Published: July 03, 2009 03:33 pm      

Camp Howze unexploded ordnance work delayed

When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a public meeting in Gainesville on May 18 to introduce the details of the new investigation of the former Camp Howze, the schedule was to start work in the month of June 2009.

The May meeting was held for landowners of the former Camp Howze and the public and Corps representatives reviewed the objectives, approach and equipment to be used to determine if there are remaining munition hazards at the site.

In a telephone conversation this week with Randy Cephus, the U.S. Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District Deputy Officer of Public Affairs connected to the Camp Howze project, he said, “we have not started to do the assessment at Camp Howze. We are still working through the right-of-entry issues.”

Property owners at the former site must give permission to the project team to enter and investigate.

“Some have not responded,” said Cephus. “Some have not granted access yet.”

“It’s pretty common to take time to get right-of-entry,” said Cephus. “You put a mark on the wall and then keep going till you get it resolved.”

During the public meeting in May, attendees were told that one-hundred-seventy right of entry requests were mailed to landowners of the former Camp Howze.

Cephus said they are now going door to door to contact owners to get permission.

“We would not want to speculate on a date,” said Cephus, when asked about the revised timeline.

“We don’t have clarity right now,” said Cephus, “we have some substantial issues we’re working out.”

As printed in the May 20, 2009 Gainesville Daily Register story “Corps of Engineers to oversee Howze remedial investigation,” the Remedial Investigation is not a removal action, the objectives are to research, identify and prioritize the work that still needs to be done in the future. After the Remedial Investigation, the project team will conduct a Feasibility Study to start in June of 2010...”

Parsons Corporation is the contractor that has been hired by the Corps of Engineers to oversee the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study.

Cephus said that Project Manager Stephen Swint of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the Fort Worth District office is overseeing the project for Camp Howze. He can be contacted at 817-886-1364.

For more information about the Army Corps of Engineers’ Fort Worth District’s activities go to www.swf.usace.army.mil/.