The Warren County Board of Supervisors will ask the federal government for a $5 million grant to help pay for the demolition of the remaining buildings at the Avtex Fibers Superfund site.

The board decided Thursday to ask 10th District Rep. Frank R. Wolf to help it get a community development block grant to pay part of the estimated $12 million cost of the demolition.

The Environmental Protection Agency tore down about 30 acres of badly contaminated buildings at the site but left standing several buildings containing asbestos and lead.

The agency won’t tear them down because they don’t contain other hazardous materials and the agency doesn’t clean up asbestos problems at Superfund sites, agency officials have said.

A study of the site completed in May recommends that the buildings be demolished because their derelict condition makes it unlikely they could be reused.

The study calls for developing the site with mixed facilities, including an office campus, hotel-conference center, an industrial park and businesses on the east side of the railroad tracks that bisect the site. It calls for a wildlife preserve on the west side of the tracks.

Board Chairman James L. McManaway said officials from FMC Corp., a former owner of the plant that is partly responsible for its cleanup, recommended at a meeting Tuesday night that the board apply for the block grant. Town and county officials met with EPA and FMC officials to discuss the site, he said.

The grant would be used to remove lead paint and asbestos from the buildings. An additional $5 million to $7 million will be needed to demolish them, according to a draft letter to Wolf that the board approved Thursday.

McManaway said the county can ask for more block grant money each year for the project.

"While we are marshaling our local resources to come up with needed funds, it has become apparent that partnering with the federal government is the only way to stimulate redevelopment of this property in the short run," says the draft letter to Wolf. "Our hope would be to obtain a federal share of $5 million to conduct the lead paint and asbestos abatement work."

Once the asbestos and lead are removed, the county will be left with "safe rubble" that can be disposed of on the site. Getting rid of contaminated rubble is more expensive, McManaway said.

He also said county officials expect to be able to take possession of about 100 acres of the site in about six weeks.

The county has been struggling for several years to get a portion of the site released for reuse. Officials are eyeing a section of just more than 100 acres, he said.

"If we get it, it will happen in six weeks," he said. "And that ‘if’ is get-ting smaller and smaller each day."

Funding for the block grants, which are administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is contained in appropriations legislation that has passed the House Appropriations Commit-tee’s subcommittee on veterans administration, housing and urban development and independent agencies. Wolf is a member of that sub-committee.

The bill has passed the House and Senate and is before a conference committee.

"Because the cleanup and reuse of the former Avtex facility is a priority of Warren County and the town of Front Royal, Congressman Wolf will assist the effort in any way he can," said David Whitestone, and aide to Wolf.

Wolf was en route to Bosnia on Thursday and couldn’t be reached.