Public Use of the Fernald Site

DOE and Fluor Fernald dedicated bricks to special stakeholders for their commitment to the Fernald site over the last 50 years. The bricks were placed in Fernald’s Cold War Garden (7606D-24).

With the final land use plan decision complete, DOE’s next step was to consider whether the public should be allowed to use the site after cleanup is complete.  This question led to others, such as: What public use is compatible with the final land use plan? How much access should the public have? Who should decide? 

To address these issues, DOE asked the Fernald Citizens Advisory Board (FCAB), a community advisory board chartered in 1993 to advise DOE on cleanup-related issues at the site, to coordinate a public dialogue and establish public use recommendations.  Under the purview of its Stewardship Committee, the FCAB hosted three “Future of Fernald” public workshops during 1999 and 2000 to solicit ideas and develop a consensus position to present to DOE. The outcome of the workshops was a community vision to develop a regional education center with a focus on environmental and educational values, and dedicate federal property for the reinterment (reburial) of Native American remains.  The FCAB presented the following vision to DOE in 2001:   

A Stakeholder Vision for the Future of Fernald
Adopted by Fernald stakeholders at the third Future of Fernald Workshop, 9/26/00

Fernald stakeholders envision a future for the Fernald property that creates a federally owned regional destination for educating this and future generations about the rich and varied history of Fernald.  We envision a community resource that serves the ongoing information needs of area residents, education needs of local academic institutions, and reinterment of Native American remains. We envision a safe, secure, and partially assessable site, integrated  with the surrounding community that effectively protects human health and the environment from all residual contamination and fully maintains all aspects of the ecological restoration.

During this period, the FCAB also made several recommendations to DOE on related public use topics. In July 2000, the FCAB recommended that DOE provide land and support to create a center for the reinterment of Native American remains, and that it identify potential reburial locations and the infrastructure needed to support and protect the burial site.

In April 2001, the FCAB recommended specific criteria for the design and construction of a proposed on-site educational center that would be available to the public after site cleanup is complete. The education center would incorporate the environmental, educational and Native American themes that were discussed during Future of Fernald workshops.  The FCAB also recommended criteria for planning, designing and establishing a site trail system that would link ecological areas with the Native American burial site and education center and encourage learning and field study.

Based on the FCAB’s recommendations and feedback from Future of Fernald public workshops, DOE and Fluor Fernald developed the Master Plan For Public Use of the Fernald Closure Project. The plan describes DOE’s proposed action to limit public access to restored areas of the site during daytime hours for educational purposes, a fundamental component of the site’s long-term stewardship plan. The proposed action includes a series of walking trails, overlooks and interpretive signs that would provide information about the site’s role during the Cold War as well as cultural and ecological points of interest. Site visitors could observe Native American reburial areas and Fernald’s Cold War Garden, a memorial to workers, local residents and others who made significant contributions to the site during its uranium production and cleanup missions.  DOE supports public use of the site and will construct public use amenities as required in the final settlement to resolve the State of Ohio's 1986 claim against the Department for damages to natural resources from site operations.  Funding sources for stewardship of public use amenities will need to be identified.

In February 2002, DOE issued the plan for a 30-day public comment period and held a public hearing to accept comments. The following month, stakeholders accepted DOE’s public use plan for the Fernald site. 

For More Information
Contact Sue Walpole, S. M. Stoller, 513-648-4026, email: Sue.Walpole@lm.doe.gov, or visit the FCAB Web site at www.fernaldcab.org.