Greenhouse groundbreaking set for April 22
April 21, 2011
907-474-5042
4/21/11
The University of Alaska Fairbanks will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences West Ridge Greenhouse Friday, April 22 at 11 a.m.
The $5.325 million facility will be located on the south side of Arctic Health Research Building. When completed, it will include 4,300 square feet of greenhouse space and nearly 1,300 square feet of space for growth chambers. It will replace the aging 4,800-square-foot greenhouse facility that was dismantled in March to make way for the construction of the Life Sciences Facility.
The facility will feature an energy curtain that can be pulled down to conserve energy in the winter.
“Every modern greenhouse has this,” Meriam Karlsson, horticulture professor, said. “It will also have more accurate greenhouse controls so we’ll have better ability to program the temperature, lights, humidity and integrate the environmental variables with plant growth. This will open up all kinds of opportunities. There is a lot of interest in greenhouse production. This will be a place to come and see all the modern equipment and have educational opportunities.”
Fairbanks is a wonderful place to do greenhouse research, Karlsson added. “It’s where research should take place. The greenhouse manufacturers will be excited. If we can run a greenhouse in Fairbanks, it will work anywhere.”
The new greenhouse facility also includes 1,100 square feet in the adjacent Arctic Health Research Building, which includes space for laboratories, classrooms, a headhouse, soil preparation, offices and storage. Those renovations were completed last summer. This summer’s project will complete most of the new facility. The university plans to complete the last portion of the project, air handling and climate controls for the lower-level greenhouses, this winter.
The ceremony will be held on the west side of Arctic Health Research Building and a reception will follow inside the building. Speakers include Chancellor Brian Rogers, UA Regent Jo Heckman, Sen. Joe Thomas, Cooperative Extension Service director Fred Schlutt, SNRAS dean and Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station director Carol Lewis and local businessmen Bernie Karl and Jay Ramras. Ghemm Co. Inc. of Fairbanks is the contractor. Design Alaska did the architectural design.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Marmian Grimes, UAF public information officer, at 907-474-7902 or via e-mail at marmian.grimes@alaska.edu.
NT/4-21-11/205-11