Weekly News Summary For June 29 - July 5, 2009:

Corps, Industry Coordinate River Closures, Delays
St. Louis Engineer District operations manager Andy Schimpf surveyed a packed conference room at the Mel Price Locks & Dam in Alton, Ill. It was filled with about 80 people on June 18, mostly industry representatives and Corps colleagues. He had expected no more than 20, he told The Waterways Journal—especially since the meeting was only conceived and developed in early May.
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Barges Strike Braddock Dam, Close Locks
Two barges broke loose and struck the Braddock Dam in the early morning hours of June 18, causing the locks to close temporarily, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
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New Blessey Towboat Features Exercise Room, Whirlpool
Some maritime surveys have found that working conditions, not pay, are paramount in retaining crews aboard towboats. If that is the case, it is hard to imagine anyone ever leaving a boat job at Blessey Marine Services of Harahan, La.
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ACL Renames Towboat For Longtime Employee
American Commercial Lines renamed one of its towboats the mv. Miss Bobbie Fugit after a retired employee who gave 44 years to the company.
Bobbie Fugit began her career at ACL in 1964 as a clerk in the operations department. Over the next 44 years, she held various roles in the distribution services department and as a logistics coordinator in the sales department before retiring in March 2008. She was awarded a Pride Award by the company in 1988.
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Camp Teaches Students About River Opportunities
Fifteen students from Paducah, Ky., and surrounding communities were introduced to several river career opportunities during a mid-June day camp program presented by the West Kentucky Community and Technical College.
During the five daily sessions, the middle- and high-school-age students listened to presentations from several area river firms and were shown videos outlining the various occupations associated with the commercial marine industry. Each day’s outing included a tour of Paducah area shipyards, towing companies and industries or material suppliers who utilize river transportation. The students also toured towboats and ate lunch at a different river firm each day.
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WJ Editorial: Efforts To Reform Corps Won’t Go Away
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