Employees from the Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) headquarters and Pueblo plant gathered in Kentucky Feb. 28 to share information with Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) government staff.

“This was a really good way for us to collaborate and have frank discussions about systemization, pilot testing and operations,” said Wade Hollinger, deputy site project manager, BGCAPP. “Subject matter experts from here and our sister site in Colorado were able to get together and talk about best practices.”

Dubbed the Lessons Learned Summit, the gathering allowed Pueblo plant and PEO ACWA headquarters employees to share information about audits, reviews and demonstrations performed before pilot testing began in 2016, said Candace Rock, quality engineer, ACWA. They also offered advice on how to work with oversight agencies to gain the necessary approvals begin operations.

“Stakeholders such as the Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity, Centers for Disease Control, environmental regulators and many more have a big role to play in signing off to begin chemical weapons destruction,” said Rock. “It’s important that we all talk about these expectations to set us up for success.”

“I really hope to continue these types of meetings as we get closer to operations,” Hollinger said. “We want to make sure our staff members are talking to their Pueblo counterparts and gaining important insight from them on a continual basis.”