Article Date: February 03, 2000

Heavener bets on Avtex’s potential for greatness

By Teresa Brumback

Stephen Heavener sometimes presents a stark contrast to his work environment.

Meticulously groomed in a navy hand tailored suit, a matching tie he picked up in Germany, an a pair of sleek iguana hide boots, Heavener stands oblivious to the rubble outside Avtex and the trash and crumbling areas and dirt within its main office building. Instead of focusing on the decay that is so evident, he chatters away excitedly about the building’s "potential."

Dealing with the world’s movers and shakers and getting them to locate in Warren County requires a certain personal ambience, yet Heaven begs away from any kind of detailed description of his attire.

As usual, his focus is on something more important.

It’s Avtex, Avtex, Avtex. He lives and breathes it these days. By the end of this year, the EDA plans to move into new headquarters at the remodeled office building at Avtex. The EDA is expected to formally acquire the site at final closing in March. Work to remodel the office building, both east and west wings, will begin shortly there after, he said.

"We have no preconceived idea" of how the remodeling will take place, he said. But his goal is to preserve the building’s attractive architectural features and the building itself, which except for the roof appears to be in good shape.

The finished product will be the original building with sleek, high-tech and renewable energy features. The lobby will be a museum showcasing Avtex’s history and detailing the Superfund cleanup.

From the west wing, Heavener will oversee the leasing and sale of space as the site develops. The east wing, now the location of security for Avtex, will be leased by FMC Corp., a former plant operator which is heading up cleanup at the 550 acre site.

Avtex’s redevelopment involves big money and big stakes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has singled out this Superfund site for being the agency’s poster child in showing the nation how to recycle an abandoned hazardous waste site into a business and recreation park. Plans are developing for soccer fields in one section and a public recreation park stretching along the river.

The renewal of the office building a long brick building facing Kendrick Lane straddling the former main entrance to the plant will be the first visible sign of a long and arduous effort to return the site to productive use since the plant shut down Nov. 10, 1989, a day after the state revoked its wastewater discharge permit.

With a $600,000 remodeling budget, the office building will be renovated into the first piece of what is envisioned to be an "eco-industrial" park, the latest buzzword for industrial parks boasting clean, renewable energy and minimal emissions. It will be the only building saved in the demolition and cleanup at the Avtex site, according to Heavener.

Last week the EDA began soliciting bids on the project. So far, it is talking to four architectural firms which specialize in designing eco-industrial parks, using "sustainable" design or "green design." Two are from Boston and two are from Washington, D.C.

Under the green design concept, the building would rely on solar and natural ventilation resources, as well as natural lighting, and to offer good indoor air quality.

To promote healthy indoor air quality, the office would be remodeled using people friendly materials, finishes, paints, and non gaseous carpets, Moisture levels would be monitored to prevent mold and maximize fresh air intake, a report says.

Heavener proudly takes credit for the idea to have the building remodeled to save its historical features, rather than take the quick and easy route to tear the structure down and start over again.

"It was my idea to take control and renovate it," he said. "It has historical significance." An access road to the business park will come from the west, and the building will serve as the "gateway" to the rest of the park, he said.

It is Heavener’s intention that a green wrought-iron gate and black fence running parallel to Kendrick Lane, which appears in good shape, will stay put.

Exploring the long brick building along Kendrick Lane is like looking into the past a past that sustained Front Royal while slowly, but irrevocably, damaging it.

Overlooking the crumbling concrete steps, Heavener comments on the fine wooden floor beneath an odd disarray of jigsaw puzzle pieces, dumped from some long decayed box.

"The cool thing about the building is the parquet floors." he says, pointing out the rich wood, perhaps in need of some wax but nothing else to restore its warm glory.

Inside, the office building is cold and desolate. Sea green paint is crumbling off the walls and a few pieces of the parquet floors have buckled. Trash strewn on the floors may have been there since the plant shut down. In one office a desk sits, obviously emptied in a hurry.

