RAVENNA ARSENAL Razing of sites goes on

The vacated land will eventually be used by the Ohio National Guard.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
RAVENNA - Demolition of the remaining buildings that once were part of bomb-making production lines at the Ravenna Army Ammunition Plant won't be complete until 2007.
"It's really a lengthy process," said Mark Patterson, facilities manager of what is commonly known as the Ravenna arsenal.
The place that once manufactured bombs and artillery shells officially closed in 1992, leaving behind 307 buildings that comprised its 12 production lines.
Some of the buildings can be demolished with heavy equipment while others containing explosive residue must be burned, then demolished.
The buildings are dangerous because of their historical use: Explosives are embedded in them.
The plant in Portage County is on a 21,427-acre complex at state Route 5 east of Ravenna - & ordm;and northwest of Newton Falls.
Back in the day
When production was in full swing during World War II and the Korean War, the buildings were hosed down several times a day; the water carried explosive material into cracks and under the buildings. They also contain cancer-causing PCBs and lead paint.
Irv Venger, RVAAP industrial specialist, said 120 buildings in five lines have been either burned or razed. Concrete remains must be removed in one of these five lines.
Seven lines consisting of 187 buildings remain to be demolished or burned, Venger said, adding, "This is not a small deal."
The facility contracted with Texas-based MKM Engineers to do the work, Patterson said, noting the work should be completed in 2006. MKM will receive about $1 million to demolish each line.
The work will be completed in 2007, subject to funding, he added.
The facility has been working closely with the U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection agencies and Akron Air, the local arm of the Ohio Department of Health, to assure safe air emissions.
What process entails
Rick Callahan of MKM said the process includes the removal of asbestos, electrical wires and fixtures -- and animals that have died in the buildings.
Wooden pallets are burned in the buildings to remove the explosives. In this way, workers can stand at a safe distance, Callahan explained. The temperature must reach between 700 and 800 degrees to burn explosives in the cracks of the structures.
Heavy equipment is then used to knock down the brick and block structures, Callahan said.
Lt. Col. Thomas Tadsen, deputy training site commander for the Ohio National Guard, said 450 bunkers once used to store shells and bombs have been emptied.
About the future
The vacated land will be used by the guard to conduct armored vehicle maneuvers. There will be no live firing because of the lack of space.
Tadsen said the guard, which has been training at the arsenal since the 1950s, will be able to practice deployment and maneuvers with tanks, armored personnel carriers used to transport infantry and self-propelled howitzers.
The guard will use the southern half of the acreage.
Tadsen said the arsenal was closed because technology requires the use of fewer bombs.
He explained that many "dumb bombs" used to be required to destroy targets. Now with the use of "smart bombs," only one bomb is needed to accomplish a mission.
About 18,000 people worked at the arsenal during World War II. This decreased to 17,000 during the Korean War and 3,000 to 4,000 during Vietnam.
Now, only 25 staff members and contractors work at the facility.
yovich@vindy.com