Butner may get security lab

North Carolina is competing for a federal biodefense research site

Two sites just north of Butner are on the short list for a proposed $450 million research lab planned by the Department of Homeland Security as a new defense facility.

Kansas, Georgia, Texas and Mississippi are the other states where sites are being considered, the department announced Wednesday.

When complete, the 520,000-square-foot Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility is likely to employ hundreds of scientists and become an international research hub.

It will also work with some of the deadliest pathogens in the world such as anthrax, avian flu, swine fever and other diseases that could be used as biological threats. It would require the highest security rating available.

The risks of working with such materials triggered organized opposition in states such as Kentucky, Wisconsin and Missouri. Those sites, in turn, were among the 13 cut from the list.

But the news that North Carolina is a strong candidate for the research lab was greeted with excitement by the consortium of business, government and academic leaders who are making the pitch.

"I'm convinced there isn't a location in the country that is better suited to support this research lab," said U.S. Rep David Price, a Democrat from Chapel Hill who is chairman of the Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee.

Rep. Brad Miller, a Raleigh Democrat whose district includes Butner, said the lab offers a chance to conduct "some of the most sophisticated research in the world."

The two sites being offered by the group are both on Umstead Research Farm about 25 miles north of Raleigh.

At 104 and 178 acres, they represent just a sliver of the available land there. The farm totals more than 4,000 acres with 3,000 acres covered in trees.

Outside of the research farm, Butner is already well represented by government agencies. A federal prison, state youth center, state psychiatric facility and National Guard camp dominate the area.

State and local officials said the concentration of agencies makes it clear local residents feel comfortable with a large government presence.

That history, as well as including local environmentalists early on in conversations, is probably responsible for the lack of organized opposition, said Barrett Slenning, a veterinarian at N.C. State University and one of the leaders of the lab proposal.

But leaders of the consortium say the real strength of the site is the history of area universities and private companies in and around Research Triangle Park.

The Triangle already has more than a dozen research labs that operate one level below the government's highest security rating. The proposal also included letters of support from more than a half dozen private companies and well-known scientists.

"We know we can attract and retain world-class scientists," said Warwick Arden, dean of the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine and a lead member of the consortium. "At the end of the day, that is the principal factor that will determine the success of this program. We have shown we can do that."

Despite the current government presence, local leaders say the proposed lab could overshadow every other program in the area.

The lab is predicted to create at least 1,000 construction jobs during a four-year period. As many as 500 scientists would then be hired to fill the labs.

"What it would mean to this area is almost incalculable," said Leon Turner, director of the Granville Economic Development Commission.

"It's not just the number of jobs. It's a whole different type of job from what we have now," he said.

But North Carolina is still a long way from winning that prize.

Even before the selection, state leaders knew that proposals from Kansas State University, the Texas Research Park in San Antonio and the University of Georgia in Athens were strong contenders. All made the list.

Each will now be subject to an intense review lasting 12 to 15 months. In addition to shoring up any perceived weaknesses in the proposals, the time will be used to do extensive environmental reviews.

The reviews will cover a wide range of issues from simple topography to the possibilities of buried toxins or even artifacts that might be found at the site.

Given the ample amount of land at Umstead Research Farm, the North Carolina group has already offered to find alternate sites if problems are uncovered.

The process will also include a time where residents will be able to ask questions or offer concerns about any environmental or safety issues.

The Homeland Security Department is scheduled to make a final decision in late 2008, before the current administration leaves office.