When you were working at the other locks, what position did you have? A lockman. Basically you start out as a lockman and then you advance to head operator. Head operators run the shifts during my absence.
What do you like best about your job? You get to meet different people. The boaters. And I like the variety of work ... Everyday is just a little different.
Did your experience in the military prepare you to do anything here? Aboard ship, in the Navy, I did all the welding, sheet metal work, carpentry and plumbing. So I got a good mechanical background and that's what's really handy for working on a lock and dam. You have to be good with your hands. Like today, kind of mundane, but I was out running the snow blower.
So you don't just stay in the office? I try not to. Some days I can't get out. ... But there'll be days where I'll be out there locking boats, depending on who I have around.
Where do the boats come from? The towboats come from St. Paul. But you'll get recreational craft from all over.
Did the 2007 collapse of the I-35W bridge affect your work at all? It affected us in that no traffic was going up or down because the river was blocked. It shut us down. I think it was about six weeks later that we finally opened. We helped [crews] by drawing down the pool. So when the divers [were] underwater we drew down the upper pool a little bit, which helped draw the flows down so the divers could go in there.
