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NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY Structuring A Complete Demolition Workers raze buildings and begin preparing Avtex site for redevelopment By: Mary Jordan Buildings continue to come down at the Avtex Superfund site on Thursday with the demolition of the former corporate office. Located behind the administration building and adjacent to the structure that was taken down last week, it is one of several facilities scheduled to be razed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by the end of the year. 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 has said. However, since starting the demolition, the Corps is a "little bit ahead of schedule," said Corps construction representative Roger Griffith.
Built in the 1930's, the building was one of the originals at the plant. Griffith estimated it will take about 11 days to completely demolish the structure and clean out all the debris. Bulldozers were used to pull apart the building piece by piece, while water was sprayed at the same time to prevent debris from flying into the air. Griffith said using bulldozers as opposed to explosives helps workers keep better control of the potential contaminants within the building. "We really don't want to spread dust," he said. Once the building is down, the Corps will test the materials and recycle that which is clean. The masonry and brick will be used as backfill on the site to fill in sewers and lagoons across the river, Griffith said. He added that the recycled materials will be used as "deep fill" and will not be placed near the surface of the ground. "We'll use it to smooth the contours of the site," he said. After the site has been graded and smoothed, FMC Corp. will begin testing the soil for contaminants, said site manager Doug Bement. This is not an easy task, as FMC will have to correlate all its actions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to make sure the EPA approves the activities. Public input also will be sought in order to adequately address all concerns, he said. Bement estimated that FMC will be able to officially begin testing in September 2003. The Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority intends to eventually make the space part of the business park planned for the redevelopment of the site, said Executive Director Stephen A. Heavener. The EDA must first wait for all the buildings to be demolished on site, then for FMC to perform its study. After that, the EDA can begin developing and installing water and sewer lines and roads. "It really isn't practical to do any development or infrastructure until all this takes place," he said. |
