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just demolition experts, and hinted of what was going on down <br />there. All these many years later it comes back. He wished he <br />could meet up with a few of them and say, yes, what about all that <br />stuff you left down there for later years. <br />Chairman Eggert suggested that Commissioner Tippin was the one <br />with whom the Navy needed to talk (because of his long time <br />residency in the county). <br />Commissioner Adams wondered about the accuracy of the archival <br />information they were finding, and Mr. Blankinship replied that <br />some is good, some is not, but they try to make use of everything <br />they learn. <br />Commissioner Macht asked if the ordnance actually explodes as <br />it was designed and intended. <br />Chief Warrant Officer Steven Bebow stated that they have to <br />assume what they are finding is "live" and a few have been <br />confirmed as being "live." Every piece they find is different and <br />is potentially dangerous. It depends on many factors such as the <br />condition, if it has been buried or moved around by the ocean. <br />Most of what they have found had their detonating mechanisms broken <br />off, but the ordnance still contained high explosives. It would be <br />impossible to determine how these items might be activated by <br />movement or other action. <br />Commissioner Ginn asked his level of concern for persons who <br />may be walking the beach, and CWO Bebow commented that the beach <br />changes every day and residents there said they had never seen <br />these conditions before. They are seeing all kinds of different <br />ordnance and the beach face changes from day-to-day. He could not <br />insure 100% that the area is safe. <br />Mr. Blankinship advised that part of the engineering <br />evaluation they do is a risk analysis. That risk analysis shows a <br />very relative low risk based on other contaminated areas in the <br />state. He believed one of the estimates he saw was one item or <br />less within 100 acres and it might not necessarily be a "live" <br />piece of ordnance. <br />Commissioner Macht asked if the recent find would change that, <br />and Mr. Blankinship agreed it would. <br />Commissioner Ginn asked if they were using metal detectors, <br />and CWO Bebow agreed they were. <br />CWO Bebow gave as example that they had received a report that <br />there were 10-12 rockets. What they found were 8 exposed tops of <br />anti-tank mines. Those were removed and they began investigating <br />further because of their uniform placement. Another 40 were <br />discovered in the area. So, everywhere they find ordnance, they go <br />80 <br />January 21, 1997 <br />MY , -a fob <br />