CREEDMOOR - A hearing to discuss a proposed $450 million bio-defense lab in Butner attracted a divided group of more than 300 people to Granville County on Tuesday.

More than 100 people -- supporters and opponents -- spoke through the evening at the hearing conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

North Carolina is one of five states being considered for the 520,000-square-foot research facility. The other sites are in Georgia, Texas, Kansas and Mississippi.

The lab would be situated on 195 acres at Umstead Research Farm and handle a wide range of pathogens that could be used as biological threats against the United States. About 10 percent of the lab would be specifically set aside for viruses with no known cures.

"There is no location in the country that has the assets of this location," said U.S. Rep. David Price, a Democrat from Chapel Hill. "I am convinced it will be a good thing for our country and a good thing for North Carolina."

"Do we really want this?" asked Dale Fluke of nearby Oxford. "They can't give us any guarantees about safety. Our government is notorious for making mistakes."

Some in the crowd were not persuaded by promises the lab would bring up to 1,500 construction jobs, 500 permanent positions and the potential to become an international research hub.

"This requires a level of surveillance that would deeply damage the freedom of any host community," said Hope Taylor, a Granville County resident and director of Clean Water for North Carolina.