Now demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building, pictured above, was once used to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants. Located in west Oak Ridge, the site could become part of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. There is a separate effort to preserve the site’s history; that work could be incorporated into the new park. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)
Note: This story was last updated at 1:10 p.m. July 29.
Local officials had proposed locating it in Oak Ridge, but federal officials have proposed locating the headquarters for the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Denver.
The new park, which is still in the planning stages, would include three sites: Oak Ridge; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.
A National Park Service release on Tuesday said there would be a site manager for each location who will coordinate with local U.S. Department of Energy staff, Tribes, community members, and area partners. The site managers will report to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park’s superintendent, who will be located at an NPS central office that has been proposed in Denver.
Each site will have similar levels of staffing as park operations grow over the years, the press release said.
The NPS and DOE are inviting the public to review and comment on a draft memorandum of agreement, or MOA, that will guide the operation of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The draft is available online for review, and comments will be collected between July 28 and August 28.
Comments can be submitted online by clicking on the “Open for Comment” link on the left side of the page and selecting the “Comment on Document” option). Comments also can be mailed to:
NPS Denver Service Center
Attn: Tracy Atkins
Project Manager Manhattan Project National Historical Park P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225-0287
After the comments on the document are received and reviewed, the memorandum of agreement will be finalized and signed by the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Energy. Once that document is signed, the park will become an official part of the National Park System.
Here is more information from the press release:
The 2015 National Defense Authorization Act established the Manhattan Project National Historical Park and required the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Energy to create a Memorandum of Agreement for the park by December 19, 2015. Once signed, this agreement will formally establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park and describe how the National Park Service and the Department of Energy will work together to preserve, protect, and provide access to the historic resources associated with the Manhattan Project.
Over the past several months, a team of National Park Service and Department of Energy officials traveled to the three Manhattan Project Park locations in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico, and the Hanford Site in Washington state. The team met with local elected officials, participated in open houses, and talked with community members and area Tribes to understand local perspectives on how the new park should be managed. Building on this effort, the draft Memorandum of Agreement provides a high level framework that will guide the cooperative efforts of the National Park Service and the Department of Energy to manage the park.
…
The agreement will not include details about the park’s interpretive themes, visitor contact stations, staffing, management, or specifics about what eligible properties outside the Department of Energy properties should be included in the park. Those issues will be addressed in future phases of the planning efforts. The project team recognized the importance of telling the larger story of the Manhattan Project in a cohesive manner across the three identified locations.
Hanford, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge were part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. That was a program to build the world’s first atomic weapons. Those who have advocated for having the headquarters in Oak Ridge say, among other things, that most of the production work occurred here.
See previous story on a March open house and tour of Oak Ridge by NPS and DOE officials here.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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Anne Garrison Ross says
This makes so much sense since Denver played such an important role in the Manhattan Project. 😉