A partnership between the Savannah River Site (SRS) and a local community reuse organization has led to cost savings of nearly $12 million for taxpayers since 2013.

Personnel with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) work with the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) to safely remove items no longer needed at the site. The property, or the proceeds from their sale, are used by the organization to support the regional workforce and economy.

“They know the people in the counties that surround SRS and the potential strengths there waiting to be tapped, and they know the region’s economic issues,” Andy Albenesius, an SRNS Program Manager, said of SRSCRO. “All of this combined supports their ability to strategically promote economic growth in areas that, without their help, would have seen economic loss instead of significant growth through the years.”

The list of excess items provided to SRSCRO from across the site over the years is as diverse as it is long, including railroad tracks, cranes, laboratory equipment, generators, motors, electrical transformers, industrial water pumps, excavators, tools and emergency response vehicles.

“DOE recently donated six metal buildings that can be disassembled and then reassembled elsewhere,” said Terry Schallick, an SRNS Site Technical Representative who works closely with SRSCRO crews. “That project alone represents nearly two million dollars in cost avoidance had we used traditional means to demolish and dispose of the metal structures.”

DOE-Savannah River Organizational Property Management Officer Sam Brantley said that DOE has enjoyed a productive relationship with SRSCRO, which was designated a community reuse organization for SRS in 1996.