PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- When John Costea retires in January after nearly 38 years of service, and 27 years as the Picatinny Arsenal Deputy Garrison Commander, he wants people to remember something other than him.
"There are so many people who do behind-the-scenes work to keep this post operational day-to-day, that do not get the recognition they deserve," Costea said.
"A lot of people dedicated their lives to making this place successful," he added.
"The little things we take for granted, power, heat, air conditioning, security, everything. It all goes unnoticed until there is an issue, something goes wrong, the power goes out, the heating doesn't work," Costea said.
Without hesitation, Costea said that his favorite part of the job is "working with people, our customers, and knowing that what we do supports the Soldiers in the field."
Costea stated that he loves the activities sponsored by the Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare, and Recreation, including softball, basketball and golf.
When asked about his plans for retirement, he said, "Hopefully I won't lie around on the couch and watch TV, but that is always an option."
Costea, who will be 62 when he retires, said he has seen significant improvements at the Arsenal since he began working here in November 1978.
"Things break, they deteriorate over time," Costea said. "The amount of work that goes into repairing and replacing these items in a timely manner, while trying to keep the post operational and keep 6,000 plus people working, is tremendous. I can't thank our Directorate of Public Works employees enough, especially those who worked in the old power plant and water treatment plant."
One area in which he has seen significant improvements in over the years is within the Directorate of Emergency Services.
"Our police vehicles had more than 200,000 miles on them and the floor boards were rusting out. The Fire Department had maybe two engines and, when one broke down, we had to borrow from Fort Monmouth," Costea remembers.
"Now we have new vehicles, a bike patrol, better trained officers, multiple fire trucks to include a hazardous materials vehicle, two fire houses, we are better equipped all around than we were years ago."
Other significant improvements related to daily comforts, such as heat and air conditioning.
"Some buildings had no air conditioning all summer. It was not unusual to work in a building with the temperature exceeding 90 degrees," Costea said.
"Energy performance contracts, which allowed us to make critical capital investments and pay for them with future energy savings, enabled us to replace the old power house and upgrade much of the HVAC equipment," he said.
An important change also came in the form of technology, primarily the internet.
"When I started here as a supply management intern we saw inventory reports maybe once a month and it took days to get those numbers down right. Now I can go online and get everything I need. Automation is key," Costea said.
BUDGET CUTS
SHRINK PAYROLL
Amid budget cuts and a workforce reduction, the garrison must still keep the installation operational in order to support the warfighter. But how do you do that when you lose more than 1,000 in personnel?
"When I took this job there were more than 1,200 people in the garrison. Today there are fewer than 200," Costea said.
Not all positions were eliminated. Some moved, such as Information Technology, and the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, and many more were contracted out.
Costea recalls the time that a former commander of the U.S. Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center completed a financial restructuring of the garrison to prepare it for an expected Base Realignment and Closure.
"This resulted in a significant reduction of resources for the garrison in order to reduce the operating cost of the post," Costea said.
"We survived BRAC and we are all grateful for that, but it put the garrison behind the eight ball as far as resources," he said.
BIGGEST CHALLENGES
The tragic events that unfolded on Sept. 11, 2001 would also shape the way Picatinny Arsenal operated.
"At that point we were an open post," Costea said. "You could drive on or off post with no issues. Then 9/11 happened and we had to change everything. There were many nights that I had to work the gates and check IDs because we didn't have the security staff to do it on mornings."
"We had just opened Frog Falls Aquatic Park and we had partnerships with neighboring townships and now, all of a sudden, some of the park users and their guests could not make it on post. It was challenging."
Even tasks that seemed routine created headaches because of the required pre-work.
"Something as simple as putting up a street sign requires paperwork, and believe it or not, a UXO study," Costea noted. UXO or unexploded ordnance are explosives that did not explode and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.
During the great explosion at Lake Denmark Naval Ammunition Storage Depot and Picatinny Arsenal in 1926, more than 600,000 tons of explosives stored inside the depot detonated, resulting in one of the most catastrophic man-made explosions in the United States.
The blast completely destroyed nearly 200 buildings in a half-mile radius, resulting in $47 million in damages (more than $631 million today when adjusted for inflation), 21 deaths, and dozens of injuries. The explosion was so powerful that people reported finding debris nearly 22 miles away.
Today, UXO discoveries on post are still common.
THE EARLY YEARS
Costea began his career as a supply management intern at Red River Army Depot in 1977. He worked on a railroad, in one of the coldest winters that he could remember, when someone offered him the intern position in sunny Texas.
"Sure, I'll give it a shot," remembers saying.
He packed up and moved to Texarkana, Texas, for the internship before getting assigned at Picatinny in November 1978. In 1980, he became a management analyst in the Plans Programs and Operation Division of the Installation Support Activity. In 1983, he was promoted to the chief.
Afterward, Costea left the government for a brief period. He was called to testify in a court case against a contract partner and was then invited to come back to the installation to take a position as Director of Logistics.
He held that position for several years before being promoted to Deputy Director for the Installation Support Activity in 1988. That title eventually changed to Deputy to the Garrison Commander, a position that he has held ever since.
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