway Storage Tunnel, next year.

A photo posted by NE Oh Regional Sewer District (@neorsd) on Dec 3, 2015 at 9:55am PST

Mackenzie finished the Euclid Creek Tunnel in 2013, but the tunnel was not fully complete ($3.6 million under budget) until this year.

PROFILE: Good Neighbors, good work in the Glenville community

The first class of Good Neighbor Ambassadors (l to r): Brandon Hogan, Galen Adams, Anthony Body, Donnell Green, Dareus Hiley, Ciera Campbell, Tyronn Dunn, and Sircharles Williams

The goal of the Good Neighbor Outreach program is to connect the District with the communities it serves, and our Good Neighbor Ambassadors act as liaisons between the District, various community and business organizations, and the general public.

Made up of seven Ambassadors and Supervisor Anthony Body, the Good Neighbor team’s current focus is the Glenville neighborhood for the duration of Dugway Storage Tunnel construction as part of Project Clean Lake.

The Ambassadors keep Glenville residents up-to-date on what is happening in their neighborhood, distributing informational materials, answering questions, and addressing concerns about the District’s construction projects.