NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY
Article Date: August 07, 2002

Demolition begins at Avtex Superfund Site

By: Mary Jordan

Progress continued at the Avtex Superfund site Monday as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began demolishing buildings.

Demolition was initially slated for July 1, but was pushed back due to the heavy amount of asbestos in the buildings and the time it took to clear them out, project manager Al Opstal said.

Ron Feather of Baltimore based C&R Environmental Associates Inc. agreed, saying there was a significant amount of asbestos to remove.

It's a lot of work," he said.

Bulldozers were used to pull apart the newest building in Section II of the site. The structure, built in 1976, was located directly behind the former administration building.

Once the exterior was removed, structural beams were dislodged and the building was dropped to the ground.

Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Director William A. Sealock watched as the building he spent 14 years of his career in slowly became a memory.

Sealock worked at the plant as a supervisor and manager of the shipping and polyester departments in the late '70s and throughout the '80's.

"It's a sad day," he said.

The buildings still remaining in Section II will be demolished by end of the year, Opstal 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.

However, Opstal said Monday that there is enough money to finish out the year.

The cost to clean out and take down the buildings in Section II is about $1.2 million, he said. Air monitoring and dust control have increased the cost.

The Corps will be recycling the steel from the buildings offsite, while recycling rubble leftover on-site, said Corps Public Affairs Officer Diana Bailey.

The material staying on-site will be tested for unsafe chemicals, she added. Keeping the materials on-site allows the Corps to save the cost of transporting it somewhere else.

The demolition of the buildings in Section II signifies the increased progress that has been steady at the site.

Within the last year, 50 acres of the site was given back to the community during a tree planting ceremony. Also, the basin closure project consisting of the cleanup of sulfate, fly ash, and wastewater basins at the northern end of the site along the Shenandoah River, was started with expected completion next year.