Butner site toured for lab

The area is competing to be the site of government research on pathogens

BUTNER -- A contingent of business, government and academic leaders say they are optimistic North Carolina will make the federal government's short list for a new $450 million research lab.

The group met with officials from the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday to discuss the proposed Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility and visit the area in Butner where it would be built.

The lab is a 520,000-square-foot facility that would handle some of the dead- liest pathogens in the world. It would replace a similar but dated facility in Plum Island, N.Y.

North Carolina was the last of 18 sites visited by Homeland Security. Department staff members plan to cut that list to five sites this summer before doing more reviews.

"DHS is following a meticulous and transparent process, and we are optimistic about our chances," said Warwick Arden, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at N.C. State University.

The area being considered is just a sliver of the Umstead Research Farm. The 4,000-acre farm, run by the state Department of Agriculture, has almost 3,000 undeveloped acres. The group met at the N.C. Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park before traveling about 25 miles north to the farm.

Once there, they broke into two groups to view the area by car and helicopter. They then returned to NCSU for a wrap-up session.

DHS made it clear that the agency wanted a low-profile event. No press briefings were offered, and even participants weren't allowed to videotape the visit.

Such restrictions haven't stopped opposition from forming in other states.

Protests were reported, for example, when the group came to Kentucky. A group in Wisconsin is using the Web to work up opposition.

Opponents typically focus on the lethal nature of viruses and other pathogens that could be studied at the lab. The facility would require the highest security rating available, known as BSL-4.

No pathogens from a BSL-4 lab have ever spread to nearby communities, according to government reports. The point is important because some of those pathogens have no known cure.

But in Butner, many people weren't aware the visit was even taking place.

"I knew they were considering something like that, but it's not something people are talking about much," said Tom Washington, owner of Tom's Mini Mart just south of Umstead Research Farm. "I hope they build it, though."

One lure of the facility is jobs. The North Carolina consortium pushing for the facility predicts it will create up to 1,500 construction jobs over four years and as many as 500 permanent lab jobs.

More importantly, it will significantly increase North Carolina's presence in federal research projects, said Ken Tindall, senior vice president for science and business development at the N.C. Biotechnology Center.

Community reaction is important enough that the Department of Homeland Security lists it among its major criteria.

Other measures are the area's potential for research collaboration, work force preparedness and support of the state and local governments.

State officials think Butner meets the standards in a unique way, given its proximity to Research Triangle Park and the universities, as well as the concentration of government programs and services already in the area.

Butner is home to a federal prison, a state youth center, state psychiatric facilities and a National Guard camp. State vehicles and permanent N.C. license plates are ubiquitous.

If North Carolina does make the cut, it will trigger 12 to 15 months of more reviews. A final decision is scheduled for late 2008.