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Lt. governor has high hopes for Kansas By RACHAEL BOSSOW Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson said attracting a national bio- and agro-defense facility to the state is an extremely high priority to his office, so much so that he is the co-chairman of the Kansas National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility Task Force that was recently created by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. On Friday, Parkinson discussed a proposed site for a $450 million facility located in Leavenworth County with local government officials and community members. In an interview with the Leavenworth Times, he spoke about the impact the facility would have on the state, which has a history of biological and agricultural research, as well as agricultural production. The Department of Homeland Security has identified a site in Leavenworth County and a site in Manhattan that could house the research facility. “The Department of Homeland Security should follow the lead of the private sector,” Parkinson said. “It would cement our position as an agricultural leader.” Gov. Sebelius announced last week that the task force had been established to lead the effort to bring the planned research laboratory to Kansas. Leavenworth Mayor Laura Gasbarre and Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Charlie Gregor were named to the task force, along with industry officials and agricultural representatives. “We are the only state with a task force issued by the governor’s executive order,” Parkinson said. “I am confident we will have first-class proposals. Being selected is another matter.” Leavenworth County first became involved with the project last year, when the Kansas City Area Development Council and Heartland Bio-Agri Consortium became interested in recruiting a bio and agricultural defense facility in the Kansas City area. Working with the Leavenworth County Development Corporation, a site in northern Leavenworth County near 155th Street and Coffin Road was submitted to the Department of Homeland Security’s initial pool of sites in April 2006. Homeland Security narrowed the sites to 18 locations in 14 states last August, including the Leavenworth County and Manhattan sites. Residents near some of the proposed locations for the facility, including a site in Missouri and one in California, have voiced opposition to locating a biodefense laboratory within their community. “There have not been any vocal oppositions to the sites,” Parkinson said. “I suspect that would be an automatic disqualifier.” Parkinson cited State Rep. Kenny Wilk’s, R-Lansing, work with biosciences in the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 as a framework for the task force to follow. “Other states will be going through steps we don’t have to go through,” Parkinson said. The site proposals will be submitted to Homeland Security within the next two weeks. According to Parkinson, the full task force will meet around Feb. 19. Ex-officio task force members in the Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., are scheduled to meet in early March before beginning a lobbying campaign with Homeland Security and Congressional leaders. “We are letting them know how serious we are,” Parkinson said. “We are not going to slip by without a fight.” The dates for site visits have not been determined, but could be anywhere from March to July, Parkinson said. Homeland Security could narrow the 18-site field to four sites in August or September. The current time frame calls for opening the new facility in 2015. Parkinson said he believed the Leavenworth site was a viable location because of the proximity to Fort Leavenworth and the number of animal health companies within the Kansas City metropolitan area. The Manhattan site has a new research facility already constructed, which would be turned over to Homeland Security if the site is selected. With two sites in Kansas, Parkinson addressed the issue that only one site could be selected to the final four. The task force includes representation from both the Leavenworth and Manhattan communities. He explained that if one site is selected over the other, additional community representation could be added to the task force membership. “We don’t want to advocate one site over the other,” Parkinson said. “Leavenworth and Manhattan are close and there are positive impacts either way.” Parkinson suggested that if Leavenworth is one of the sites selected, Homeland Security could use the facility in Manhattan until the facility in Leavenworth is completed. “They could get started right away,” Parkinson said. “No other state can offer that.” |
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