For Immediate Release
Contact: Ben Williams
Ben.Williams@orem.doe.gov
(865) 574-4912
Contact: Ashley Hartman
Ashley.Hartman@ettp.doe.gov
(865) 574-7231
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. February 7, 2018 – URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) has awarded three
subcontracts totaling more than $5.3 million for site improvements, construction, and exhibit
development for a new facility that will capture the history of the K-25 uranium enrichment facilities
that contributed to ending World War II.
Two subcontracts for site improvements and construction were awarded to North Wind
Construction Services LLC of Knoxville, Tennessee. A third subcontract for exhibit fabrication and
installation was awarded to Formations, Inc. of Portland, Oregon.
Under its subcontracts, North Wind will renovate the second level of the existing Oak Ridge Fire
Station #4, a floor space of approximately 7000 square feet, which will house the K-25 History Center.
Located at the East Tennessee Technology Park, the Fire Station building is owned by the City of Oak
Ridge.
The History Center will include a theatre and interactive galleries displaying equipment,
artifacts, and other media and will share the stories of workers at the facility. Construction activities
include partial demolition, structural work for an awning and new entrance, and a new emergency exit.
It also covers exterior and interior architectural work, electrical power, lighting, plumbing, HVAC, an
alarm system, and a fire sprinkler system. Construction work is scheduled for completion in June 2019.
North Wind will also perform site improvements, including site demolition, grading, utility
connections, construction of a new parking area, installation of concrete walkways, landscaping,
installation of exterior lighting, and historic signage.
Exhibits and displays fabricated by Formations, Inc. will feature building equipment replicas,
period artifacts and workers’ oral histories. The Oregon firm will perform fabrication and installation of
museum quality exhibits in the K-25 History Center including production of exhibit graphics and electromechanical
exhibit elements, audiovisual system integration, audiovisual production, artifact
conservation, exhibition lighting, and installation. Completion of the exhibit package is planned for
September 2019.
Later, construction of two new additional structures is planned — an Equipment Building and
Viewing Tower adjacent to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. A cross section of K-25’s
gaseous diffusion cascade will be recreated in the Equipment Building. Visitors will experience the size
and magnitude of the site’s signature facility from the Viewing Tower. National Park Service-style
wayside exhibits will provide additional information about the site, its people and its mission.
All work is being done under a Memorandum of Agreement for historical interpretation of the
East Tennessee Technology Park executed in 2012 between DOE and various consulting parties. The
Agreement was made as part of the National Historic Preservation Act whose requirements must be met
under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) which
governs cleanup of the site.
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park was formally established in November 2015.
Historic preservation commitments at ETTP are independent but complementary of ongoing efforts to
develop the National Park. The original K-25 footprint – the concrete slab on which the massive building
once stood – has been incorporated into the National Park.
In 2015, DOE launched the K-25 Virtual Museum online (www.k-25virtualmuseum.org). The
website tells the story of the K-25 facility and its contributions to defense, energy and technology
advancements. The site features a timeline chronicling the road to the atomic bomb via East Tennessee,
a K-25 site tour where visitors can “walk” through decades of skyline changes, a glimpse of daily life in
the construction camp known as Happy Valley, and a sneak preview of preservation efforts planned to
commemorate the 75-year-old site.
When crews finished constructing Building K-25 in 1945, it was the largest structure in the
world. Its size was rivaled only by the importance of its mission – to help end a global war. Despite its
44-acre footprint and urgent work, the public would not learn of its existence in the Secret City until the
end of World War II.
Uranium enrichment operations at the East Tennessee Technology Park ceased in 1985, and the
site was permanently shut down in 1987. DOE then began cleanup operations which included
demolition of many of the site’s structures, including five massive gaseous diffusion buildings.
Demolition of the last gaseous diffusion building was completed in 2016.
-end-
UCOR NR 2018-2