The leader of the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program met with Kentucky community members in Richmond, Kentucky during a quarterly public meeting Sept. 13.

“I plan to continue the transparency and close collaboration that we’ve had and enjoyed as a program,” said Program Executive Officer Suzanne Milchling. “I feel it’s critical for eliminating the stockpile at this location, as well as in Pueblo, Colorado.”

Milchling told community members about her initiative to find ways to destroy the stockpiles in Kentucky and Colorado in a more efficient way while still maintaining safety and environmental compliance.

“We need to do things differently,” she said. “As you know, we’ve got challenges with the federal budget. This program takes a lot of money to operate, but it’s something that we need to do.”

Milchling said she hopes she can gather ideas from the workforce, as well as community members and regulators, as part of this initiative.

“We’re on the same page,” said Craig Williams, co-chair, Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board. “Anything we can do to help facilitate, please feel free to let us know.”