Cold War hot spot.

Communications solutions re-invent former uranium site.

During the many years since World War II, the government facilities at Oak Ridge, Tenn., were kept humming by the nation's defense industry. But the end of the Cold War reduced the country's need for enriched uranium and new atomic bombs--and saddled the U.S. government with idle facilities subject to expensive clean-up programs.

A forward-thinking "re-industrialization" program has found new uses and economic opportunity for unused government-owned facilities like the Oak Ridge park. Through partnerships with key players from the private sector--like U S West--re-industrialization is helping to save the American taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars.

TIMES CHANGE

Oak Ridge is one of three major U.S. research and production sites originally built to support the Manhattan Project--the World War II effort to build the first atomic bomb--and was managed by the Department of Energy (DOE). The end of the Cold War necessitated changes to DOE's mission, though, and the Oak Ridge site was no longer needed.

Between the end of World War II and 1985, the site--officially called the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP)--was used to produce enriched uranium to power nuclear reactors in the United States and abroad. For several years, the facility sat idle--awaiting an expensive environmental clean-up program projected to take decades to complete.

In the mid-1990s, with the emergence of the radically new concept known as re-industrialization, DOE turned to the private sector to find a cheaper and more cost-effective approach to cleanup. Rather than use the traditional approach of leveling buildings and facilities and burying the remaining wastes, this process involves private companies to help in the cleanup. Companies involved in re-industrialization are offered low-cost space and access to a wealth of valuable materials, such as aluminum, nickel, and steel.

"Today, there are over 20 businesses that work at ETTP," says Robert Brown, assistant manager for Assets Utilization for DOE's Oak Ridge Operations. "The businesses do everything from medical research to manufacturing, and our partnership with service provider U S West makes it possible."

TECHNOLOGY IS POWER

U S West operates and maintains the telephone switching system at ETTP and other sites on the 36,000-acre Oak Ridge Reservation. This system serves all of the advanced telecommunications needs of DOE, including ISDN, voicemail, videoconferences, and 911 service, with additional services upon request. The telephone system is backed by redundant power and air-conditioning systems for added reliability.

"We've had a partnership with U S West at the Oak Ridge facilities since 1994," says Brown. "U S West was a natural choice because it has all the services we needed under one roof. With the strong telecommunications and networking structure that U S West provides, the ETTP is more attractive for the businesses wanting to locate here."

U S West and DOE have a 10-year contract that includes the design, installation, construction, and maintenance of all telecommunications services, a contract with a value of over $150 million.

"Few industrial complexes in the nation can match the communications resources and infrastructure now available at the Oak Ridge complex," says Brown.

"U S West shares the DOE's commitment to the re-industrialization project," says John Carrell, U S West director of telecommunications services for the DOE. "We provide a single-point service order center and round-the-clock repair service for emergency situations."

For maximum connectivity, U S West has a partnership with Brooks Fiber. A self-healing fiber-optic ring provides the external connections to the major commercial telecommunications carriers. Should external cable lines be cut, the self-healing network assures that the service remains uninterrupted.

Two redundant fiber-optic rings are part of the Oak Ridge infrastructure. One, provided by MCI/Worldcom (Brooks), has alternate paths from Knoxville to Oak Ridge. The other, consisting of 144 fibers, connects DOE locations on the Oak Ridge Reservation and provides connectivity to the public network and other carriers. Both provide multimegabit bandwidth.

U S West also provides the capability for both analog and digital special circuits including TL, DS3, OC-3, and higher on the site.

GOOD BUSINESS FOR INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, AND COMMUNITY

"The DOE offers incentives to companies willing to clean up a contaminated area of Oak Ridge in exchange for space to set up shop," says Brown. "A variety of businesses are leasing the park's facilities and reusing its equipment, materials, utilities, and other assets. This accelerates the clean-up process and creates new jobs."

American Technologies, Inc. (ATI) is one of the companies now located at ETTP. "We came to ETTP for three reasons," says Huu Dinh, president of ATI. "First, we saw existing facilities that we could operate for a small investment. Second, a tremendous source of metal could be turned into assets. Third, a good opportunity existed to join with other companies and existing work forces to create a national metal-recycling center."

Rather than letting prime facilities go to waste and bury an environmentally impacted area, the DOE has committed to a major recycling project. This project has been cited as an example of the government's resourcefulness. As a result of the DOE's collaboration with commercial businesses like U S West, the government has saved over $800 million in annual clean-up expenses and has lessened the burden on American taxpayers.

U S West has helped the DOE realize the benefits of economic revitalization and will continue to provide the communications services and support necessary for continued growth and redevelopment.

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