Buffalo, NY -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District will host a public information session on Monday evening, March 22 from 7-9:00 p.m. to brief community members and civic leaders on the upcoming removal of the former Linde Building 14. The information session will be held in the Auditorium of the Holmes Elementary School at 365 Dupont Ave., Tonawanda, New York.

Work is slated to begin this April. The removal plans for the building are in keeping with the cleanup decision supported by the public in April 2003, when the Corps signed the Record of Decision for the project. "The Corps will dismantle and remove the current building structure and remove the resulting debris from the Linde site," said Ray Pilon, Linde Project Manager. "The approved remedy is the most protective, and will be permanent because all the building components and subsurface soils that are potentially contaminated with radiological materials will be removed and disposed of safely."

The former Linde Site is located in the Town of Tonawanda, New York, which is just north of Buffalo. The 105-acre site was previously owned by the Linde Division of Union Carbide and was used to process uranium ores under contract with the Manhattan Engineering District between 1942 and 1946. That activity resulted in residual radiological contamination on portions of the property. During that period, records show that Building 14 was used for laboratory and pilot studies specific to the separation of uranium from ore. In the 1950s, the Linde facilities were decontaminated and cleaned in compliance with health and safety guidelines applicable at that time. Some structures have since been demolished or converted to other commercial uses.

In recent years, the current site owner, Praxair, Inc. has used Building 14 for research activities and office space. "Praxair employees have been safe during their time in the building," explained Pilon, "but since we found some areas under, around and within the building's structure that exceed Federal and state guidelines, we had to examine options for cleaning up those areas. We soon realized that removal activities would likely affect the integrity of the building, especially if we removed soils beneath concrete floors, around drain lines and under load bearing walls."

The Corps plans to begin a methodic dismantling of the building in April, with removal of all debris slated for completion this fall. "Our careful planning," emphasized Pilon, "will promote the safe execution of this project, with no health impacts to the surrounding community, Praxair employees or site workers."

The work is authorized under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).