Advisory co-chair wants decision on chemical weapons hydrolysate

Local News

March 11, 2009

By Bill Robinson The Richmond Register Wed Mar 11, 2009, 08:08 AM EDT

The co-chair of the community advisory board that met Tuesday for a progress update on construction of the chemical weapons destruction plant at the Blue Grass Army Depot expressed displeasure about the lack of progress in one aspect of the project.

Craig Williams, who also heads the Kentucky Environmental Foundation, said he would like to know when a decision will be made on how the hydrolysate that will result from neutralization of the chemical weapons stored at the depot will be treated and then disposed of.

While the advisory board heard about progress being made in construction of the plant’s exterior and some of its internal equipment, no update was given about the hydrolysate issue.

“I’d like to know when we can expect a decision on this,” Williams said. “And when the decision is made, I’d like to see it released to the public instead of waiting for the next quarterly (advisory board) meeting.”

The next meeting of the Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board has three remaining meeting this year -- June 9, Sept. 8 and Dec. 8.

The CDCAB did learn Tuesday that design of the projects' construction-containment building is complete and is under review.

Redesign of the structure, needed because a previous design was rejected by a military review board, will delay plant completion by about five months, said Mark Seely, project manager for general contractor Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass.

“We’re looking at ways construction can be accelerated to make up for some of that delay,” he said.

Construction continues to proceed safety, Seely said. Employees of Bechtel Parsons and its subcontractors have completed more than 3.7 million job hours without a lost-time injury.

The company actively involves all workers and managers to maintain a safe workplace culture said, Jeff Weldon, safety manager for the contractor.

Workers begin their week every Monday with a CATS meeting, said Gail Ditsch, the project’s safety advocate.

CATS, a name chosen by the workers, stands for Constructive Attitude Toward Safety.

Workers also are encouraged to make anonymous reports of any unsafe practice or action under the company’s “no name, no blame” policy, Ditsch said.

Ed Harbour, an iron worker on the project, said any worker can immediately halt any action at the job site by voicing a safety concern.

Williams said he was encouraged to see worker safety and freedom to report questionable actions ingrained into the project’s culture.

“There have been numerous whistle-blower cases on similar projects around the country, where workers have claimed they could not voice safety concerns without fear of retaliation,” he said.

In addition to 97 construction workers at the site, 277 people are employed locally by the project, Seely said. Another 54 are employed at other locations.

More than 27 percent of the project’s acquisitions are being purchased from small businesses in Kentucky, exceeding the goal of 20 percent, he said.

Nearly 5.5 percent of purchases have come from small, disadvantaged businesses, 4.3 percent from female-owned firms, 5.9 percent from historically under-utilized businesses, 3.5 percent from veteran-owned firms and 0.4 from companies owned by service-disabled veterans.

Robert Blythe, who represents the city of Richmond and the Richmond chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the CDCAB, asked why minority-owned businesses were not included in the breakdown.

These were included in the small, disadvantaged and historically under-utilized category, Seeley said.

Before the next meeting, he promised to provide Blythe with the percentage of minority-owned businesses from which purchases have been made.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 623-1669, Ext. 6702.

Text Only

Local News

‘She wasn’t just a teacher’ : Lambert retires after 43 years at Berea
Scroll to the bottom of the story to read "Love for Lambert: Berea graduates share memories of their teacher," as well as a list of other Berea retirees this year.

Writer’s Note: Brenda Lambert is the reason I write articles today (Class of 2000).

Years ago, a little blonde-haired girl from Rockcastle County gathered her friends to “play school” in a 10-by-10 foot playhouse her father built.
Even at 12 years old, Brenda Lambert knew she wanted to be a teacher one day.
“I always felt like an old person trapped in a young person's body,” said Lambert, who is retiring after 43 years of service to Berea Community School.

May 27, 2012 5 Photos
Special Olympics return for 18th year at EKU
Next weekend, the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games return to Eastern Kentucky University campus. This is the 18th consecutive year EKU has hosted the event.
The games will be Friday through June 2. About 1,300 athletes will compete this year.

May 27, 2012 1 Photo
Assault charges reduced, dismissed by grand jury
Two men arrested in connection with serious assaults had their charges reduced, and in one case dismissed, by a Madison grand jury.
Jerry Wayne Edington, 34, of Berea Road, was charged Jan. 19 with second-degree assault after an altercation at the Blue Moon bar on East Irvine Street, according to a Richmond police report.

May 27, 2012
Dump of the Day
The Dump of the Day is a recurring series the newspaper publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Page A7 in Sunday's paper to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.

May 27, 2012 1 Photo
Paradise Cove open through Labor Day Opening day of Paradise Cove Family Aquatic Center coincided with a spike in temperatures Friday which reached 90 degrees. The facility, located in Richmond’s Lake Reba Park, will be open through Sept. 3. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
May 26, 2012
Dump of the Day
An old mattress, a car seat and other debris sit Friday afternoon on North Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets where it was first spotted Thursday. The “Dump of the Day” is a recurring series the Richmond Register publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Sunday’s Richmond Register to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.

May 26, 2012 1 Photo
Undefeated academic team brings pride to Madison Middle School
Madison Middle School 6th and 7th grade academic teams have been undefeated for the last two years.
The 8th grade team also has done well, having some students qualify to compete at the state level.

May 26, 2012
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.

May 26, 2012 1 Photo
Man is indicted on additional sex charge involving teen in 1998
A man already accused of sex abuse in November 2011 has been indicted on a charge of first-degree rape involving a child in 1998.
Charles W. Peyton, 63, of East Irvine Street, was indicted Wednesday by a Madison grand jury. He used “forcible compulsion” to have sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl between March 1 and May 1 in 1998, according to the indictment.

May 26, 2012
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
Officers responded to a call in the 1000 block of Scaffold Cane Road about a man trying to break into a home, according to a release from BPD Public Information Officer Jake Reed.

May 25, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Advisory co-chair wants decision on chemical weapons hydrolysate

A recent health ranking listed Madison County as the 20th healthiest county in the state. It measured factors such as exercise, access to health care and smoking. Do you smoke cigarettes?

Site Map