A Message from Dr. Glass

Greetings MES! 

I am pleased to report that the Building Excellence and Success Together (BEST) program goals for FY23 were approved at the August Board of Directors meeting. If you are new to MES, you may not be familiar with the BEST program. At the beginning of each fiscal year, the BEST Committee develops agency-wide goals to be completed over the course of the year. Everyone on the MES team is asked to help meet the goals, and at the end of the fiscal year our success is evaluated. All qualifying team members receive a check with their share of the BEST pool. The BEST payout five-year average is $3,000 per employee (2017-2021). The FY23 goals will be presented during the All-Teams virtual meeting on September 13 at 10:00 a.m. I encourage all MES employees to review the goals and develop ways to contribute. 

Dr. Glass at TriCon

We also presented several Inspire Awards at the August Board of Directors meeting recognizing extraordinary service from our team members. You can read more about the awards below. The BEST and Inspire programs, our Virtual Suggestion Box, and the Targeting Excellence program were developed to recognize the great work being done by the teams at MES. The guidelines and qualifications for each program can be found on the MES intranet here.

The Wave Runners at TriCon

More items to report from August: Groups traveled to both the Maryland Association of Counties Summer Conference and the Chesapeake Tri-Association Summer Conference (TriCon), where I was honored to provide the keynote address and spend some time talking about the great work we are accomplishing at MES. We hope to have a recording of the speech available soon. Many MES staff attended TriCon, including a group made up of team members from Water and Wastewater and Technical and Environmental Services who competed in the meter madness competition, placing very respectably. Congratulations to the Wave Runners and thank you for your hard work! 

Finally, we have some important upcoming dates. As mentioned above, there will be valuable information shared during the MES All-Teams virtual meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 10:00 a.m. The link to join will be distributed next week. We only hold these meetings a few times a year and all employees are encouraged to watch. A recording of the meeting will be added to the MES intranet for those who cannot attend due to work responsibilities. 

The annual Maryland Charity Campaign will kick off on Oct. 3. The campaign provides the opportunity for staff members to donate to their favorite charities through one-time giving or payroll deduction. In addition, the DEI Workgroup has events planned to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, including a lotería (bingo) game (Sept. 23) and salsa dance lessons (Oct. 13).

As you can see, we have quite a bit going on in the coming months. I’m sure you are also looking forward to enjoying time with your family this fall and during the winter holidays – as I am as well! 

Best, 

Charles

WELL "OWL" BE DARNED!

Although Poplar Island often sees a large number of nesting birds in the summer, this year was particularly exciting because of the discovery of a nest of Barn Owls.

Tim Carney, a Senior Environmental Specialist in the Environmental Dredging and Restoration group, was on Poplar Island in late June conducting a bird census when he noticed a Carolina Wren enter an amphibious vehicle (used in wetland areas on the island). Thinking the wren might have a nest, Tim climbed up to look. Instead of wrens, he found a Barn Owl. This species is usually skittish, so when it didn't fly away, Tim knew it was either sick or sitting on a nest. Poplar staff carefully checked from another angle and were thrilled to see the owl sitting on eggs!

Female Barn Owl sitting on her eggs

Onsite staff checking on the nest confirmed the female owl laid six eggs, five of which hatched by mid-July. The young owls have slowly been getting fuzzier and cuter as their feathers grow in, and will likely be fledged by the end of September (although they may sleep near the nest for several more weeks). While the owlets are still flightless, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "banded" them, giving them each a lightweight metal leg band that identifies them to researchers.

The EDR group is very excited about the Barn Owls. They're a rare breeding species in Maryland, and it's the first time they've been found nesting on the island. While most birds on Poplar choose to nest in wilder places than the back of an amphibious vehicle, the nesting owls are still an indicator that Poplar Island is providing an excellent habitat for rare and threatened native wildlife!

Owlets on top of the "Marsh Master" (amphibious vehicle)

Owlets out of the nest for banding by staff from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

TESTING THE WATERS

As a result of new test-preparation steps, the Water and Wastewater (W/WW) group has seen a 46% increase in the number of MES staff who are passing their State-level certification exams!

Operators in W/WW must take certification exams in order to be licensed to operate water and wastewater systems throughout the State. Typically, the percentage of MES staff who pass these exams has hovered around 30-35%, which isn't far off from the average pass rate for all operators taking W/WW exams in Maryland.

To help prepare operators to take and pass their exams, the W/WW group has been requiring operators to take a pre-test and offering additional math classes for those who need them. The outcome has been a dramatic increase in the pass rates for MES, with that number jumping from 37.68% in FY21 to 55.10% in FY22!

