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Wilcox never gave up on plan to preserve K-25 history, former DOE manager says

Posted at 7:20 pm September 8, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 Building Aerial View

Now mostly demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building is pictured above. Bill Wilcox, a former technical director at K-25 and the Y-12 National Security Complex, led the fight to preserve K-25’s history. Wilcox died Monday, Sept. 2, and his funeral was Saturday. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

The fight to preserve the history of the K-25 site in west Oak Ridge was long and arduous. Among the challenges were federal funding battles and deteriorated building conditions.

Other people might have considered the dilapidated K-25 Building, once the world’s largest building under one roof, a “useless hulk,” one friend and colleague said. But historic preservationist Bill Wilcox, who died Monday evening, never gave up on his dream of honoring the site’s history.

Now mostly demolished, the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building was erected as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. That was a federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. But the four-story building has been shut down since 1964 and fallen into disrepair, and the U.S. Department of Energy is converting the site into a massive industrial park and demolishing many of the original buildings. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alexander Inn, atomic bombs, Atomic Heritage Foundation, Bill Wilcox, Cindy Kelly, Cold War, Craig M. Kallio, D. Ray Smith, DOE, Ed Westcott, Gerald Boyd, Gordon Fee, Hanford, history, K-25, K-25 Building, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Mercury Task Force, National Park Service, north end, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Office, Partnership for K-25 Preservation, PKP, Pollard Auditorium, Secret City Commemorative Walk, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, St. Stephen’s Memorial Garden, U.S. Department of Energy, World War II, Y-12 National Security Complex

UCOR celebrates two years in Oak Ridge

Posted at 6:24 pm August 4, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Leo Sain at K-25

Leo Sain, president and project manager for cleanup contractor UCOR, near the east wing of the mostly demolished K-25 Building, built to enrich uranium during World War II and also used during the Cold War.

It’s been two years since UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, started working in the Secret City.

UCOR president Leo Sain celebrated with an Aug. 1 letter to employees that thanked them but also issued a reminder and challenge. Read the letter here.

Sain said he is very proud of the workforce—he called the company’s performance spectacular—and said work has been done safely, under budget, and ahead of schedule.

“At the end of two years, we’re one of the safest sites in the U.S. Department of Energy complex,” Sain said. “The credit for that goes entirely to you, the workforce, for staying focused on your work through all the distractions and changing hazards that come with the tasks we perform.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, cleanup contractor, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, environmental management, Environmental Management Waste Management Facility, ETTP, K-25 Building, K-27, Leo Sain, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator, TSCA incinerator, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS, Y-12 National Security Complex

House passes Manhattan Project national park bill that would include Oak Ridge

Posted at 8:11 pm June 14, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 8 Comments

X-10 Graphite Reactor

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park would include the X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Submitted photo)

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday took an essential step toward establishing a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that could include Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash., a nonprofit organization said.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act was included as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which the House passed Friday, the Atomic Heritage Foundation said in an e-mail.

“The new national park will be the first to recognize the top-secret project in World War II that changed the course of world history, science, and society,” the foundation said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: atomic bombs, Atomic Heritage Foundation, B Reactor, Ben Ray Lujan, Chicago Pile I, Chuck Fleischmann, Doc Hastings, Gun Site, Hanford, Helene Suydam, J. Robert Oppenheimer, K-25, K-25 Building, Lamar Alexander, Little Boy, Los Alamos, Los Alamos Historical Society, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act, Maria Cantwell, Martin Heinrich, National Defense Authorization Act, National Park Service, NDAA, Oak Ridge, Oppenheimer House, Patty Murray, Ron Wyden, Tom Udall, U.S. House of Representatives, University of Chicago, V Site, World War II, X-10 Graphite Reactor

Transite panels being removed from last part of K-25 Building

Posted at 2:04 pm May 23, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 Transite Removal

More than 2,800 transite panels will be removed from the remainder of the K-25 Building. (Submitted photo)

A federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge is removing exterior panels known as transite panels from the last part of the K-25 Building that is still standing.

