Serving the High Plains

Tucumcari man awarded

Special to QCS

Daniel J. (Joe) Martinez of Tucumcari received the 2015 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District Castle Award on Oct. 6 during the district’s end-of-year town hall meeting at Conchas.

Martinez, a maintenance mechanic supervisor at the district’s Conchas Lake project office, was presented the award by district commander Lt. Col. Patrick Dagon.

Since 2002, the Castle Award is awarded annually to recognize employees working in support of Operations and Civil Works Infrastructure.

The award nomination criteria state, “Nominees must have demonstrated a pattern of excellence and exceptional performance of their duties reflecting exemplary team support and interaction. They must demonstrate qualities to serve as a role model for other wage grade employees through facilitation and support to their team.”

During his nearly 30 years tenure at Conchas, Martinez has overseen numerous critical projects at the project including upgrading the hydraulic valves within the irrigation headworks; significant repairs to the roof, walls, waterlines, and propane tanks of the historic Adobe Bell Resort properties; the Powerhouse Roof and Window Replacement project, which will soon be awarded; and work performed by the Bureau of Reclamation to remove about 9,000 cubic yards of sediment from the irrigation intake channel.

“Upon completion in 1939, the Conchas Dam was the 17th USACE dam constructed in the nation, and the first project constructed in the Albuquerque District. The maintenance requirements are extraordinary and extensive, and also require special attention and care due to the fact the project is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mr. Martinez works relentlessly to ensure all maintenance work is performed to the highest technical and historical standards. One of Mr. Martinez’s greatest attributes is that he remains calm and composed at all times and exercises tact and diplomacy no matter the situation or who he is working or communicating with,” states Martinez’s award nomination.

“I'm proud to have Joe on our team. He represents the excellence that we strive to provide all of our customers, from the recreating public to the air bases we serve. I'm very pleased that his performance was recognized nationally by the Corps,” said Lt. Col. Dagon

— Compiled by Elizabeth Lockyear, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers public affairs