Blue Grass Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office, located on Commercial Drive in Richmond, Kentucky.
Information Source for the Community
The Blue Grass Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office provides the community with a one-stop information source for the chemical weapons destruction project at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD).
What Resources Are Available?
The outreach office serves as a public information repository of technical documents and reports regarding the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP).
The outreach staff operates a Speakers Bureau program and provides speakers to local groups and organizations to share information with the public on a variety of BGCAPP-related topics. Staff develops and provide a variety of informational material including brochures and exhibits about BGCAPP, as well as photographs, videos and a monthly e-newsletter.
The outreach office serves as a communication channel for the community to provide input into various BGCAPP-related topics.
Partnerships and Public Involvement
Community participation and involvement forms the cornerstone of the chemical weapons destruction project at BGCAPP. Partnering with the community to discuss the project allows everyone to make informed decisions based on facts.
BGCAPP’s success depends heavily on partnerships. In addition to partnering with the community, BGCAPP has joined with multiple organizations, agencies and companies to safely and efficiently destroy the chemical weapons stockpile at BGAD. The following is a summary of key BGCAPP partners.
| Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) | |||
| BGCAPP is a state-of-the-art, full-scale pilot facility built to safely and efficiently destroy the Blue Grass chemical weapons stockpile. | |||
| Name | Title | Office Phone | |
| Sarah Marko | Outreach Office Manager | (859) 779-7452 (859) 624-7279 |
sarah.marko@iem.com |
| Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) | |||
| BGAD is a 15,000-acre facility that safeguards a ready supply of conventional munitions and provides chemical defense equipment and Special Operations support to the Department of Defense. | |||
| Name | Title | Office Phone | |
| William Ritter | Public Affairs Officer | (859) 779-6941 | william.d.ritter3.civ@army.mil |
| Blue Grass Chemical Activity (BGCA) | |||
| BGCA is responsible for the safe storage of the chemical weapons stockpile at BGAD. It is a tenant organization at the depot, reporting to the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Activity at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. | |||
| Name | Title | Office Phone | |
| Angela Messinger | Public Affairs Specialist | (859) 779-6897 | angela.l.messinger.civ@army.mil |
| Jana Felts | Public Affairs Specialist | (859) 779-6298 | jana.l.felts.civ@army.mil |
| Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass (BPBG) | |||
| BPBG is the systems contractor selected by the Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) to design, build, test, operate and close BGCAPP. | |||
| Name | Title | Office Phone | |
| Mark York | Communications Manager | (859) 625-1291 | mhyork@bechtel.com |
| Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission (CAC) | |||
| In accordance with Public Law 102-484, the CAC, a governor-appointed committee, serves as a bridge between the community and the government by providing a forum for exchanging information about chemical weapons disposal. | |||
| Name | Title | Office Phone | |
| Doug Hindman | Chair | (859) 985-0022 | douglas.hindman@eku.edu |
| Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board (CDCAB) | |||
| The CDCAB is an independent subcommittee of the CAC, consisting of a diverse group of community leaders. | |||
| Name | Title | Office Phone | |
| Reagan Taylor | Co-Chair, Madison County Judge-Executive | (859) 624-4700 | reagan.taylor@madisoncountyky.us |
| Craig Williams | Co-Chair | (859) 986-7565 | craig@cwwg.org |
| Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (KDEP) | |||
| KDEP’s mission is to protect and enhance Kentucky’s environment. The department oversees the environmental permitting process for BGCAPP. | |||
| Name | Title | Office Phone | |
| April Webb | Hazardous Waste Branch Manager | (502) 782-6470 | april.webb@ky.gov |
| Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) | |||
| Madison County CSEPP is charged with protecting the residents of Madison County in the event of a chemical incident at BGAD. It operates the county’s alert and warning system and provides training and public education about what to do in an emergency. CSEPP at the national level is administered jointly by the U.S. Army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. | |||
| Name | Title | Office Phone | |
| Dustin Heiser | Madison County CSEPP Director | (859) 624-4787, ext. 2606 | dustin.heiser@madisoncountyky.us |
| David Davis | Kentucky CSEPP Public Information Officer | (502) 607-1049 | david.davis@ky-em.org |
| Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) | |||
| PEO ACWA is the Department of Defense program ultimately responsible for destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile at BGAD in Kentucky and at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado. PEO ACWA is headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. | |||
| Name | Title | Office Phone | |
| Kathy DeWeese | Chief of Public Affairs | (410) 306-4024 | Katherine.b.deweese.civ@army.mil |