The improvement is the direct result of the hard work that Greg Wilkinson (Manager, Operations Training) and Joe Wright (Deputy Division Chief, W/WW Operations) have put in to ensure that MES staff are well prepared for their certification exam on test day. The group is raising the bar even further, setting a goal of 60% passing for FY23.

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE SEWER

(OR BETTER YET, A GREASE TRAP)

Staff in the Technical and Environmental Services (TES) group are doing important work providing monthly grease trap inspections at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, keeping problematic food production by-products out of the sewer system.

Restaurants typically make the list of top suspects when a problem with the sewer system at BWI occurs. They're often a significant source of fats, oils, and greases (FOG) entering the sewer, which can clog sewer lines and create problems at water treatment facilities.

Grease trap at a restaurant at BWI

To keep FOG out of the sewer, restaurants are often required to operate and maintain a "grease trap," which catches fats, oils, and greases that are produced during cooking, frying, dish washing, and other culinary operations. Wastewater enters a grease trap, reducing the water flow. This allows solids to settle to the bottom and the FOG to rise to the top of the wastewater column, where they stay until removed either manually or automatically.

How well grease traps function depends on how well they are maintained. To help prevent sewer problems at BWI, TES conducts monthly inspections on 63 grease traps around the airport. During the inspections, they determine the amount of solids, wastewater, and grease present in the grease trap, as well as ensure that all components of the grease trap are functioning properly. Issues found during the inspections are reported to the Maryland Aviation Administration as well as the contractors who oversee restaurant management and grease trap maintenance and cleaning. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure— and it's definitely worth the work of inspecting grease traps to keep major FOG issues from affecting the sewer system further down the line.

WE LOVE IT WHEN CLEAN UP'S A BREEZE

The hardworking staff at the Harford Waste Disposal Center did an outstanding job serving the County community this summer as residents cleaned up following summer storms.

On July 12, 2022, a significant storm tore through Virginia, D.C., and Maryland, bringing severe winds, hail, and extensive power outages. The storm caused considerable damage to homes, trees, and power lines in places, including in Harford County, where many roads were impassible from damage and debris.

Photo courtesy of National Weather Service

To assist with the cleanup effort, the MES staff at the Harford Waste Disposal Center set up five satellite brush-acceptance sites and extended their normal hours of operation to provide more flexibility to County residents dropping off debris. These steps helped make cleanup a little easier for the community, and residents ultimately made an impressive 3,241 trips to the waste acceptance sites over the course of a week!

All of the material collected by MES (plus a majority of the material collected by others throughout the County) will be processed by MES at the Harford Mulch and Compost Facility. The staff in Harford showed that MES responds quickly when disaster strikes. Nice job, team!

Send Us Your Shots!

MES teammates do extraordinary work in extraordinary places across the state— show us what that looks like by sending your pictures to Mary Chiarella at mchiarella@menv.com.

Photo: Swan Creek Wetlands,

Anne Arundel County

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH AT MES

(Traducción en Española)

MES celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 by exploring and honoring the innumerable contributions of the Hispanic and Latinx communities in the U.S. and here at MES. This celebration coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of many Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Chile.

Here at MES, we will explore music and dance, games, food, and more throughout this month of celebration. Join us for these exciting events:

Play Lotería!

On September 23, join us to play a virtual game of Lotería. Register to receive the link! Lotería is a traditional game of chance, popularly referred to as "Mexican Bingo." We hope you will play and learn some Spanish while celebrating with your teammates.

Take a Live Salsa Lesson

October 13, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the headquarters facility training room, join us for an immersive experience as we learn the basics of salsa dancing! MES will have a salsa instructor demonstrate and teach the dance to all who attend. No experience necessary! To attend this event in person or virtually, please register using the link under the poster. 

Contribute Your Favorites

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, MES is collecting everyone’s favorite Hispanic and Latino authors, musicians, albums, movies, art, and Latin-inspired restaurants! Help us to celebrate this beautiful culture and share your favorite recommendations.  

MES encourages facilities to participate in this celebration. Celebrate by holding an event at your facility and send us your pictures and videos at DEIWorkGroup@menv.com.

We invite you to attend a community event, or try a new restaurant, and follow MES on social media to learn more about the music, restaurants, and other recommendations of our Hispanic and Latinx teammates.

SEND US FEEDBACK!

We're working hard to incorporate changes that make this newsletter more timely, meaningful, and engaging. If there's something you'd like to see in the newsletter, you can submit your ideas, photos, stories, and suggestions to mchiarella@menv.com.

Inspire Awards for Extraordinary Service

Bob Barnhart & Chase Clark

Water/Wastewater Group

Congrats to Bob and Chase, who received an Inspire Award for their work troubleshooting permit violations and system failures at the Lambs Knoll WWTP! They rebuilt faulty systems, and replaced and redesigned others to improve problems the plant was having during high rain events. As a result of these changes, the plant is back in NPDES permit compliance, costs are down, and the client started a contract with MES to operate the facility! Fantastic job, Bob and Chase, and thank you for ingenuity and hard work!

