CONCORD, Mass. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District and contractor Watermark Environmental, Inc., continue construction activities at the Ipswich Antenna Test Facility site in Ipswich, Mass., working toward a mid-October completion date. The entire site is an active construction zone through Oct. 19, 2013 and is therefore off limits to public access for safety reasons.

The project involves the planning, execution, and closure reporting for the deconstruction and restoration of the Ipswich Antenna Test Facility located at 16 Skytop Road, in Ipswich, Mass.  It includes the decommissioning, demolition, and proper disposal of all buildings, structures, utilities and oil tanks; identification and removal of hazardous materials; and the restoration of the project site disturbed by demolition work.

Local pedestrians may see workers in hazmat suits because the workers are conducting asbestos abatement on the site. The pedestrians are perfectly safe as long as they don’t enter the restricted construction site area. The bulk of the asbestos abatement will be completed by April 1, 2013.

The purpose of the project is to restore the site to conditions similar to those encountered on the site when the U.S. Air Force first occupied the location in 1943. The site has been leased by the U.S. Air Force since the end of World War II and has served as an antenna test facility since that time.

The entire site is a construction zone and is therefore off limits to the general population while the Corps and contractor are conducting their work. The contractor has placed notification signs and barricades to prevent people from entering the active construction site. The public is asked to stay out of the construction site for its own safety.

For any questions about this activity contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Devens Resident Office at 978-318-8104. For more information about the Corps’ New England District projects and activities visit the website at: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/.