East Oregonian
Monday, January 06, 2003

Retiree helps share information on Depot

By KASIA PIERZGA of the East Oregonian
kpierzga@eastoregonian.com

IRRIGON - Living next to a stockpile
of chemical weapons could be a little
unnerving for some folks.

But as chair of Oregon's Citizen
Advisory Commission on Umatilla
Chemical Depot affairs, Irrigon resident
Bob Flournoy hopes to alleviate those
fears a bit by keeping local residents
informed.

The Flournoys moved to Irrigon in
1996 to get away from the hassles of
big-city life in California. After
spending their retirement years touring
around the West in their 36-foot motor
home, they found they'd developed a
soft spot for Umatilla County, where
they encountered a laid-back lifestyle
and a community that's friendly and
welcoming.

"We stayed in Umatilla and Irrigon
several times, and we finally realized
that we really liked this place,"
Flournoy said. "What we liked best
were the people."

But when they made the decision to
buy a home in Irrigon, they had no
idea they were planning to put down
roots just a stone's throw from the
Depot. In fact, they didn't realize what
kind of munitions was stored there until
a year after they'd moved in.

"I had seen the signs on the highway,
but they didn't really explain what was
out there," Flournoy said. "At that
time, there really wasn't a whole lot of
information available to the public
about the Depot, even though it had
been there for years."

When Flournoy saw an announcement
in the paper recruiting volunteers for
the governor's Citizens Advisory
Commission on Chemical
Demilitarization, he figured signing on
would be the best way to become as informed as possible about the facility.

He became a member of the commission in 1998, and became chairman two
years later. To ensure good communication with local residents about Depot
activities, the commission works with Depot officials, including
representatives from the Army and the Washington Demilitarization
Company, the contractor in charge of building and maintaining the four
Umatilla incinerators, as well as representatives from the Chemical Stockpile
Emergency Preparedness Program and the state Department of
Environmental Quality.

According to Flournoy, the commission's goal is to stay informed about
what's going on at the Depot, represent the community's interests in Depot
activities and serve as a liaison that keeps citizens informed.

Chairing the citizens advisory commission isn't the only avenue through
which the 83-year-old retiree serves his community. He's also a member of
the Irrigon City Council and the Baker-Morrow Partnership, a member of
the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a community
volunteer. His commitment to his adopted hometown hasn't gone unnoticed.
Just last month, Flournoy and his wife, Helen, an artist whose work is
auctioned off every year to raise money for community projects, were
named among Irrigon's top volunteers of the year.

Flournoy isn't intimidated by the responsibility of his role on the nine-person
citizens advisory commission. In fact, a background in military service - he
served as an Army platoon commander in the Battle of the Bulge - and a
long career working with defense contractors such as Lockheed and Boeing
as a sales engineer have served as a good foundation, he said.

"I think my technical background helps a lot. It's given me an appreciation
for Murphy's Law," he said with a laugh. "You know, 'If anything can go
wrong, it will.'"

The commission's success as communications liaison between the Depot and
the public has made it a model for similar federally created commissions in
other communities around the country, Flournoy said.

"Our commission has become much more than Congress ever intended," he
said. "We've become not just an observer, but also a part of what's going
on."

Flournoy urges local residents who might be concerned about activities at
the Depot to stay informed by going to the commission's monthly meetings,
which are usually attended by Depot representatives who are ready and
willing to answer questions.

"The public can come to us, and we'll get them accurate information," he
said.