County commissioners laud incineration progress

By Nathan Solheim
Assistant Metro Editor
10-29-2004

Calhoun County Commissioners commended the Army and Westinghouse on Wednesday for completing the destruction of most of the Anniston Army Depot’s cache of M55 rockets filled with sarin nerve agent. A broken conveyor system has prevented destruction of the final 12 M55 rockets – a situation Army officials said should clear up over the next two days. Though the numbers of rockets destroyed so far represent a fraction of the overall chemical weapons stockpile, Army and incinerator officials said the risk to the community from stored munitions has been reduced by about 30 percent. Now, 23 igloos have been cleared of chemical munitions. Incinerator officials could not reveal the total number of igloos, citing Sept. 11 security measures. Workers have destroyed 42,726 M55 rockets out of an overall stockpile of more than 661,000 munitions. “We, as a commission, are grateful for what you’ve done and what you’re doing,” said Commissioner James A. “Pappy” Dunn. The incinerator will move on to 8-inch projectiles filled with sarin after finishing up the remaining rockets. Officials already have started reconfiguring part of the incinerator in preparation for destroying projectiles, which are much smaller rounds than rockets. Destroying projectiles requires firing up the metal-parts furnace, a part of the facility that until now has been dormant. Tim Garrett, the Army project manager at the incinerator, also said the facility has gotten this far safely and ahead of other incinerators around the country. “That’s the most important thing we take on in our daily operations, that we operate safely,” Garrett said. “Some of this job is nasty, and (the workers) have executed it safely.” In other business, commissioners appointed Dan Long, the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency director, to the 911 Board, and Faye Robertson to the Coosa Valley Youth Services Board. The next commission meeting will be Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. at the county administration building. Commissioners pushed the meeting up one day so as not to conflict with Veteran’s Day.

About Nathan Solheim

Assistant Metro Editor Nathan Solheim is Minnesota native and a University of Georgia graduate.