Arsenal laundry facility re-opens in grand style

By Ms. Rachel Newton (AMC)July 8, 2009

State of the art laundry facility
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State of the art laundry facility
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State of the art laundry facility
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After years of much needed renovations, the Pine Bluff Arsenal laundry facility, Building 32-070, located in the motor pool area of the installation has re-opened.

"When Mr. (Richard) Whitley arrived here about two years ago, he visited all the areas he was responsible for," said Elizabeth Blackwood, property book officer, Directorate of Logistics. "The laundry facilities conditions at that time were just horrid."

Blackwood said that the paint was flaking off of every painted surface; there was mold throughout the building and a "pond" had formed near the back of the building due to a leak.

"It was just in terrible shape and truly a hazard," she said. "At that time, Col. (Bill) Barnett was new himself, so we went to him and explained the situation. The command understood that the building was truly a hazard, and went to work to acquire the funds for renovations. Construction on the facility started June 2008."

The only regret is that no pictures were taken of the building before it was renovated, said Richard Whitley, equipment manager, Directorate of Logistics.

"When I first saw it, I knew we had to change the attitude of the building before we were going to be able to change the attitude of the employees who worked there," he said. "We needed to get a handle on our accountability. Work environment is everything, and people tend to take on the attitude of their environment. I let the command see my vision and what I needed, which was ultimately giving the employees a good workplace."

The laundry provides clothing, safety shoes and other laundered items to all the industrial workers who work on the production lines at PBA. State-of-the-art, easily accessible racks to organize the materials have replaced the circa World War II wooden shelves where materials were stored previously. The walls and floors have been painted and sealed, the lighting has been replaced, a new break room has been built and the office space has been refurbished.

"My objective for that facility is to stock and maintain it according to the requirements for the installation and the directorate," said Whitley. "We are here to support them and we have to know what they need."

A data base system is also in place now that tells the directorate exactly what is needed for supply purposes, according to Blackwood.

The laundry machines themselves are very old. "We have a contract in place now to replace two dryers and one washer," she said. "It is all being coordinated now. We are so proud of this facility now. Taking something from the condition it was in to what it is now is just great."

During the renovations, the Arsenal was able to utilize the Pine Bluff Chemical Activity's laundry facilities on the northern end of the installation. "This was nice because we were able to continue operations and not have to shut production down," she said.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held June 15 at the new facility.