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Local businesses encouraged to bid on 

chemical disposal projects

Finding out which federal construction projects are open for bid at the Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD) 

and within the region is just a click away. At a recent Colorado Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) 

meeting on how local contractors and small business owners could participate in the federal acquisition 

and contracting process, representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers offered helpful hints.

The team, lead by Phil Holman, chief of military procurement, Omaha District Office, Army Corps of 

Engineers, encouraged local business owners to visit the district’s website at http://ebs-nwo.wes.army.mil/. 

The website provides access to construction jobs throughout the largest of the corps’ 41 districts, Omaha 

District, which covers more than 700 million square miles including the Rocky Mountain area. 

Before gaining access to the specific contracting information, businesses must register online. Registration 

is free. Interested contractors also must register with the Small Business Administration (SBA) before 

access to the procurement site is granted. Contractors and small business owners interested in registering 

with the SBA may visit http://www.sba.gov. 

“Local Pueblo businesses are garnering a large share of the subcontracting work relating to the 

construction of the chemical demilitarization infrastructure,” said Joel Hoffman, resident engineer for the 

corps. “As much as 30 to 40 percent of the prime contractor’s work could go to local subcontractors.”

Holman presented a list of specific procurement categories his team is responsible for, including 

construction, engineering services, computers, environmental services, operations and maintenance 

services, law enforcement and park attendants.

He also discussed Department of Defense subcontracting goals which focus on awarding contracts 

to small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, female-owned small businesses, hub zones, and 

small businesses which offer services to disabled veterans, historically black colleges and other minority 

institutions.

Pueblo

Winter 2003

U.S. Army

Program 

Manager 

for Chemical 

Demilitarization

Pueblo Chemical Depot 

Community Outreach 

Office

301 North Main Street

Suite 306B

Pueblo, CO 81003

Phone: (719) 546-0400

Fax: (719) 546-0409

Outreach Office Hours

Monday–Friday

8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Other hours by appointment

Outreach Office Staff

(719) 546-0400

Pueblo Chemical Depot

Public Affairs Officer

(719) 549-4135

Reach Highlighting

the U.S. Army’s

Chemical 

Demilitarization 

Program

Contract Opportunities

Helpful websites

http://www.eps.gov/ (federal business opportunities)

http://ebs-nwo.wes.army.mil/ (Omaha request for proposal or invitation for bid) 

http://www.sba.gov (small business administration site)

Points of contact

James Opitz, chief of contracting........................................................................ (402) 221-4100

Leigh Ann Lucas, acting deputy chief of contracting .......................................... (402) 221-4297

Contracting officers

Cathy Vanatta, Civil Works................................................................................ (402) 221-4239

Phillip Holman, Military Construction.............................................................. (402) 221-3045

Dawn Thompson, team leader ........................................................................... (402) 221-4811

Doug Hadley, Environmental Remediation........................................................ (402) 221-4115

Famane Brown, team leader ............................................................................... (402) 221-3116

Small Business Opportunities

Hubert J. Carter, Omaha District, Small Disadvantaged Business ...................... (402) 221-4110

www.pmcd.army.mil
ACWA introduces new public affairs officer 

Katherine DeWeese joined the Assembled Chemical 

Weapons Assessment (ACWA) team as the program’s 

public affairs officer in October.

 As the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction 

Pilot Plant becomes a reality, her duties include 

coordination between PMACWA management in 

Maryland and the Colorado-based public outreach 

teams and stakeholders. 

 DeWeese formerly managed the public outreach 

program for the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal 

Facility, the Army’s first stockpile neutralization 

facility, which is scheduled to begin destroying the 

bulk mustard agent at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 

early 2003. 

An Army civilian employee of 16 years, DeWeese 

holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the 

University of Maryland. She and her husband, Bob, 

have two sons and reside near Port Deposit, Md. 

DeWeese can be reached at (410) 436-3398.

2

Expanding to meet community needs

Outreach office and public affairs add new staff

As the Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD) moves closer 

to building the chemical weapons destruction 

facility, the local outreach staff is expanding to meet 

the community’s increased need for information 

about the destruction process. 

“Our mission is to demystify the chemical disposal 

process and serve as an informational resource to 

the community,” said Bob Kennemer, site manager, 

Pueblo Chemical Depot Community Outreach 

Office. “Our team is growing to meet increased 

public interest.”

Recognizing the need for more community input, 

the Colorado Citizens’ Advisory Commission 

recently created a public involvement sub-committee 

to advise the CAC on issues related to public 

outreach and involvement. Citizens are encouraged 

to contact any of the outreach staff with questions 

or concerns pertaining to the chemical weapons 

disposal project.

“Once the systems contractor is in place, the final 

members of the outreach team will be brought on 

board,” said Kennemer.

“Our mission 

is to demystify 

the chemical 

disposal process 

and serve as an 

informational 

resource to the 

community,” 

said Bob 

Kennemer, site 

manager, Pueblo 

Chemical Depot 

Community 

Outreach Office. 

