Ceremony on Friday will dedicate the National Security Campus in south Kansas City

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on Friday will formally dedicate the $687 million National Security Campus housing the Honeywell-operated plant in south Kansas City.

Moniz leads a panel of local and national figures expected to take part in the ceremony at the operations employing about 2,600 at Missouri 150 and Botts Road.

The National Nuclear Security Administration, which is part of the Department of Energy, has a nuclear weapons parts facility at the campus and Honeywell operates it. The work had been done at the old Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies Kansas City Plant in the Bannister Federal Complex. The last of its occupants packed up last month.

Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, who is administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, will be part of the ceremony, as will U.S. Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and Vicky Hartzler, both of Missouri.

Honeywell said the move was ahead of schedule and under budget. It also said the new facility’s technology and engineering will save $100 million a year, partly from a more than 50 percent drop in energy consumption.

Construction of the campus generated more than 1,000 jobs and $1 million in tax revenue for the Grandview School District, according to Honeywell.

The move involved 3,000 truckloads and capped years of planning. The campus administrative building has been named for the late congressman Ike Skelton.

PeaceWorks Kansas City plans to protest the plant’s dedication with a staged funeral procession, including a casket and black armbands.

“We must reverse and abolish these weapons of mass destruction,” said Henry Stoever, chairman of the local group.

Their announcement said that although the plant’s contributions to weapons are non-nuclear, they nevertheless involve parts “without which there would be no nuclear bombs.”

Stoever said he and another individual plan to peacefully trespass onto the property to trigger their arrest as part of the protest.

The Bannister site also had drawn protests from various groups over the years.

“We respect the rights of our neighbors to express their opinions through lawful demonstrations,” Honeywell said in a statement. “For more than 65 years, we have helped protect our nation and have been a responsible business partner and employer in the Kansas City community.”

This story was originally published August 21, 2014 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Ceremony on Friday will dedicate the National Security Campus in south Kansas City."