That was apparently the case, according to Heavener, when the plant shut down on Nov. 10, 1989. The state had revoked the plant’s wastewater discharge permit the day before. On the dark day of Friday, Nov. 10, long-time employees at Front Royal’s largest employer suddenly lost their jobs and had to get out fast.

The scene in the office building today is a mish- mash of objects and belongings that fuel the imagination. Except for a scrap dealer in the 1990s, the west office building hasn’t seen any activity since the plant shut down, Heavener said. The scene inside is of a picture that’s frozen in time.

Thrown haphazardly along a window sill are at least 30 glossy black and white photographs of Avtex. All are dated , going back t the 1960's, and bear the stamp of "FMC Corp., American Viscose Div., Front Royal , photographic division." Their edges are curled as if they have been in a sunny window for too long.

A school photograph of a boy rests on the floor, apparently undisturbed since 1989. On the back is written "David, 10, 1989."

The scene is a odd mixture of what look like items in a desk drawers that were emptied in a hurry, as if someone didn’t have time to pack everything-- desk items, lipstick, pieces of clothing, and even a snorkel flipper and a toy pistol. Elsewhere are heavy rubber work gloves, work orders and empty vials.

Elsewhere in the building are reams and reams of boxes holding canceled checks. Neatly organized file drawers hold hundreds of photographic slides of equipment parts. Each one that is pulled bears a written description of the part.

Time has turned this portion of the abandoned trash into valuable artifacts. They will be preserved.

Heavener said some of the artifacts, such as the documents, will be donated to the Warren Heritage Society, but he plans no bargain basement garage sale to the public of what some may consider to be Avtex souvenir items. Most of the trash on the floor will be disposed of, he said. The lobby will be remodeled into a public meeting room and museum that will greet visitors entering the building.

A multimedia presentation in the lobby will describe the plant’s history, and show photos and historical information about the plant and its Superfund cleanup. Inside, the EDA will use two rooms for its own office space. "We will keep the wooden oak walls intact," Heavener said. Avtex’s huge safe will be used for EDA’s files.

The building has a lot of room for tenants. It’s a mammoth 7,200 square foot facility, 5,000 square feet potentially available in the basement, and another 6,000 square feet on the east side. The traditional 1940s office architecture evokes an image of black and white Jimmy Stewart movies.

"It has high ceilings, open space and a lot of windows," Heavener said, along with heavy golden oak molding. "Back then they took some effort to give it some style."

The glass in the windows is in good shape but will be replaced to make them more energy efficient, he said.

The ceilings are 14 feet high, and planned to stay that way. The two office buildings will be remodeled under a $600,000 budget. Of that, $150,000 is from a prepaid lease by FMC Corp., a former plant operator. Also, EDA will use $50,000 in cash and borrow $250,000. About $150,000 is federal Housing and Urban Development grant money to do asbestos and lead paint removal.

The office building is structurally in good shape, he said, except for the roof. About $75,000 will be used to replace the roof.

The "green" design Heavener wants to incorporate into the office building as it’s remodeled involves the use of renewable energy and natural lighting.

Eco-industrial parks are based on two principals: driving down pollution and waste while simultaneously increasing business.

For clean, low cost energy, the business park would utilize photovoltaic cells as a source of electricity. Solar panels would be used in conjunction with natural ventilation for heating and air conditioning needs, he said.

Natural lighting would be maximized. The office building already has lots of windows, high ceilings, and panels of windows between rooms to provide a crosscurrent of air flow since air conditioning was unavailable when the building was constructed, Heavener said.

"They had no air conditioning so they used lots of windows above the doors." he said.

The result is a practical and aesthetically pleasing design, which Heavener seeks to preserve.

Avtex’s office building, he said, is nothing short of an architectural treasure.

It is hoped to serve as a place where businesses can thrive, local commuters can work close to home, while serving as a landmark and a bittersweet testament to its rich history in Warren County.

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