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Technical experts from Lockheed Martin and the community advocacy group FOCUS met Wednesday to discuss the clean-up proposal for toxic waste left behind from an old beryllium plant in this southern Manatee County neighborhood. The meeting was one in a series "to continue its collaboration with residents concerning the submission of the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) Addendum to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, scheduled for July 14," according to a Thursday e-mail message from Gary Cambre, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin. The groundwater contamination was discovered in 2000, after Lockheed Martin purchased the the former Loral American Beryllium Company site in 1996. "At this meeting, Lockheed Martin provided an update on the groundwater modeling and the design of the groundwater treatment system," Cambre's e-mail stated.

Lockheed: Decision based on 'commitment to restore the environmental conditions in the Tallevast community' TALLEVAST - Tallevast residents Thursday voiced their disappointment with the decision by Lockheed Martin Corp. officials to not to relocate the community. Ray Johnson, vice president and chief technical officer for Lockheed, said the decision was based on the company's "commitment to restore the environmental conditions in the Tallevast community, and the fact that relocation would be inconsistent with that commitment." But residents said only cleaning up the pollution left by a former beryllium plan would not solve their problems.

Lockheed: Decision based on 'commitment to restore the environmental conditions in the Tallevast community' TALLEVAST - Tallevast residents Thursday voiced their disappointment with the decision by Lockheed Martin Corp. officials to not to relocate the community. Ray Johnson, vice president and chief technical officer for Lockheed, said the decision was based on the company's "commitment to restore the environmental conditions in the Tallevast community, and the fact that relocation would be inconsistent with that commitment." But residents said only cleaning up the pollution left by a former beryllium plan would not solve their problems.

A new Lockheed Martin contract from the Department of Energy that's valued at up to $5 billion could bring work to the Tri-City area. The 11-year contract covers work to help the federal government reduce its energy costs and environmental impacts. But as one of 16 companies given the contracts worth up to a total of $80 billion, it's up to Lockheed Martin to find federal agencies to sign up for work on their buildings or facilities. There's plenty of potential for work to be done in the Tri-City area, including at the Hanford nuclear reservation, said Tom Grumbly, vice president of Lockheed Martin Energy & Security Services.

The Department of Energy has given a team led by Lockheed Martin notice to proceed as the Hanford mission support contractor. The notice to proceed indicates that no protest will be filed on the contract award made late in April to the Lockheed team, Mission Support Alliance. The losing bidder for the contract, Computer Sciences Corp., or CSC, has reached an agreement with the Mission Support Alliance to become a major subcontractor on the team and will not protest the award. "We're still working the details out," said Joe Wagovich, spokesman for Lockheed Martin. The transition from outgoing contractor Fluor Hanford to Mission Support Alliance is expected to begin before the end of the month, although the start date has not been set. The transition will last 90 days and then Mission Support Alliance, led by Frank Figueroa, will take charge of support services at Hanford. Mission Support Alliance was first awarded the contract valued at $3 billion over 10 years in September, but CSC, which had teamed with Battelle, protested the award to the Government Accountability Office.

The Department of Energy has again awarded the Hanford Mission Support Contract worth about $3 billion to a team led by Lockheed Martin. "Good things can come to those who wait," Frank Figueroa, president and general manager of the winning team, said Tuesday. The transition from Fluor Hanford to the new team will begin sometime in May and will be completed within 90 days, said DOE. Lockheed Martin formed a limited liability company called Mission Support Alliance that included Lockheed Martin Integrated Technology, Jacobs Engineering Group and Wackenhut Services to bid on the contract. The contract award is for five years with a possible extension to 10 years. The Mission Support Contract covers sitewide services at the Hanford nuclear reservation such as security, fire protection, information technology, utilities, road services, pension administration and portfolio management, which includes integrating activities such as schedules and program performance across Hanford.

