On March 4, Mike Owen, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management (LM), along with LM leadership team members, visited the Fernald Preserve for a firsthand look at the progress being made on the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center (FPVC), which is on schedule to open this summer. Implementing the vision of Fernald's neighbors and stakeholders, the FPVC will “tell the story of Fernald” and become an important educational resource for the surrounding area.

The University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning conceptually designed all facets of the 10,000 square-foot Visitors Center, including exhibits that will pay tribute to the site's varied history. The exhibits document the Native American presence, settlement and farming, uranium production, environmental remediation, and legacy management periods at Fernald. The building was designed and is being constructed in a manner that will allow the building to receive certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which sponsors the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. A key factor in the building achieving LEED certification is the use of a biowetland (another environmentally friendly and educational feature of the building) to treat sanitary wastewater. Typically, the common practice for managing sanitary wastewater is to convey it to a wastewater treatment plant for treatment using chemical and mechanical processes. The wastewater from the FPVC will be treated naturally in a biowetland where water, plants, microorganisms, and the environment interact to treat the wastewater.

Top photo: (left to right) Scott Verstandig, Policy Advisor; Glenn Griffiths, Fernald Preserve Visitors Center Project Manager for S.M. Stoller Corporation; and Bob Baney, LM Office of Site Operations Director review the conceptual images of the Visitor Center displays. Bottom: Mike Owen, Director of the Office of Legacy Management discusses the Visitors Center displays with Jane Powell, Fernald Preserve Site Manager.

This golden eagle recently took a short respite at the Fernald Preserve.