School built on World War II bombing range

[bdk]

Engineer: WWII Tank Located In Pit On Middle School Property

http://www.wesh.com/news/14985360/detail.html

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Residents near a local middle school said they find it hard to believe that no one knew about the World War II bombing range the school was built on.

The Army Corps of Engineers detonated 400 pounds of explosives found on the school property on Saturday.

"We were able to explode and render safe 49 23-pound bombs," Mike Fulford of the Army Corps Of Engineers said.



Superintendent Ron Blocker will be at Odyssey Middle School on Monday to assure students and parents that the school is safe.

The engineers who wrote the site survey fore the Orange County School District in 1999 before OMS was built assured the district that no bombs had been dropped on or fired from the property.

The engineers also did not mention what has just been learned about pits being dug on the property with bombs left inside them.

"A World War II tank is physically located in one of these pits," one engineer said in reference to the size of the pits.

"The best of the experts tell us that it is safe," Sen. Bill Nelson said.

Officials said that because the explosives are buried six feet or more underground, it is not a danger.

Residents are not buying the claims that no one knew the history of the school property.

"This was 1940. It's not like it was 50 centuries ago. It would be recorded. This is the government and the U.S. military and there is no reason why this shouldn't be recorded in public record," one Vista Lakes resident said.

"I just want to move. I don't want to be here anymore," homeowner Arisleyda Bonetti said.

Universal Engineering Services painted a rosy picture of the now-school property when it was surveyed in August of 1999: "No practice or live ordinance was dropped or fired on or from the Vista Lakes Property during operation of the Pine Castle Jeep Range. Former activities of the PJR do not appear to have adversly impacted the subject property."

It is unclear if engineers were wrong or if they had no information available to them at the time of the initial survey.

The Army Corps of Engineers expects to be working at the site for at least a year.

[tom d. friedman]

and who says school can't be a blast!!!

[tom d. friedman]

and who says school can't be a blast!!!

[hang the expense]

Ok there are no records and here is why.the captain is tasked with shutting down the base or range.He goes to the NCO in charge and says we need to clean this place up.The NCO being the cando troop that he is says yes sir. The NCO goes out to the troops and says we are going to get rid of all this stuff.We bury it and the problem goes away.This was SOP before the days of the EPA and that was all over the country and anywhere our troops were when the war ended.

[Joe Scheil]

I would like the tank!

What kind is it?

[PinecastleAAF]

Well I feel inclined to comment on this since I'm nearby and took my handle from the old field. Orlando International fka McCoy AFB fka Pinecastle AFB is just south west of this site. It was known as the Pinecastle Jeep Range because one of the targets was a moving jeep for pilots to fire at.
I spent some time hunting on the property as a kid and never saw any ordnance but I guess it may have been buried. When they built the school and nearby subdivisions they dug fill dirt and made the holes into ponds. Some of this fill was used for roadbeds, housing pads and of course the school. Apparently some of this fill was contaminated with you know what so now people are going nuts. Its gonna get ugly.
Gotta see if I can get a look at the tank. Maybe they will dig up some P-40s.