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NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY Corps to demolish buildings at Avtex Agreement signed; work is slated to begin next month By: Mary Jordan Once threatened to fall behind schedule, the demolition of buildings at the Avtex Superfund site is slated to begin in July as originally scheduled, a U.S. Army Corps of engineers representative said Friday. Project Manager Al Opstal told the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority that the corps was able to sign a memorandum of agreement with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources this week. Without the agreement, the Corps could not have begun demolition. EDA Directors had previously been concerned about the agreement being reached before the set timeline for demolition- which is slated to begin July 1. As part of the agreement, the corps will consult with a Virginia State Historic Preservation officer to determine which resources are eligible for the National Registrar of the Avtex property. The corps also will salvage artifacts and other materials of historic interest from the buildings before they are demolished to be contributed to the Shenandoah Center for Heritage and the Environment. Opstal assured the board Friday that the scheduled July 1 date for demolition work still holds. A Baltimore-based contractor has been given notice to proceed with demolition for section II at the site, which includes those buildings directly behind the former Avtex administration building. Completion of the demolition in that area should occur in September, Opstal told the board. The demolition process will include grabbing pieces of the buildings and pulling them apart, Opstal said. He added that the prominent picture in most people's minds that includes a ball and chain slamming into a structure will not occur. "[Demolition will not include] the blow-up of buildings." Opstal said. "Sorry, no fireworks." The corps has been at the site for the past year performing asbestos abatement inside the buildings. Opstal said this has been a challenge for them. "There's a lot of asbestos in the buildings," he said. The corps has said that the $12 million allocated for asbestos abatement and demolition will not be enough to complete work at the site, adding that an additional $8 million is needed to finish the job. Opstal assured the EDA that the corps has enough available funding to compete work through May, which will cause only a four-month gap before the start of the next fiscal year. EDA Executive Director Stephen A. Heavener said he feels secure that
the corps will have the money it needs by fiscal 2004. "We're on schedule," he said. "I feel very confident." |