Community members made a similar request in November, but no meeting occurred.

The weapons destruction project has been hampered by delays and funding. A Department of Defense memo made public last week said the Army intended to sharply curtail funding for destruction.

Pueblo area residents have said that has them worried that the stockpile of 780,000 munitions containing 2,600 tons of chemical mustard agent will not be destroyed by 2012, as originally planned.

Salazar wrote to Michael Wynne, acting undersecretary of defense for acquisition, that he had a "grave concern" over possible delays in destroying the munitions, which have been stored for more than 50 years.