Laboratory awards final Recovery Act demolition contracts

Two small businesses will demolish Cold War-era complex

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, April 20, 2010—Los Alamos National Laboratory today announced it has awarded its final two demolition contracts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The two winning bidders will each demolish a portion of the remaining unused buildings at the Lab’s historic Technical Area 21.

ARSEC Environmental, LLC of White Rock, NM, received a $2 million task order to demolish eight structures (67,500 sq. ft.). Innovative Technical Solutions, Inc. received a $1.2 million task order for removal of selected systems and demolition of a 12,500-sq.-ft. building and nearby structures. The ITSI contract also includes excavating soils beneath the structures.

Bruce Schappell, executive director of LANL’s Recovery Act cleanup efforts, said the Lab has “a real commitment to small businesses” for this work.

“We know they provide good value. We know the work will be done correctly, on time, and within budget,” Schappell said.

“The Recovery Act gives us the opportunity to protect the environment and create local jobs,” said George Rael, environmental projects manager at NNSA’s Los Alamos Site Office. “We’ve created or saved nearly 300 jobs so far.”

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management allocated $212 million to Los Alamos last July. Since then, the Lab has demolished 9 of 21 planned structures and completed 10 of 16 planned groundwater monitoring wells.

This summer, crews will excavate LANL’s first hazardous waste landfill, a six-acre site used from 1944-48. Crews will clean the site to residential standards and make it available for transfer to Los Alamos County.