Facility nearly ready for new Navy workers

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer speaks at the topping-off ceremony for the new explosives development facility at Indian Head Division Naval Surface Warfare Center. Officials at Indian Head Division Naval Surface Warfare Center celebrated the new explosives development facility currently under construction at a topping off-ceremony Friday.

U.S House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer spoke at the ceremony.

"The facilities here are going to be top flight, that's one of the things I worked for," said Hoyer (D-Md., 5th), who helped to secure funding for the project. "There is no doubt that the activity that will be located here in this building will benefit by being co-located with the greatest minds in energetics in our country."

The explosives development facility is part of a project known as P-002V, which includes three new buildings and the renovation of six buildings to house personnel from the Yorktown, Va., detachment. The project is expected to be completed in the fall.

Besides the explosives development facility, the new buildings will include office space for scientists and engineers with an area for workers to change their clothes before and after working with explosive material and also a category two magazine that offers higher security storage for classified and pilferable items.

In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission suggested relocating IHDIV NSWC Yorktown Detachment to Indian Head. The move would affect all of Yorktown's weapons and armaments research, development and acquisition, and test and evaluation.

"We have a total of about 39 government employees, and we also utilize some contractors," said Chris Reams, director of the Yorktown detachment. "When BRAC originally happened in 2005, we did sustain a number of losses. Since that time, we've hired a lot of new people who were basically hired to move to Indian Head."

The move is scheduled for June 2011.

The Yorktown detachment used to be part of the Naval Weapons Station.

"We became part of Indian Head in 1988 as part of a reorganization," Reams said. "This is just consolidating us within the fence lines."

Officials at Indian Head Division Naval Surface Warfare Center celebrated the new explosives development facility currently under construction at a topping off-ceremony Friday.

U.S House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer spoke at the ceremony.

"The facilities here are going to be top flight, that's one of the things I worked for," said Hoyer (D-Md., 5th), who helped to secure funding for the project. "There is no doubt that the activity that will be located here in this building will benefit by being co-located with the greatest minds in energetics in our country."

The explosives development facility is part of a project known as P-002V, which includes three new buildings and the renovation of six buildings to house personnel from the Yorktown, Va., detachment. The project is expected to be completed in the fall.

Besides the explosives development facility, the new buildings will include office space for scientists and engineers with an area for workers to change their clothes before and after working with explosive material and also a category two magazine that offers higher security storage for classified and pilferable items.

In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission suggested relocating IHDIV NSWC Yorktown Detachment to Indian Head. The move would affect all of Yorktown's weapons and armaments research, development and acquisition, and test and evaluation.

"We have a total of about 39 government employees, and we also utilize some contractors," said Chris Reams, director of the Yorktown detachment. "When BRAC originally happened in 2005, we did sustain a number of losses. Since that time, we've hired a lot of new people who were basically hired to move to Indian Head."

The move is scheduled for June 2011.

The Yorktown detachment used to be part of the Naval Weapons Station.

"We became part of Indian Head in 1988 as part of a reorganization," Reams said. "This is just consolidating us within the fence lines."