This story is part of an ongoing series, Powering Change: Panasonic and De Soto. If you'd like to share your excitement or concerns about the electric vehicle battery plant, you can do so here.
—
The U.S. Army established a restoration advisory board so the De Soto community can receive updates about remediation progress at the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant.
The Army has been cleaning up the site, now known as Astra Enterprise Park, since 2005.
The land was once home to the world's largest powder and propellant facility during World War II.
Now, the Army is eyeing the finish line, aiming for a majority of the cleanup to be finished in 2028.
Scott Smith, environmental protection specialist and site manager for the U.S. Army, said 72 out of the 97 sites located on the property have been cleaned up.
"Remediation, basically the first thing we do if we thought there was contamination in an area, we have to investigate that," Smith said. "We take soil samples, water samples. Once we have a report, the findings for that investigation, we determine what needs to be done."
Smith has been around the installation since 1996 and helped move the cleanup process along over the years.
“It's changed pretty dramatically," he said. "Transferred to a private developer in 2005, and since then, we've been in the remediation process pretty hard and heavy, trying to get the place cleaned up.”
Sunflower Redevelopment, LLC currently owns the land. However, the U.S. Army is still required to clean up the property.
Remediation is regulated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), but progress is still based on the availability of federal funds.
The efforts have cost around $248 million, according to the Kansas City Business Journal.
“It's important so it can be reused," Smith said. "When the Army closes a base and determines they no longer need it, they hope to find some beneficial reuse for the site, and that's what we're doing here.”
With an end in sight for a clear path to Astra Enterprise Park, Smith is ready to see the next chapter begin.
“There's lots of change happening here, and you just have to embrace that ... do my part of the job, which is clean it up,” Smith said.
The restoration advisory board includes people who live in De Soto, KDHE and representatives of the U.S. Army.
Meetings are open to the public. They will be in De Soto City Hall's Senior Center at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 22.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.