136th Year... and still on the job!	Sunday December 11, 2005

EDITORIAL
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

PRELIMINARY CONSTRUCTION for the mustard munition destruction program at Pueblo Chemical Depot could start next summer.

Meanwhile, local officials see a chance for a funding boost for the program with the appointment of U.S. Rep. John Salazar to a conference committee going over the 2006 Defense Authorization Bill that boosts spending for the project.

The Colorado Citizens Advisory Commission was informed last week that construction on auxiliary buildings needed to support the destruction of the weaponry could get under way in the summer. Additionally, work on what’s billed as the Defense Access Road, or DAR, could begin then too.

The DAR will consist of a link between the west end of the depot to the DOT road. Then United Avenue/William White Boulevard through the Airport Industrial Park will be upgraded and extended west to connect with Colorado 47.

That new roadway will both provide better access to the depot for heavy construction equipment and also allow a second escape from the depot in case mustard fumes somehow escape the demilitarization process.

The DAR will have the important side benefit of making access to the airport and industrial park easier. Currently, the only way in and out is via Paul Harvey Boulevard and U.S. 50.

Members of the Advisory Commission were heartened by Rep. Salazar’s appointment to the conference committee. They had the understanding that the Senate was inclined to increase spending for the program to expedite it, but there may have been some reticence in the House.

Rep. Salazar’s district included the depot, so he can be a strong voice for making the case this project needs to get under way sooner rather than later.

The full go-ahead for actual work on demilitarization is not expected until after February when prime contractor Bechtel delivers its projected cost and a work schedule, but it’s good to hear that real preliminary work is now on the horizon. This project has had more roadblocks than necessary over the past decade, and it’s high time it gets going.