That's how much time has passed since Lockheed Martin Corp. discovered an underground plume of toxic waste beneath an old beryllium plant it owned in Tallevast. And nearly a year has passed since Lockheed submitted its revised clean-up plan to state environmentalists, claiming it would take more than a half-century to clean up the spill. TIFFANY TOMPKINS-CONDIE/ttompkins@bradenton.com Tallevast Road through the small community greatly affected by the dangerous chemicals released from the old beryllium plant. Buy it: Order this photo now Buy it: Order this photo now Buy it: Order this photo now Buy it: Order this photo now Buy it: Order this photo now Buy it: Order this photo now CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS * * * * * * * Tallevast * Tallevast Special Section While limited clean-up of the beryllium plant campus is under way, the final clean-up plan still awaits state approval. The Department of Environmental Protection has sent Lockheed back to the drawing boards three times in the past nine months with requests for more information and modification.

A vice president of Lockheed Martin Corp. said today the company will not pay for the relocation of Tallevast residents dealing with a chemical contamination problem. Ray Johnson, vice president and chief technical officer for Lockheed, said the decision was based on the corporation's "commitment to restore the environmental conditions in the Tallevast community, and the fact that relocation would be inconsistent with that commitment." Johnson met with the community advocacy group FOCUS and its attorneys to relate the company's position and to present plans for a new community center. FOCUS was formed after it was discovered in 2000 that the groundwater of this community of mostly black residents was contaminated with the toxic waste left behind from an old beryllium plant on Tallevast Road.

A vice president of Lockheed Martin Corp. said today the company will not pay for the relocation of Tallevast residents dealing with a chemical contamination problem. Ray Johnson, vice president and chief technical officer for Lockheed, said the decision was based on the corporation's "commitment to restore the environmental conditions in the Tallevast community, and the fact that relocation would be inconsistent with that commitment." Johnson met with the community advocacy group FOCUS and its attorneys to relate the company's position and to present plans for a new community center. FOCUS was formed after it was discovered in 2000 that the groundwater of this community of mostly black residents was contaminated with the toxic waste left behind from an old beryllium plant on Tallevast Road.

"A judge heard the closing arguments Friday on whether a lawsuit against Lockheed Martin Corp. should be expanded into a class action. Circuit Court Judge Jannette Dunnigan said she will rule at a later date on the request of the four plaintiffs who are asking her to establish a medical monitoring system and to open it up to a class action lawsuit. The case heard Thursday is one of several lawsuits filed against Lockheed claiming personal injury and property damage from the exposure to the chemical beryllium. Lockheed purchased the former Loral American Beryllium plant at 1600 Tallevast Road and the lawsuits claim the corporation is responsible for damages."

Lockheed Martin Corp. will temporarily relocate any family or individual in Tallevast who wants to leave town while two buildings that sit on a contamination spill are dismantled, company spokesman Tom Greer announced Wednesday. So far, 35 households have asked to be relocated and Lockheed is paying to move them into local hotels that offer extended stay accommodations, Greer said. Greer estimated that the dismantling of the two buildings should be complete by Christmas, and then the families are expected to return to their Tallevast homes. The contamination has been traced back to a spill at the former Loral American Beryllium plant at 1600 Tallevast Road

Lockheed Martin Corp. has acknowledged it installed the wrong pipe in a water treatment system that leaked Aug. 3, spilling more than 5,000 gallons of contaminated water. Moreover, the spill penetrated soil up to 30 feet away from the treatment system used to clean toxic groundwater from the source of the Tallevast plume, according to an incident report Lockheed filed as required with state regulators on Friday.

A long-awaited revise of a plan for the cleaning up of toxic groundwater in this southern Manatee County community was submitted Tuesday to the state environmental regulators. Lockheed Martin officials delivered the Remedial Action Plan Addendum to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection offices in Temple Terrace late Tuesday afternoon. The addendum was a response to the DEP's March review of the revisions of a proposed clean-up plan Lockheed submitted more than a year ago.

