News

CHEMICAL DEMIL WORKERS TO RECEIVE TRANSITIONAL HELP

By Wes Clement/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday, November 6, 2009 2:20 AM CST

Pine Bluff Chemical Disposal Facility officials have scheduled the opening of an employee transition office for this month as operations at the facility approach completion at the Pine Bluff Arsenal.

Lt. Col. Nathaniel Farmer, commander of Pine Bluff Chemical Disposal Facility, addresses the West Pine Bluff Rotary Club Thursday afternoon at Pine Bluff Country Club. Pine Bluff Commercial/Ralph Fitzgerald

The facility handles incineration of the stockpiled chemical weapons at the arsenal.

Lt. Col. Nathaniel Farmer, commander of PBCDF, addressed the West Pine Bluff Rotary Club Thursday at Pine Bluff Country Club.

“If everything goes well and the plant continues to operate at the same level of efficiency, we’re looking at delivering that last ton (container of mustard agent) around November or December of next year,” Farmer said.

There will then be about a two month period during which the final steps of closure will be performed.

“I’m going to have at least 46 percent (71 employees) of the force with me to carry it to the end,” Farmer said. The workforce is to be reduced to 46 percent by July, Farmer said and the facility will employ no one by June 2012.

Early retirement will be available to some of PBCDF’s roughly 170 employees and others will be compensated for leaving their jobs, Farmer said. Some, he said, would receive up to $25,000.

The federal government’s Priority Placement Program will be another option for employees.

“All of my affected employees will be able to sign up in a certain region and if a job becomes available, they have first priority,” Farmer said. “If there’s a job out there they are qualified to hold they will be at the top of the list.”

Employees may chose to put their name on a list to apply to jobs nationwide to increase chances of finding a replacement more quickly.

Farmer said ideally during their last six months on the job, the employees will be set up with other government employment. If an employee is contacted with a job offer and does not want that particular job based on location or another reason, the person is removed from the priority list. Each participant in the program will be offered only one replacement job. For that reason some will request to only be considered for a job in a specified region, although that decision would likely cause the employee to wait longer for a position to come available.

Brandon Morris, a representative of Pine Bluff Chemical Disposal Facility, spoke before Farmer on Thursday. He said the incineration of mustard ton containers is about 40 percent complete.

“Our mission here at PBCDF has been ahead of schedule since day one.”

He said the original incineration completion estimate was in 2012 rather than December 2010.

Following complete PBCDF shut-down, the grounds of the PBCDF facilities will again be available for other arsenal purposes. Demolition is planned for much of the facility, though some structures are expected to remain, including a lavatory and administrative space.

Print this story   |   Email this story