Fernald cleanup culminates with public open house

The public will get its first glimpse of the 1,050-acre Fernald Preserve at an open house tomorrow evening at 6:30 PM.

The site, located northwest of Cincinnati in Crosby Township, operated as a uranium processing facility used to produce high-purity uranium metal products for the nation's Cold War weapons production program between 1951 and 1989.

In cooperation with state and federal regulators and input from the surrounding communities, the property has been cleaned up to standards established by the U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies.

Using an 1819 land survey as a guide, the Fernald Preserve has been restored using plants, grasses, and trees native to southwest Ohio.

The preserve now has 140 acres of wetland habitat, 400 acres of forests, and 300 acres of grasslands.

"Some of the site has been restored for upwards of eight years," says Sue Walpole, who has been community relations manager for the project since 1991.  "There are now two buildings on the site where there were once more than 300.  There are new prairies and wetlands, and animals who look at me like I'm the intruder."

A 10,000-square-foot visitors center, designed and constructed by Megen Construction Company and the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, has a multipurpose meeting room and an exhibit that traces the property's history from its Native American inhabitants, its pioneer and farming days, its use by the government, and its return to nature.

"We've developed trails and made a unique place where the community can come and walk and learn about the history of the land," Walpole says.

Walpole knows that some people may be concerned about lingering safety issues.

"There will be people who never come here because of that," she says.  "This is still a working site.  It's not pristine, but it's been cleaned up to community and regulatory standards."

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Sue Walpole, community relations manager, Fernald Preserve
Photography by Scott Beseler