K-25 was built to enrich uranium for atomic bombs during World War II and was once the world’s largest building under one roof. It’s been unused for decades and is being torn down.

Most of the mile-long former gaseous diffusion building, located at East Tennessee Technology Park, has been demolished. About two million square feet of the U-shaped building have been removed, according to a Thursday press release from UCOR, the cleanup contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories Tagged With: CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, cleanup contractor, demolition, East Tennessee Technology Park, east wing, K-25 Building, K-27, K-31, north end, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Steve Dahlgren, technetium-99, transite panels, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS, west wing, Y-12 National Security Complex

Removal of K-25 north end demolition debris almost complete

Posted at 11:25 am April 29, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

K-25 North End Demolition

With the north end demolished, only a small part of the east wing remains at the once-massive K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Workers are almost done removing demolition debris from the K-25 Building’s north end.

Only a small section of the giant building’s east wing remains. It is contaminated with technetium-99, a slow-decaying radioactive isotope. Further deactivation of that section is needed before demolition can begin, according to a recent article in “Public Involvement News,” published by the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories Tagged With: debris, demolition, east wing, K-25 Building, Manhattan Project, north end, Oak Ridge Office, Steve Dahlgren, technetium-99, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC

Manhattan Project national park bill also reintroduced in U.S. House

Posted at 5:22 pm March 15, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 Building Aerial View

Now mostly demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building is pictured above. The site has previously been identified for possible inclusion in a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

A bill to set up a Manhattan Project national park that would include Oak Ridge has been reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bipartisan legislation was reintroduced on Friday in the U.S. House by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings, a Washington Republican;  Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican; and Rep. Ben Luján, a New Mexico Democrat.

The legislation—H.R. 1208—would establish a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that would include facilities in Oak Ridge; Hanford, Wash.; and Los Alamos, N.M.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Government, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Alexander Inn, atomic bombs, Atomic Heritage Foundation, B Reactor, Ben Luján, Building 9204-3, Building 9731, Chuck Fleischmann, Cindy Kelly, Doc Hastings, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Guest House, Hanford, HR 1208, K-25 Building, Lamar Alexander, Los Alamos, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Maria Cantwell, national park, National Park Service, National Park System, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge, S. 507, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, World War II, Y-12 National Security Complex

Eight firms show interest in designing ETTP museum

Posted at 1:03 pm March 5, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

ETTP After Cleanup

An artist’s rendering of what the East Tennessee Technology Park could look like after cleanup and historic preservation activities are completed. (Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy/UCOR)

The pre-qualification window for companies to bid on the professional site design for a museum at the East Tennessee Technology Park closed in February. Eight firms that specialize in museum planning and exhibit design responded to the pre-qualification request.

Planning for the museum is one of several activities under way to commemorate ETTP’s history, including a history center located on the second floor of the Oak Ridge Fire Station and an observation tower overlooking the K-25 Building footprint.

The museum will house artifact and historic materials removed from the K-25 Building, which was built during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons. The building and ETTP, often referred to as the K-25 site, were also used to enrich uranium after the war.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories Tagged With: DOE Oak Ridge Office, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, history center, K-25, K-25 Building, K-25 virtual museum, K-27, Manhattan Project, museum, Oak Ridge Fire Station, Oak Ridge Office, observation tower, pre-qualification request, Public Involvement News, U.S. Department of Energy, World War II

Senate officials expect Manhattan Project park bill to be reintroduced

Posted at 2:15 pm January 30, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Building 9204-3 at Y-12

Building 9204-3 at the Y-12 National Security Complex could be included in a Manhattan Project National Historical Park under legislation that could be reintroduced in Congress early this year. (Photo courtesy of Y-12 National Security Complex.)