PCD names public affairs specialist

Lori Waters, a Pueblo 

native with more than 

20 years of civil service 

experience, has worked 

at PCD since March 

of 2000 and officially 

began her new duties as 

a public affairs specialist 

on Nov. 4, 2002. 

“I am overjoyed to be in 

this fast-paced position,” 

said Waters. “I am looking forward to meeting 

new people while working and learning as much 

as possible.”

In her new position, Waters is assisting PCD Public 

Affairs Officer Marilyn Thompson in providing 

photographic documentation of events concerning 

the depot, maintaining depot communications, 

attending public meetings and events pertaining to 

depot issues and filling-in for Thompson as needed.

Waters also works on maintaining a strong working 

relationship with the National Guard unit stationed 

at the depot. This includes coordinating visits 

to Avondale Elementary School. She serves as a 

volunteer for the Junior Achievement program and 

was recently nominated to serve on the board of 

directors for the Southern Colorado Press Club. 

Waters can be contacted by calling the depot’s public 

affairs office at (719) 549-4135.

Continued on pg. 3
Staying informed

Can you answer any of the 

following questions?

What is ACWA?

What is neut/bio?

Is mustard agent a liquid or a gas?

Can chemical weapons be destroyed safely?

Why are we destroying chemical weapons?

What project will be the single largest economic 

development project in Pueblo’s history?

If you would like detailed answers these questions 

or are interested in learning more about the Pueblo 

Chemical Depot’s demilitarization project, contact 

the PCD Community Outreach Office to speak to 

a specialist or to schedule a guest speaker for your 

organization or group.

Outreach staff members keep community members 

informed of the chemical disposal process by 

coordinating guest speakers, providing information 

materials, and even setting up freestanding 

information kiosks in local businesses and schools.

The outreach office includes a speaker’s bureau with 

a wide variety of experts to address any number 

of issues related to the chemical demilitarization 

project. Speakers gear education presentations to 

anyone from the age of 10 and up and are happy 

to visit your school, business, church or club – you 

name it, they’ll be there. Presentations include 

information packets, slides, models, videos and 

promotional items.

How can one arrange such an event? Simple! Stop by 

the outreach office located downtown in the Business 

and Technology Center at 301 North Main St., or 

give the outreach office a call at (719) 546-0400, to 

work out the details.

Your input is critical so... 

stay informed, stay involved! 

3

Donna Lepik recently 

joined the PCD 

Community Outreach 

Office as an outreach 

specialist.

A native of Pueblo, Lepik 

serves as a liaison between 

community stakeholder 

groups and the chemical 

demilitarization program 

at the depot. She also 

facilitates meeting coordination, presents public 

programming and monitors the media.

“As a native, I have a personal commitment to 

working with both internal and external stakeholders 

in making sure that our citizens are adequately 

informed and feel confident in the process of making 

our chemical weapons history,” said Lepik. 

“I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity 

to work in my hometown on a project that is going 

to produce such positive economic development 

opportunities for our community, while recognizing 

the importance of using a technology which our local 

citizens endorse as the best alternative to destroying 

the mustard agent stockpile.” 

Lepik is a graduate of Central High School and 

earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications 

from the University of Southern Colorado in 1989. 

Currently, she is working toward a master’s in public 

administration at the University of Colorado at 

Colorado Springs.

With more than 12 years of professional marketing 

and public relations experience, Lepik worked for 

several local organizations including the Sangre de 

Cristo Arts and Conference Center, Power Credit 

Union and the Colorado State Fair.

An active community volunteer, Lepik is co-founder 

of Tours for Scholars, Inc., a local non-profit 

group providing scholarships to local high school 

graduates and has 12 years experience as an active 

board member of the Southern Colorado Press 

Club, providing scholarships to area graduates 

who are pursuing educational opportunities in 

communications. Lepik also volunteered with 

the Pueblo Child Advocacy Center, the Muscular 

Dystrophy Association and the American Cancer 

Society. 

The PCD Community Outreach Office is here for 

all citizens. For more information regarding the 

chemical demilitarization program or to schedule a 

group presentation, please phone the Community 

Outreach Office at (719) 546-0400 or visit us in the 

Business and Technology Center, 301 North Main 

Street, Suite 306B, in Pueblo.

PCD welcomes new outreach specialist

Continued from pg. 2
Pueblo Chemical Depot Community Outreach Office

301 North Main Street, suite 306B

Pueblo, CO 81003

#

The Pueblo Chemical Depot 

Community Outreach Office serves as a 

resource of information concerning the 

Army’s plans for chemical weapons disposal 

in Pueblo. Together with the depot’s Public 

Affairs Office, the outreach office coordinates 

a variety of events designed to keep the 

community informed and involved.

If you would like more information about 

the opportunities available through the 

Pueblo Chemical Depot Community 

Outreach Office, please call (719) 546-0400, 

or return this form by mail to:

Pueblo Chemical Depot

Community Outreach Office

301 North Main Street, Suite 306B

Pueblo, CO 81003

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If you answered yes to either of these questions, please complete the following:

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The outreach office schedules presentations that can be given to community 

groups, clubs, organizations, etc. If you know of a community group that might be 

interested, please complete the following:

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Reach