PUEBLO, CO — On Friday, July 28, 2023, The Latino Chamber of Commerce of Pueblo hosted a roundtable discussion with Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) and PuebloPlex.
The free, public roundtable included several members of the destruction teams, members introduced themselves, provided an update on their work, and discussed the future outlook of the operation.
Located at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD), PCAPP has safely destroyed a U.S. stockpile of mustard agent chemical weapons from World War II.
PCAPP is a state-of-the-art facility and is currently in the closure phase. The depot has destroyed more than 2,000 tons of mustard agent projectiles.
PCAPP construction began in 2012, and operations started in September 2016. The static detonation chamber construction began in 2020, and operations started in 2022.
The Site Project Manager of PCAPP, Walton Levi, says the project has roughly 1,500 employees and added more than $2 billion in local payroll and more than $500 million spent with Colorado companies.
"We have a workforce that is very safety conscious; very goal-oriented," said Levi. "And so leaving that behind in the community will let other businesses benefit from that for generations to come."
PCAPP originally stored three types of munitions: 155 mm artillery shells, 105 mm artillery shells, and 4.2-inch mortar shells. It totaled more than 780,000 munitions destroyed through neutralization followed by bio-treatment
The team is now working to decommission the facility, including decontamination and transfer for re-use. After that work is done, they say are helping the workforce transition to new jobs.
PuebloPlex will be the authority involved in redeveloping the property. According to PuebloPlex's website, the organization "works to advance economic development within the community, collaborating with local economic development groups."
The redevelopment funding comes from The U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation and PuebloPlex leasing revenues.
PuebloPlex currently has tenants conducting manufacturing, warehousing, distribution operations, rail car storage, and maintenance, as well as numerous business and personal storage tenants.
The Program Manager, Laura Stalford, mentions the Redevelopment Plan PuebloPlex has for the property.
”We have completed our redevelopment process of the current 16,000 surplus acres that we operate on, and that redevelopment plan supports different industrial uses and that will enhance over time,” said Stalford.
The Redevelopment Plan provides a "framework for future development of the surplus property, supporting industrial, storage, and research and development land uses, as well as rail-related industry."
As PuebloPlex has numerous tenants, it begins providing job opportunities that include local employment and regional for people that commute from Colorado Springs, or other local communities.
The plan is still two years away, but the hope is that the new industries will fill the demand for workers after the depot closes.
”Our goals are long-term economic development and supporting job creation, and we’re doing everything we can to be there to support this workforce transition,” said Stalford.
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