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| 3/17/2010 | Email this article • Print this article | Deactivation Draws Near For Army Ammo Plant
The date has been set for the official 'Deactivation Ceremony' at the Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant. Formal deactivation will be marked on Wednesday, March 31 at 10 a.m., in front of Building 17 at the Army plant grounds on Claus Road.
The Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant, a Joint Munitions Command facility, will conduct a ceremony in which Col. Yolanda Dennis-Lowman, commander, Tooele Army Depot, will deactivate the plant, which was selected for closure in 2005 by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. This marks the end of Riverbank AAP's production mission.
The BRAC action will move the deep-drawn steel cartridge case mission from Riverbank AAP, to Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Ill. Norris Industries operated the Riverbank plant for the Army and will continue the cartridge case mission at Rock Island Arsenal. Production will begin at the Arsenal in 2012, with approximately 40 to 50 employees.
The JMC will transfer ownership of the land and buildings to Presidio of Monterey. A lease will be executed to give the Riverbank City Local Reuse Authority operational control of the facility April 1. The Army will have use of a hold back area until Sept. 30 or until the JMC's property is removed. Of Riverbank AAP's four government personnel, one is retiring and three are staying on as caretakers.
The cartridges produced throughout the years at Riverbank AAP have played a critical role in support of national military strategy. Constructed in 1942 as an aluminum reduction plant, it was converted to produce metal parts in 1951. At the height of the Vietnam conflict, employment peaked at 1,923. Riverbank had the capacity to produce ammunition metal parts for mortars and grenades and was the source for deep-drawn steel cartridge cases for Stryker and Navy gun ammunition.
Several Riverbank city officials will be on hand for the deactivation ceremony, said City Manager Rich Holmer, and the city is actively recruiting businesses to move on to the plant site, which is being converted to an industrial park.
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