DOWN TO A SCIENCE: RALEIGH WILL HOST ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST COMPLEX LABS AS STATE GOVERNMENT COMBINES TESTING SITES.

AuthorHerman, Danielle
PositionNC TREND: Agriculture

In two years, when the state's new food, chemical and pest research and testing center officially opens in west Raleigh, some of the technologies and equipment planned for use in the building might have changed. But that shouldn't be a problem, because the Agricultural Sciences Center is designed with plenty of room to grow.

The N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services broke ground in July on the 225,000-square-foot building on state-owned land at the corner of Reedy Creek and Edwards Mill roads. The three-story center will combine four divisions now housed in separate buildings. Most of the current facilities, totaling about 122,000 square feet and located downtown or off Blue Ridge Road, were built in the 1970s and had become cramped and difficult to maintain.

By contrast, the upgraded center will accommodate the latest technologies.

"This is one of the most--if not the most--complicated laboratories in the United States," says Joe Reardon, assistant commissioner for consumer protection. The upgrades will help the agency attract new talent, Reardon and others say.

Inside, scientists will conduct routine tests that protect humans and animals, calibrate measurement devices and test motor fuels. In addition, the center will add capabilities such as whole genome sequencing, which helps scientists more quickly detect and trace foodborne illnesses such as E. coli. The veterinary division will have a new toxicology unit, and the center will include a sealed room where scientists can perform quarantined testing in the event of a virulent disease outbreak.

Planning for the center started in 2014. It is being funded by $94 million approved by voters as part of the 2016 Connect NC bond package and an additional $13 million from the N.C. General Assembly. About 170 scientists and administrators from the four divisions--food and drug protection; standards; structural pest control and pesticides; and veterinary--will work at the center.

"This lab is the front line of defense for the safety of all North Carolinians with regard to food, drugs, motor fuel, pesticides, pathogens [and] animal disease," says Kristen Hess, principal and CEO of HH Architecture. The Raleigh-based firm was selected as the project's lead architect in 2016.

The department's state scientists, whom Hess calls "the best...

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