b'C H A P T E R 4T H E P A R TY P L A Nrequire careful attention to detail. They The chamber organized a specialknew that it would probably take Atomic Energy Plant Committee con-super-human efforts on the part of sisting of sixteen past chamber presi-everyone to digest this large assignment dents to work with and for the orderlywhich has been served to us. They and complete integration of our com-focused quickly on the target of landing munity in the overall development.the operations field office in Idaho Within days of the AEC announcement,Falls. One of the barriers to that goalwas the unhappy fact that no properroad connected Idaho Falls to the Site. 8 The Idaho Falls plan to win the IDO took shapeearly. Delbert Groberg, a past president of the IdahoFalls Chamber of Commerce, offered his advice forattracting the AEC to Idaho Falls.Mayor Winfield Marvel on his way to Hanford,Washington, to learn what Arco might expect withthe NRTS as a neighbor.C.A. Robins and the states Director ofAeronautics, Chet Moulton, to discussairport development. Later Arco wel-comed an urban planner from theFederal Housing Administration to helpprepare a comprehensive land use andutility expansion plan. Despite thesmall size of the town (548 inhabitants,according to the AECs Detroit consul-tant), its citizens were ready for action.They started swapping real estate andexpanding their businesses within daysof the announcement. 7The leaders of the Idaho Falls Chamberof Commerce, particularly Bill Holden,an attorney, and E.F. McDermott, thepublisher of the Idaho Falls Post-Register, were equally quick to react,but not by dancing. They started orga-nizing themselves and their regionalallies. Making the most of the prizedopportunity at hand was going to3 1'