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Kansas remains in running for biodefense site By John Milburn MANHATTAN, Kan.—Kansas State University officials compared Wednesday's news of being a finalist for a new national biodefense site to making college basketball's Final Four, saying their bid has a good chance of being selected. "You have to survive. You have to keep making the cut," said Kansas State President Jon Wefald. "We have a chance." The site on the north side of Kansas State's main campus was one of five announced by the Department of Homeland Security as a possibility for the new $451 million National Bio and Agro Defense facility. Other sites still in the running are in Texas, North Carolina, Mississippi and Georgia. Originally, 18 sites in 12 states—including the San Francisco Bay Area's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—were considered by Homeland Security. Wefald said being a finalist was validation of the focus the university put on food safety and security in the late 1990s. Since then, the university has developed a program with 160 faculty among 14 departments and six colleges. The centerpiece is the new Bioscience Research Institute, scheduled to open later this year and located west of the proposed national lab site. It is named for Sen. Pat Roberts, who announced that Homeland Security had chosen Kansas State as a finalist. Roberts said the building gives Kansas an edge in the next round. "It could be very easily expanded, and cut down on the number of years of construction," said Roberts, R-Kan. "If they want to build a new facility in conjunction with BRI, you can do that." The next step in the site selection process will be an environmental impact study, which is expected to be done next year. Homeland Security will choose the final site by October 2008. Construction is set to begin in 2010. "We are very well suited and I think we can compete with anybody," Roberts said. "We stand ready to up the ante or do whatever is necessary." Ron Trewyn, Kansas State vice provost for research, said the Bioscience Research Institute should give Kansas an advantage over the other states in that it is capable of handling some of the most dangerous plant and animal pathogens in the world. "It is the one facility in this country that is ready to deal with the animal health and public health issues that NBAF is to deal with," Trewyn said. Trewyn said Kansas State officials have already addressed any public concerns about safety to the community or other agricultural operations as the institute was being built. As such, support for even greater research opportunities remains strong, he said. The federal facility is scheduled to start operating in 2013-14 and the institute could start doing some of the research before then, Trewyn said. Officials estimate the federal facility would generate 1,500 construction jobs, up to 500 scientific jobs and $3.5 billion over 20 years. Kansas already has formed the Bioscience Authority to attract and develop agricultural and biological research and industries in the state. Tom Thornton, president of the authority, said the Manhattan site should stand above the others if judged on its merits, as Homeland Security officials have promised for the final selection. Still, the authority is planning to hire a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., to advocate for the Kansas bid. Wefald said making the final cut for the federal site would elevate the state's chances of landing other bioscience industries and research. Kansas State is building a new campus in Olathe, a suburb of Kansas City, anchored by a $100 million bioscience center. Kansas City is home to more than 140 animal health firms, one of the largest concentrations in the world. Trying to get the facility has been a top priority for Kansas and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who created a task force this year specifically to lobby for the federal facility. Leavenworth also had been in the running but was dropped from the finalists list. "This decision shows we can and will continue to compete for national projects like NBAF," Sebelius said in a statement. The new plant would replace the aging Plum Island, N.Y., facility, the federal government's most secure location for animal disease research. Also failing to make the cut was a site near the University of Missouri-Columbia. Jim Coleman, vice chancellor for research, said despite not being a finalist, it was important for the university and the community to continue to have discussions about expanding its research capabilities. |
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