A U.S. Senate committee assistant said officials expect a bill to be reintroduced early this year to create a Manhattan Project national park that could include sites in Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash.

An earlier bill to create the park died in the last session of Congress, and one of its key sponsors, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat, has retired.

Bingaman was chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has replaced him as chair.

“As you know, Sen. Bingaman sponsored the bill to create a Manhattan Project National Historical Park with components in New Mexico, Washington, and Tennessee, because one of the areas to be included (Los Alamos, N.M.) was in his home state,” said Sam Offerdahl, press assistant for the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “We expect the bill to be reintroduced early this year, likely with a member from one of the states that is home to the proposed parks as lead sponsor (following Senate custom).”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Government, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Alexander Inn, Atomic Heritage Foundation, Building 9204-3, Buildings 9731, Cindy Kelly, Congress, East Tennessee Technology Park, Guest House, Hanford, Jeff Bingaman, K-25 Building, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge, Ron Wyden, Sam Offerdahl, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senate, World War II, Y-12 National Security Complex

Dead for now, Manhattan Project national park bill could be reintroduced

Posted at 9:48 am January 28, 2013
By John Huotari 2 Comments

K-25 Building Aerial View

Now mostly demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building is pictured above. The site could be included in a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

A bill to create a Manhattan Project national park that would include Oak Ridge died in the last session of Congress, but the legislation could be revived this session.

“It will be reintroduced,” said Cindy Kelly, founder and president of the Atomic Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. “We are very optimistic that the bill will move through the process.”

Besides Oak Ridge, the park would also include sites in Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alexander Inn, Atomic Heritage Foundation, Cindy Kelly, Guest House, Hanford, K-25 Building, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act, national park, Oak Ridge, Y-12 National Security Complex

Video: K-25 North End Demolition

Posted at 1:07 pm January 23, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

It took about 20 minutes to demolish the last section of the North End of the historic K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge on Wednesday morning. Shut down for several decades, K-25 was built to enrich uranium during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, and it was once the world’s largest building under one roof.

Watch the last section of the North End crash to the ground in this video:

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Videos Tagged With: demolition, K-25 Building, north end, Oak Ridge

Demolition finished on K-25’s North End

Posted at 11:45 am January 23, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

K-25 North End Demolition

Work crews demolish the last section of the North End of the historic K-25 Building in Oak Ridge on Wednesday. K-25 was built to enrich uranium during World War II and was once the world’s largest building under one roof.

Work crews demolished the last section of the North End of the historic K-25 Building in Oak Ridge on Wednesday morning.

Workers used a giant, orange demolition machine known as a high reach shear to bring down the four-story building, once the world’s largest under one roof. At times, the shear resembled a large dinosaur as its massive black jaws bit into the building’s 67-year-old skeleton.

Reporters, officials, and workers watched on a clear but chilly East Tennessee morning as the high reach shear sliced through vertical steel columns and tugged at horizontal beams. After about 20 minutes, the North End crashed to the ground. So did any dreams of preserving it that might have remained.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: demolition, environmental management, K-25 Building, Manhattan Project, north end, Tc-99, technetium-99, U.S. Department of Energy, World War II

UCOR ships 15,000 loads of waste from K-25

Posted at 8:00 am December 24, 2012
By UCOR Leave a Comment

K-25 Building Demolition Debris

Some of the debris from the demolition of K-25’s east wing. (Submitted photo)

UCOR has shipped 15,000 loads of demolition debris from the K-25 Building at the East Tennessee Technology Park, the company announced last week.

The 15,000 loads represent approximately two million square feet of the deteriorated former gaseous diffusion building, built during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. That square footage is the equivalent of 40 NFL football fields combined.

The material has been sent to the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility in Oak Ridge for permanent disposition.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: demolition, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, gaseous diffusion, Heritage Center, K-25, K-25 Building, Manhattan Project, Mark Ferri, UCOR, uranium enrichment, URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC

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