Bruce Carroll

Env. Operations Group

Congratulations to Bruce, who received an Inspire Award for Extraordinary Service for going above and beyond to look out for some of the smallest members of our community! After finding 12 abandoned guinea pigs during his recycle collections route, Bruce contacted Talbot Humane and helped rescue them from the summer heat. Great job, Bruce, and thank you for your exemplary compassion and commitment!

Bruce Carroll, Logan Milby,

Eric Frase & Andre Stanley

Env. Operations Group

Congrats to Bruce, Logan, Eric, and Andre, who received an Inspire Award for Extraordinary Service for their work improving the loading efficiency of transfer tractor trailers used in Midshore Landfill Operations! They worked together to research, install, and test a new scale to help ensure tractor trailers are being fully loaded, improving efficiency and creating significant project savings. Awesome job, team!

Maurice "Mo" Boddie

Env. Operations Group

Congratulations to Maurice, who received an Inspire Award for Extraordinary Service for his innovative ideas in helping MES advertise to prospective new hires! Maurice suggested that MES create magnetic decals for agency vehicles to advertise that we're hiring. The decals were quickly produced, and now offer an easy way to advertise vacancies.

Laura Baker, Emily Sperling, Tim Carney, Kristina Motley, Jessica Macer &

Elana Kellner

Env. Dredging & Restoration Group

Congratulations to Laura, Emily, Tim, Kristina, Jessica, and Elana for their work planning and implementing a successful youth birding week on behalf of our client, the Port of Baltimore. The week included learning about local bird populations, habitat loss, and the environmental work being done by the Port of Baltimore to support bird species and other wildlife.

Education & Professional Development

CONTINUING EDUCATION IN ENV. DREDGING & RESTORATION

Project Engineer Steven Mastro recently participated in the Pump 101 course offered by the Texas A&M University College of Engineering. The training was a half-week of in-person instruction at the DXP Pump Lab on Texas A&M University's campus in College Station, TX. The training included theory and practice. The fundamentals of positive displacement and centrifugal pumps were demonstrated, and participants practiced selecting appropriate pumps and pump systems with an experienced instructor. The knowledge gained during this training will be vital to MES’ client MDOT MPA, as the EDR team is preparing for a potential switch from gravity-fed spillways to discharge systems requiring pumping operations to provide discharge at the Masonville and Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facilities.

In early August, Maura Morris, Michelle Osborn, and Stephanie Peters waded into the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process during a three-day training on the topic. The course provided participants with a foundation for supporting, leading, or overseeing NEPA processes. Since the EDR group currently has several unique projects which require NEPA compliance, this course provided a great opportunity to increase understanding of NEPA processes and learn how to avoid common pitfalls. Although the course was held virtually, the diverse group of participants had opportunities to share and discuss their real-world experience. And participants left with three binders of materials to reference long after the training ended, which will help them as they apply their new learning to their work and projects.

This summer, Environmental Specialist Emily Sperling participated in Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE), a research and field-based training program jointly hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Maryland DNR, and the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve System. Over the course of the week-long program, educators from around the watershed learned how to create a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) focused on climate change in Maryland. They also explored Dorchester County, studied native Bay wildlife, and learned about the importance of integrating social and emotional learning into environmental curricula. The training provided valuable information about program design that can be integrated into the education and outreach work MES provides on behalf of MDOT MPA.

Interested in starting a degree or certificate program? MES has a tuition assistance program for employees pursuing continuing education related to their careers. That can mean assistance paying for a college degree, a professional certification, or other training programs completed outside of work. Email Laura Younker to learn more about the program.

New Teammates

WELCOME TO OUR NEW HIRES!

• Andrea Chambers - Administrative Specialist, Prince George’s County MRF
• Bridget Cantwell - Lead Environmental Specialist, Headquarters
• Bridget Walsh - Marketing Intern, Headquarters
• James "Jim" Cline - Operator In Training, Glen Arm
• Kristian Ramsey - Operator In training, Dorsey Run
• Merlin Hernandez - Driver, Prince George’s County MRF
• Miriam Fuentes - Lead Sorter, PG County MRF
• Shannon Taylor - Program Assistant, Chesapeake Bay Trust
• Szu-Chieh Chen - IT Support Specialist, Headquarters
• Taryn North - Inspector, Poplar Island
• Tiffany Musser - Operator In Training, Crownsville
• Todd Cebulski - Inspector, Poplar Island
• Torreon Harris - Engineering Technician, Headquarters
• Travell Shelton - Operator In Training, MD VA Milk Producers
• Wanita David - Intern, Headquarters

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