Newport, April 28 - After years of careful planning the army is ready to start destroying the deadly nerve agent VX.  The military stores thousands of gallons of VX  at the Newport Chemical Depot about 30 miles north of Terre Haute.
 
Tom Burch and neighbor Alann Bates enjoy the rural lifestyle of Vermillion County. But they don't enjoy living next to the Newport Chemical Depot, "cause I live just across the river and that's the prevailing wind. If it screws up, it's gonna come my way," says Burch.

He's talking about more than 250,000 gallons of deadly VX nerve agent stored there since the 1960s. But that will soon change.

Lt. Col. Scott Kimmell, the facility commander, says, "We are very confident. We are going to start slowly and deliberately."

What they're starting is just weeks away,the destruction of all the VX stored there. Army officials worked on a plan for several years, turning the depot into a disposal facility. Highly trained chemical engineers will soon open the containers and neutralize the agent. One tiny drop is deadly.

That's why officials want the public to know safety is a top priority. An open house Thursday in Newport was all about sharing information and answering questions.

"Right now my biggest safety concern is the actual existence of the agent. This agent is at its safest when it's gone," says Kimmell.

Neighbors like Bates couldn't agree more. "Well, I'm very glad that they're doing it and we're very glad, relieved that it's finally happening."

The Army has more than 400 people working on the project at a cost of more than $1 billion.  Officials say the entire process should take two and one-half to three years to complete.