Anger and frustration erupted at Mount Tabor Church Thursday night as residents demanded Lockheed Martin Corp. stop work on the Tallevast pollution plume until the community is moved out of harm's way. But relocation was not on the agenda of the meeting Lockheed called to brief the community on its final plan to clean up the 200-acre plume of toxic waste.

Residents in Tallevast will have to live with contaminated ground water for almost 50 years, according to a revised cleanup plan submitted to the state by Lockheed Martin. But the aerospace giant, which is responsible for cleaning up the pollution in this small southern Manatee County community, hopes that the majority of the contaminants will be cleaned up in five years. A previous plan estimated the cleanup could take 100 years. Lockheed is planning to build a new, larger water treatment facility on the site of the former beryllium plant on Tallevast Road that caused the contamination.

For the last week, home for Brenda Pickney and her family has been a nondescript hotel room close to the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. Getting laundry done and sorting out evening meals is difficult, she says. Her 10-year-old son Kelvin misses his toys and books. The Pickneys are one of about 35 Tallevast families who took Lockheed Martin's offer to move into hotels while the company demolishes two buildings at a former plant that used the metal beryllium to make parts for nuclear warheads.

The Government Accountability Office has dismissed a protest against the award of the $3 billion Mission Support Contract to a team led by Lockheed Martin. But the dismissal doesn't clear the way for Lockheed Martin to take over support services at Hanford now provided by outgoing contractor Fluor Hanford. Instead, the Department of Energy will address concerns raised by the GAO and a new decision will be made, according to the GAO. No timeline was given, but DOE released a statement Tuesday saying that it was "confident that the issues raised by the GAO can be addressed both thoroughly and expeditiously."

State regulators have fined Lockheed Martin Corp. nearly $50,000 for violating Florida environmental laws when an estimated 5,000 gallons of untreated wastewater was released Aug. 3 from the company's on-site pump and treat system in Tallevast. The pump and treat system was cleaning contaminated groundwater from the source of Tallevast's plume. Toxic waste was found 25 feet away from the pumping system. The contamination penetrated the soil to a depth of six feet in the spill area, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

A team led by Lockheed Martin Integrated Technology has won a $3 billion contract to provide support services at the Hanford nuclear reservation for up to a decade, the Department of Energy announced Wednesday. The winning team, a limited liability company called Mission Support Alliance, also includes Jacobs Engineering Group and Wackenhut Services.

Lockheed Martin Corp. announced Friday night its timetable for the cleanup of the Tallevast pollution plume could be cut almost in half, but failed once again to calm the fears of neighborhood residents who believe the project is putting them at risk.

An artist's design for a new community park in Tallevast depicts an idyllic green space where children can shoot hoops and play baseball, and families can picnic by a small lake. Contamination may be too close for comfort at the site The plan, however, does not show that the park will sit atop groundwater polluted with chemicals known to increase the likelihood of kidney and liver cancer, leukemia and lymphoma. Lockheed Martin officials say the park can be built before the cleanup of 200 acres of polluted groundwater traced to a former weapons plant on Tallevast Road.

An artist's design for a new community park in Tallevast depicts an idyllic green space where children can shoot hoops and play baseball, and families can picnic by a small lake. Contamination may be too close for comfort at the site The plan, however, does not show that the park will sit atop groundwater polluted with chemicals known to increase the likelihood of kidney and liver cancer, leukemia and lymphoma. Lockheed Martin officials say the park can be built before the cleanup of 200 acres of polluted groundwater traced to a former weapons plant on Tallevast Road.

The award of Hanford's new $3 billion Mission Support Contract has been protested, the Department of Energy notified Hanford employees Monday evening. DOE expects the Government Accountability Office to take up to 100 days to resolve the protest. In the meantime, work to transition to the new support services contract cannot begin. The contract was awarded Sept. 3 to Mission Support Alliance, a team led by Lockheed Martin. Mission Support Alliance was told then that it would begin the transition from Fluor Hanford on Oct. 1 at the earliest and would assume full responsibility Jan. 1.