Manager named for weapons disposal project

DEPOT ADMINISTRATOR OVERSEES CHEMICALS

HERALD-LEADER STAFF REPORT

James A. Fritsche, a civilian administrator at the Blue Grass Army Depot, has been selected as site project manager for the facility that will be built to destroy the depot's chemical weapons.

Fritsche will be the lead government engineer responsible for management of the plant's field office and will oversee the systems contract with Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, the contractor for the $2 billion project.

Fritsche is currently the top civilian at Blue Grass Chemical Activity, the agency responsible for the safe storage of the depot's 523 tons of chemical agent.

He has been at the depot, near Richmond, since 1995.

"With his superior technical skills, his professional demeanor, and his sharp perspective on the issues, I'm confident that Jim is the best person to lead the Blue Grass project," said Michael A. Parker, program manager for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program. That agency oversees the chemical neutralization technology that will be used to destroy the weapons.

"His working knowledge of the Blue Grass Army Depot, the Blue Grass Chemical Activity as well as the ACWA program makes him a natural fit."

A member of the Indiana Army National Guard, Fritsche recently returned from a yearlong tour of active duty in Edinburgh, Ind.