What’s the status of the University of Illinois’ plan to move pigs from Research Park?
In the recently approved budget, the state appropriated $7 million toward the plan.
Last year, Fox/Atkins Development proposed a $15 million project that would move the Swine Research Laboratory in the middle of the Research Park to a new swine production facility near Race Street and Curtis Road.
The proposed project would also expand the existing Swine Research Center at Curtis and First Street.
“We do have traction now to get that moved,” said Susan Martinis, the UI’s Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, at last week’s Research Park board meeting. “So that’s in motion. Motion always takes a little while at the university. But this is a big, big foothold.”
While the relocation has been a priority for the Research Park, as the pigs smell and take up space the Research Park would like to expand to, it’s been less urgent for the swine researchers.
Because pigs are considered a good model for human health research, scientists have used the UI’s facilities to study various topics such as animal nutrition, neuroscience and the impact of breast milk compared with formula.
The Research Park board has heard numerous proposals over the years to move the swine research lab, but funding has always been an issue.
The board heard proposals last year that ranged from $8 million to $100 million.
And, in 2014, the campus received a commitment from the state to fund $12 million of a proposed $14 million project, but that fell through during the state budget crisis.
“For more than a decade, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences have contemplated how to relocate and modernize the Imported Swine Research Laboratory,” UI spokeswoman Robin Kaler said. “That discussion continues, as everyone is eager to find a pathway forward that enables further development of the Research Park while enhancing the swine research enterprise that is critical for alleviating food insecurity and improving human health.”
She said the $7 million in funding “puts us one step closer to identifying funding for such a project. We continue to search for additional dollars, and we recognize that we are still at the start of a lengthy process to raise the funds necessary to move forward.”
And while the proposed new location has caused some concern from nearby homeowners, Kaler said ACES “is committed to being good neighbors with the communities that surround us and has already been in discussions with local leaders.”
“ACES will continue to work carefully and thoughtfully to evaluate potential impacts and solicit the perspectives and concerns of community leaders in our decision-making process,” Kaler said.
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June 14, 2020 at 10:30PM
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Just askin' | Are pigs still on the move at the UI? - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
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