Posted on January 27, 2025
Iconic Army Corps Regulator Retires After 45 Years of Service
Bart De Martino, a Regulatory Project Manager in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New York District Operations Division, Regulatory Branch, Metro NY/NJ Section, has retired after 45 years of service to the District.
Moving Ceremony
In a moving ceremony, nearly 50 co-workers gathered for a celebratory send-off in his honor, recognizing his many years of service and contributions as a good-natured colleague. New York Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Nicholas LoRusso presented him with several honors recognizing his 4+ decades of service to the District and wished him well in the years ahead.
The Army Corps Regulatory Program’s mission is protecting U.S. waterways while allowing for economic development. The program has been regulating water activities for 135 years dating back to 1899. Enforcing the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act, the Army Corps Regulatory Program ensures Waters of the U.S. are protected by requiring permits for any work on, in, under, over or through navigable waters and wetlands that are within jurisdiction.
Ensuring permittees were maintaining compliance with issued permits and responding to violations and unauthorized activities was Bart’s area of expertise and his life’s work ⎼ he spent his entire federal civilian career working for the New York District.
Colleague’ Reflections
Long-time colleague Tom Bruno, an Asset/Project Manager in Operations Division, commented: “Bart was a natural mentor to many by uplifting the confidence of teammates to succeed. Bart became a mentor to me beyond the job as well ⎼ we shared a lot of our personal lives over lunch and in the field. He was always there motivating me to continuously improve and progress personally and professionally. His humor, passion, intensity and dedication toward the mission set a good example for me. I gained a fundamental understanding of how vital our work was for the environment and the public.”
Later in the ceremony, De Martino opened some special gifts ⎼ a gift card for McDonald’s for his favorite Senior Coffee, a decanter world globe bottle with engraved continents and Army Corps Castle, two boxes of deluxe chocolates and a mini Panettone bread ⎼ fitting with his Italian heritage. De Martino also gave remarks ⎼ at times choking back tears. Tom Bruno was also visibly moved as he presented the gifts. Regulatory Branch Chief, Stephan Ryba also gave remarks lauding Mr. De Martino’s service.
A Different World
Bart began working for New York in 1980. The workplace ⎼ and the world ⎼ was vastly different then: he sat in a metal chair at a desk with no partitions, wrote on note pads and a secretary/typist completed letters, memos and permit forms. In the field, he sketched site-visit landscapes by hand. In the early 1990’s, he received his first computer using 3.5” inch floppy disks with very basic software by today’s standards.
The world was a different place in 1980: Ted Turner announced the creation of CNN, the first 24-hour cable news network; Mount St. Helens erupted spectacularly in Washington State (west coast of U.S.); the video game Pac-Man was released; the first IBM Personal Computer was invented; and the New York City Subway fare was 60 cents.
Permit Applications
De Martino’s work involved reviewing applications for permit authorization for work in Waters of the U.S. and investigating unauthorized work in those waters, making field visits in New York and New Jersey. Bart worked in the field with a team for compliance inspections to determine if work was completed in accordance with issued permits. Currently 13 employees work in the Regulatory Branch office based in New York City with additional staff in the Albany Field Office in upstate New York.
When asked what he liked most about his work, Bart said it was the enforcement part of the job, i.e., communicating with people in the field, representing the Army Corps, and interacting with staff from other Army Corps Districts, government agencies, elected officials and the public. He also said he had many close colleagues during his 45-year career, some moving to other positions and Army Corps Districts in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Florida. Bart was happy to see them advance, but sad to see them leave.
Work Challenges
De Martino also noted that permit enforcement was a challenge ⎼ receiving complaints from the public and performing site inspections looking for unauthorized work. De Martino documented the work with photographs, prepared cease-and-desist letters, and a final documentation for resolution of the case.
Sometimes there were awkward public interactions. On one occasion he took a group of summer interns to inspect work on a waterfront home in New Jersey. After the inspection, the homeowner asked him, “Does it take five people to do an inspection?” Bart politely explained that he was training new staff ⎼ something he was known for throughout his career.
Gratitude
In an e-mail after the event, De Martino commented: “Thank you all for attending my retirement celebration. It was the greatest sendoff that I would have ever imagined.” His retirement plans include being a good grandfather (“Nonno” in Italian) to his three grandchildren ⎼ Giuliana, Domenic and Emery.
