ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- When construction of the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, or ANCDF, began in 1997 on the northern side of Anniston Army Depot, managers and employees knew the mission of demilitarizing the chemical munitions stored here would end some day.
That "some day" milestone was reached in September 2011 when the last of Anniston's 661,529 chemical munition was destroyed in the ANCDF.
The ANCDF and Anniston Chemical Activity workforces have been steadily reduced during the intervening two years as equipment was turned in, storage igloos were verified as agent-free and regulatory and treaty requirements were closed.
Where more than 1,000 people supported the safe storage and demilitarization of the stockpile then, there are now less than 200 people closing the disposal facility and the formal contracts associated with the projects.
In fact, ANCA officially closed in September when the keys to its portion of Bldg. 363 were given to the Directorate of Information Management.
About that same time, a company from St. Louis, Mo., was setting up their base of operations at the ANCDF for the demolition of the facility.
Spirtas Wrecking Company was awarded a contract worth more than $2.1 million to tear down major ANCDF structures and remove administrative modular buildings.
Significant portions of the ANCDF's Main Demilitarization Building and the Pollution Abatement System have been reduced to rubble since September. Much of that rubble is being recycled, an effort that could earn Spirtas approximately $2.8 million. The two structures are expected to be completely razed by the end of the year.
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