Awards Committee Announces 2011 Award Winners

Download the Awards Brochure!

The New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA), through its Awards Committee, has completed the year-long process of nomination, selection and promotion of the 2011 awards recipients. In all, 67 individual recipients and organizations will be recognized by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA) during the Annual Conference Awards Program in Boston at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel on January 25, 2012.

This year’s Awards Program recognizes “outstanding water quality professionals” from within the more than 2,000-member NEWEA organization, plus additional “deserving awardees” from the Public Education, Journalism, Educational Institution, and Municipal Utility/Public Works communities. The recipients are from all New England states.

WEF and NEWEA will also recognize the Seacoast Sewer Snakes Operation Challenge team from New Hampshire who won the New England competition and placed 1st Overall – Division 2 - in the WEF National Operations Challenge competition this year. An Outstanding Performance Max Driscoll, Mike Carle, John Sykora, Tim Vadney, and Paula Anania! You make us proud!

WEF Distinguished Awards given at WEFTEC and Member Association (MA) Awards to be given at the NEWEA Awards Program are:

George W. Burke Jr. Award – Town of Merrimack, NH represented by Leo Gaudette

Laboratory Analyst Excellence Award – Thomas Sciarrino, Town of Windsor Locks, CT WPCA

William D. Hatfield Award – Howard Carter, City of Saco, ME

Arthur Sydney Bedell Award – Albert Pincince, CDM, Lexington, MA

WEF Service Award – Sean Osborne, Haley and Ward, Inc., Waltham, MA

Public Officials Award - Robert Moore, Metropolitan District Commission, Hartford, CT

Public Education Award - Jeffrey Kalmes, Town of Billerica, N. Billerica, MA

WEF Honorary Life Membership
Honorary membership has been bestowed upon the following four (4) WEF/NEWEA members who have proven their preeminence in the fields of activity encompassed by Federation Objectives:

• Edward Boyajian, MWRA, Woburn, MA
  
• Vladimir Novotny, Professor Emeritus, Newton, MA
  
• Ralph Oulton, Cumberland, ME
• Abdul Quadir, City of West Haven, CT
  

The NEWEA Awards given to recipients at the Annual Awards Luncheon are as follows:

Alfred E. Peloquin Award
Each year NEWEA affiliated State Associations select deserving individual nominees for this Award given in recognition for the late Alfred E. Peloquin, Past Executive Director of NEWEA. The 2011 Awardees are:

Connecticut	Charles Conway, NEIWPCC, Lowell, MA
Maine	Michael Hanson, Sanford Sewerage District, Springvale, ME
Massachusetts	Joseph Witts, Andritz Separation, Inc., Nashua, NH
New Hampshire	Peter Rice, City of Portsmouth, NH DPW
Rhode Island	Joseph LaPlante, Narragansett Bay Commission, Providence, RI
Vermont	Gail Tiffany, N. Bennington, VT

Operator Award
The affiliated State Associations also select individual candidates for the annual Operator Award, given in recognition of personal service to the State Association, and who have made contributions to excellence in plant operations either individually or through service to operations personnel. These Awardees are:

Connecticut	Tracy Hardy, Norwich, CT Public Utilities
Maine	Michael Harris, Jr., City of Ellsworth, ME
Massachusetts	Jeremiah Murphy, WhiteWater, Inc., Charlton, MA
New Hampshire	Raymond Vermette, City of Dover, NH
Rhode Island	James DiCaprio, West Warwick, RI
Vermont	Christopher Hayes, Andover, VT

Operator Safety Award – Stephen Cote, Narragansett Bay Commission, Providence, RI

Public Educator Award – Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School represented by John Crowley

Paul Keough Award – Barbara Polichetti, The Providence Journal, Providence, RI

Young Professional Award – John Murphy, NEIWPCC, Lowell, MA

James J. Courchaine Collection Systems Award – Aniceto Teves, Veolia Water North America LLC, Taunton, MA

Founders Award – Ronald Poltak, NEIWPCC, Lowell, MA

E. Sherman Chase Award – W. Keith Dobie, F.R. Mahony & Associates, Inc, Rockland, MA

Clair N. Sawyer Award – James O'Shaughnessy, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Bedford, MA

Wastewater Utility Award – Town of Provincetown, MA WWTF represented by David Guertin

Asset Management Excellence Award – Town of Windsor Locks, CT WPCF represented by Steven Wawruck, Jr.

Energy Management Achievement Award – Edgartown, MA WWTF represented by Joseph Alosso

Past President Plaque and Pin – Howard Carter, City of Saco, ME
This is given in recognition of Howard’s multi–year service and leadership to NEWEA, and his role in keeping it the great Association that it is!