The cleanup of the former Avtex Fibers plant in Front Royal is about a month behind schedule because of contract problems and probably will continue into 2000. But local officials said now is the time to plan how to reuse the site once it’s cleaned up.

Members of the town Council, Warren County Board of Supervisors, Economic Development Authority and county Redevelopment Corp. Toured the site Wednesday morning.

Afterward, they said they were encouraged by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s cleanup of the land east of the railroad tracks so it can be used again for commercial businesses and light industries.

"I was very impressed," authority member William M. "Billy" Biggs said. "They have done a lot of cleanup since I was there about a year ago. It looks like there is finally light at the end of the tunnel."

The EPA began tearing down contaminated and deteriorating sections of the plant in November. Michael Towle, who is overseeing the demolition for the EPA, told the officials that about 30 percent of the work is complete.

The agency will tear down about 35 acres of the 70 acres of buildings as it cleans up hazardous waste at the former rayon and viscose processing plant. The plant was declared a federal Superfund site in 1986 and voluntarily closed its doors in 1989 after being cited for more than 2,000 violations of environmental laws.

The demolition is a month behind schedule because a contract fell through and a new contractor had to be hired, Towle said, but he predicted that the targeted buildings should be down by June or July.

Thus far, the demolition has concentrated on relatively clean portions of the site, he said. Once workers get into other areas, they may find problems that cause delays, he said.

"We’re still finding surprises," he said. "We’re still finding rooms that are full of things that were forgotten."

Most of the demolition will take place in the plant’s chemical processing area, including the cellars where the viscose sat in huge steel vats while it aged, the mixing rooms were it was made and the double-deck area where rayon was made.

The demolition debris will be disposed if in a 70 foot tall, concealed, above ground landfill on 10 acres between the railroad tracks and the lagoons on the site.

About $33 million has been earmarked for the demolition and onsite burial of the debris. The EPA is continuing remediation efforts so the plant can be turned over to officials who hope to revive the site.

"I think the way they’re doing it is great," said Fred Foster, president of the Redevelopment Corp.. "These buildings have sat there and deteriorated and deteriorated."

Local officials said they need to focus on what to do with the property once it’s released so the area can be redeveloped into revenue generating property.

The 440-acre Avtex property next to the Shenandoah River has been empty

since November 1989. Officials said they should concentrate their planning on the portion of the site east of the railroad tracks so redevelopment can begin as quickly as possible.

A consultant hired by the Economic Development Authority has begun developing a phased plan for the entire site, which would allow development as each section is cleaned, but there are still questions about how the remediation efforts on the lagoons and the construction of the onsite landfill will affect redevelopment of the land, officials said.

"They’re making some progress, but they still have a lot more to do," said North River District Supervisor Bradley K. "Bret" Haynes Jr. "There are still lots of issues that are unresolved that may affect the timetable. We want to make sure we move at a deliberate pace so we can have that property bringing in revenue again."

Once the buildings are torn down, the debris will be treated to remove hazardous materials and the on site landfill will be build, said Towle, who added that the landfill design is also behind schedule because the EPA is waiting for data about the areas west of the railroad tracks where the landfill will be.

But even with the delays, he said the cleanup should be finished and the landfill built and filled by 2000. The buildings left behind after the EPA’s work is completed will be salvable and the land safe for redevelopment ,he said.

"The goal is to remove the buildings and what is underneath so nothing toxic remains," he said. "We’re trying to make sure we won’t have to come back."