Akron, Ohio

Lockheed Martin acquired the Airdock, a former Goodyear Zeppelin facility, in 1997. Built in 1929, the airship hangar was designed to construct and store lighter-than-air ships, including the famous Goodyear Blimp. Additionally, the Airdock is so large it could fit seven football fields inside.

  • In 2003, the corporation discovered polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the Airdock’s original fire retardant coating had been released to the environment. PCBs are chemicals that were frequently used in industrial applications until they were banned in 1979.
  • The structure’s roofing and siding had eroded over the years, and the particles made their way through the drainage system and into the soil and sediments at Haleys Run through rainwater runoff.

Lockheed Martin worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a comprehensive cleanup plan to protect human health and the environment.

  • The corporation reduced future contamination by installing a rubber membrane over the roof of the Airdock, replacing siding and rain gutters, removing contaminated soil around the Airdock and removing debris from the parking lots and storm drains.
  • Additionally, Lockheed Martin restored and transformed the Haley’s ditch, renaming it Haley’s Run, a healthy wetland habitat with a natural stream and community walking trail.
  • In 2010, Lockheed Martin celebrated the successful cleanup project with the local community. 

View the Akron, Ohio Document Archive

Vintage Postcard of the Akron, Ohio Goodyear Airdock

Vintage Postcard of the Akron, Ohio Goodyear Airdock

Community Information

If you have questions, please contact Lockheed Martin Communications.
lm.communications@lmco.com
800.449.4486

 

Haley's Run Documents

 

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