Current State of Opheim Air Force Station,

 

as told to Dick Konizeski in June 2 and October 23, 1999 E-mails from Evan Granrud, former site Civil Engineer. These are Dick’s words, as clarification is needed in certain areas. The statements in parenthesis are also Dick’s additions.

 

After the Station closed down in 1979, it was sold to three local farmers, who quickly sold and moved out the base housing, so there are no housing units remaining. The trailer court, where many of the enlisted E4-and-under lived, took care of itself. (I don’t know if this means all the mobile homes were moved out with their owners when the site shut down)

 

It (the site) got to be a really bad environmental problem, and the county was forced to take it over for taxes; the state sent in a crew that has been doing asbestos cleanup, etc.

The asbestos siding has been removed from the old remaining buildings, such as the barracks and guard shack. (It sounds as if portions of Opheim AFS have been identified by the Federal or State Government as a Superfund Site, meaning all environmentally dangerous materials be cleaned and disposed of prior to any other usage by prospective buyers or inhabitants.)

 

October 23, 1999

Based on an email from Evan stating that the remaining buildings have now been demolished except for the old FPS-3 tower.

 

After the asbestos siding was removed from the existing barracks, guard shack, and other buildings, they were bulldozed down and into a large trench and covered over with fill, the result being a few mounds of earth.

 

The blockhouse and other block buildings were also bulldozed down.

A cable was fastened onto the SE corner of the FPS-107 Tower and after about a 25% twist, it came down, resulting in a 6 foot high heap.

 

The old FPS-3 Tower was too tough for them to remove so still remains standing.

Evan took a few pictures and is sending me copies, which I will forward for uploading onto the webpage.

 

 

Dick Konizeski