Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) / Public Works Department (PWD) Rota manages the facilities and infrastructure around Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota. Through multiple divisions and departments - and with a robust workforce of active duty, U.S. civilians, and local national employees - the team maintains faciltiies, provides energy and water to buildings, manages the long-range construction projects, and provides crane support to deployed ships.
Brian Seward
Public Works Department (PWD) Rota’s facilities engineering and acquisition division (FEAD) is responsible for most of the military construction projects (MILCONs) taking place around the installation. In the center of most of these projects is Project Management and Engineering Branch (PMEB) Head, Brian Seward, for PWD Rota.
Seward has worked for NAVFAC for 18 years, and has been with PWD Rota FEAD since 2017. Throughout his career, he took part in major key high-visibility NAVFAC projects including the new Camp Pendleton hospital which valued at around $500 million and the NAVFAC Headquarters building at the Washington D.C. Navy Yard.
Here in Rota, Seward manages approximately 40 concurrent projects (including the MILCONs) at any given year. This calendar year alone, he has managed work-in-place (WIP) of more than $50 million of post-award projects, as well as $28 million of pre-award projects. Managing a team of 22 personnel spanning across the design & engineering division and the construction management division, Seward has been responsible for carrying various key projects to the finish line including the installation air traffic control tower and the new NCTAMS communications center.
Many of the recently awarded projects means an exciting time for Seward and his team, but also huge responsibility in getting them executed in timely manner. Some of these projects include the new air terminal and expeditionary command headquarters and support buildings for explosive ordnance disposal and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion. As these new facilities and projects come online, it will make a huge impact for the personnel and tenants of the base!
Mari Carmen Dominguez
Mari Carmen Dominguez, environmental specialist for Public Works Department (PWD) Rota, served on the installation for over 36 years! She began her career with PWD Rota in 1986 working the trouble desk at facilities maintenance division, where she was given collateral duties for hazardous waste disposal recordkeeping. This was during a time when there was no environmental division, and environmental compliance oversight was not centralized within PWD.
In 1993, NAVSTA Rota had its first external environmental audit where Dominguez was recognized as a critical in demonstrating installation compliance with Spanish hazardous waste laws. After the PWD environmental division was officially created in 1994, Dominguez and the environmental director made up the entire division. Together, they managed over 20 programs including hazardous materials, hazardous waste, spill prevention and response, solid waste, drinking water, wastewater, and tanks. She quickly became “jack-of-all-trades” juggling demands ranging from responding to spills, conducting tank inspections, overseeing hazardous waste storage and disposal, as well as taking on every new challenge.
Until her retirement in November 2022, Dominguez was recognized as an expert in hazardous waste, hazardous materials, medical waste, and pesticide programs, and was often called upon by regional staff to provide subject matter expertise and historical context to any situation. Many of the installation’s policies and procedures used at NAVSTA Rota were in fact developed by Dominguez from the ground up.
As an environmental division plank holder, Dominguez was critical in the installation’s receipt of the Chief of Naval Operation's (CNO) Overseas Installation Environmental Quality Award in 1999, 2002, 2006, and 2016. Key accomplishments include establishing a process for the offloading of shipboard hazardous waste and spearheading the renovation of the installation’s hazardous waste storage area.
BUC Brian Wong
The bulk of Public Works Department (PWD) Rota organization belongs to the production division accounting for over 300+ personnel across three branches: facilities and sustainment, utilities and energy management (UEM), and transportation.
The Seabees and civilians of the facilities & sustainment branch can be seen completing quick construction and repair projects around the installation including masonry, carpentry, or custodial. PWD Rota’s lone Seabee locksmith is included in this branch as well.
The UEM branch ensures the base receives uninterrupted water and electrical service with Seabees supporting the deployed and visiting ships with those two key services on the piers.
Personnel from the transportation branch range from the government vehicle dispatch team to the weight handling crew, and you probably have seen them on the piers (and around the base) lifting heavy objects to support the mission of the deployed vessels.
At the center of the production operations and Seabee employment is Chief Builder Brian Wong. Joining the PWD Rota back in 2019, Wong served as both production chief and senior enlisted leader at PWD Rota. During his time at PWD Rota, Wong allocates personnel resources, adequate training, and vouches for additional equipment therefore enabling PWD Rota to support some of the most critical mission at NAVSTA Rota.
All important evolutions that may require facilities support from the PWD Rota Seabees have had his influence, and Wong has been the “go-to” guy for most of the other commands that are requiring facilities-related support. The network that he has built over the years proved to be especially helpful during the Operation Allies Welcome in 2021, during which he carefully resourced manpower and resources in building a fully-functioning camp for the evacuees from Afghanistan.
Wong is a very "hands-on" chief who is often seen actively involved in other important events around the base. During recent chief petty officer season at NAVSTA Rota, he was a season lead for all of the training given to the chief selects. Wong also operates the builder woodworking shop at PWD Rota where many fellow military members can grow their carpentry skills through production of wooden plaques and other items.
Perhaps the most “other duties as assigned” assignment this past year included Wong’s involvement with the seagull nest situation at the Child Development Center (CDC) on base. Knowing the impact of the children’s morale to not be able to access their playground, Wong hand-carried the seagull nest far away from the playground. Needless to say, the angry mob of seagulls were not happy and he was continuously attacked!
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2022 10:50 |
| Story ID: | 435720 |
| Location: | ES |
| Web Views: | 291 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 2022 in Review: Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) / Public Works Department (PWD) Rota, by LT Chanhan Lee, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
