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.
Local News
Advisory co-chair wants decision on chemical weapons hydrolysate
- Local News
-
-
Measuring education
Brent Ray, a local contractor, helps Kit Carson Elementary third-graders Nathan Buck and Anijah Rembert measure an outside wall Thursday morning during a class project to determine the perimeter of the school. The third-grade class broke into groups to measure sections of the outside walls which they used to find the perimeter.
-
Kiwanis auction Saturday at City Hall
The annual Richmond Kiwanis Club auction will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. until about 5 p.m. with proceedings carried live on TimeWarner Cable Channel 12 and WEKY 1340 AM Radio.
“We have lots of great stuff, as we always do,” said Amanda Stepp, the auction coordinator.
“We have gift cards for almost every restaurant in Richmond as well as two pickup trucks that will be sold,” she said. -
Man pleads guilty to voyeurism charge
A man accused of taking pictures of a woman showering at a Berea truck stop was sentenced to probation Wednesday in Madison District Court.
Paul S. Byrd, 41, of McKee, was arrested Oct. 29 by the Kentucky State Police after a woman reported the incident at the 76 Truck Center off Interstate 75. -
Berea one of state’s first five cultural districts
The Kentucky Arts Council on Thursday named Berea one of the state’s first five certified cultural districts.
Although the legislature designated Berea the state’s Arts and Crafts Capital in the 1990s, this newest designation will draw even more attention and tourism to the city, said Belle Jackson, Berea’s tourism director. -
LRC plans to appeal judge’s HB1 ruling
The leadership of the General Assembly announced Thursday it plans to appeal Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling that the legislature’s plan to re-draw state legislative boundaries is unconstitutional.
-
Facebook post leads to arrest
A post on the Richmond Police Department’s Facebook page led to the arrest of a man suspected of stealing two Blu-Ray players from Walmart.
Walmart employees reported to police Jan. 25 that a man had concealed the electronics under his coat and attempted to leave the store without paying, said Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock in a news release. -
Four indicted in Berea murder case
The death of a Berea man and the attempted murder of another came at the hands of four people, according to indictments handed down Wednesday by a Madison grand jury.
-
Friday at library : Lecturer to portray founder of Berea
John G. Fee, abolitionist and founder of both Berea and Berea College, will be portrayed Friday night by performer Obadiah Ewing-Roush as part of Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua performance series at the Madison County Public Library. There is no charge to attend the 7 p.m. event.
As the son of a slave-holding father, Fee witnessed firsthand the benefits of having slaves and the profits that could be made from their labor. When he graduated from college and enrolled in Lane Theological Seminary, he began to understand the inherent wrong and destructiveness of slavery. -
Berea woman dies Tuesday in Laurel County crash
A Berea woman, Tommie Johnson, 60, died Tuesday evening in a Laurel County crash, according to the the Laurel Sheriff’s Office.
The accident took place about 7 p.m. at the junction of Maple Grove Road and KY 363 south of London, as Johnson was attempting to turn onto the state highway.
Laurel County Chief Deputy Eddy Sizemore said Johnson’s Chevrolet Cavalier pulled out in front of a Dodge Durango driven by Charles Joseph, 19, that was traveling south on KY 363.
After being extricated from her vehicle, Johnson was transported to St. Joseph-London hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Joseph also was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, according to the accident report. -
Finally February
Ian Rosser, an Eastern Kentucky University student from Lexington, clears snow from his car parked on campus Wednesday
morning after about an inch of snow fell in Richmond. Temperatures are forcast to be in the upper 40s today. Kentucky has seen a lot of rain in the past few months, as was predicted by the Farmer's Almanac, but very little snow has fallen. - More Local News Headlines
-






