Kleinrath helped formalize the transition process for UMTRCA sites.
February 3, 2021
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At his retirement party, Site Manager Mark Kautsky presented Art Kleinrath with a framed picture of LM’s Grand Junction office signed by Kleinrath's colleagues.
When Art Kleinrath retired from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) on Jan. 29, the office bid farewell to one of its original founders.
Kleinrath spent 30 years with DOE, beginning with the former Mound Laboratory (now LM’s Mound, Ohio, Site) under the Defense Production Environmental Restoration Program. After his success on the Mound cleanup resulted in a restoration approach applicable to other sites, Kleinrath was asked in 2000 to create a new program from scratch in Grand Junction for managing Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) sites. In 2003, LM was born.
“I’ve been here since day one,” Kleinrath said. “The names and structures change, but the mission has remained the same over the years.”
Kleinrath said that he’s especially proud of being part of formalizing the transition process for UMTRCA sites as they move from the cleanup phase into LM for long-term stewardship.
“I did a lot of things for which there was no guidance, and I just had to step in and create a process,” he said. “The great thing about working here is the trust I’ve gotten, to allow me to work on projects that have no handbook. I’ve appreciated that trust from my bosses and all the people I’ve worked with at DOE.”
Kleinrath’s colleagues held a socially distanced car parade in his honor at the Grand Junction office site.
Kleinrath says that he’ll miss the people most. “My biggest pride has been working with our site operations team, helping staff join the group and become excellent managers.”
His advice for his early and mid-career colleagues is to be bold when looking at new information and deciding how to move forward. “Don’t be scared to step out into new territory,” he said. “It’s okay to have a less-than-perfect plan, but just have a ‘plan b’ in case it goes wrong.”
In his retirement, Kleinrath looks forward to riding his Suzuki Burgman 400 scooter to visit friends and former colleagues around the country, camping along the way. He also wants to explore yoga and tai chi.
On Jan. 21, Kleinrath’s LM colleagues held a socially distanced car parade in his honor at the Grand Junction office site.