The public is invited to join the festivities at the groundbreaking for the new agricultural research and technology facilities at
The ceremony will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 1, on the grounds of the NWREC, 16656 SR 536 (old
Local supporters who have nurtured and contributed to the project to modernize and expand the aging research facility and broaden its mission will be recognized during the event.
Participants will include WSU President V. Lane Rawlins; R. James Cook, interim dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences; and Linda Kirk Fox, interim dean of WSU Extension.
The groundbreaking will symbolize the pending start of construction to demolish the 57-year old existing facility and construct a new 16,400-square-foot research and administration building. The new facility will house research labs and equipment, staff office and support spaces, and a multipurpose auditorium with kitchen. Plans also call for an additional 2,800 square feet in greenhouses.
Actual construction will start later in June following award of the construction contract. The project should take about a year to complete. The estimated cost to build the research and administration facility is $4.5 million. When fully furnished and equipped, the overall modernization will total $8 million.
In early 2003, Rawlins committed $6 million in funds to upgrade and expand the agricultural research facilities, and to expand the station’s mission to serve a broader range of growers and commodities, particularly in
Additional funding to make the project a reality is coming from a $500,000