Submitted by Graham Cochran, cochran.99@osu.edu
Checking in with a quick update on capital improvement projects and a property sale that has been in the news this week. This is truly an exciting time for CFAES capital improvement projects. We have reached significant milestones on several priority projects, and the next round of capital priorities was recently approved by The Ohio State Board of Trustees. A summary of CFAES milestones and updates is available here: https://u.osu.edu/cfaesadmin/2018/08/06/cfaes-facility-updates/
Highlights include:
·New Lab Building
·Wooster Farm Operations
·ATI Beef Facility
·Kunz-Brundige Franklin County Extension Building
·Summary of Other Active Priority Projects
·OSU Board of Trustees Approval
Also, as you may have recently read in the news or on social media, the City of Columbus is moving forward with purchasing our West Case Road property, which is the current site of our Columbus-based sheep facility and an agronomy research program. The sale of this property is part of our Facilities Master Plan, which includes the creation of a new $15 million multi-species facility at the Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory (WANRL). Locating the multi-species facility at Waterman will boost our teaching and outreach efforts with animals in a location that will provide easy access for current and prospective students, faculty, staff, and other constituents from across Ohio.
In the short-term, we will consolidate the sheep operations currently on West Case Road to Ohio State property adjacent to the West Case Road property and/or other CFAES facilities. We are working together as a college, and specifically with the department of Animal Sciences, to ensure that our future facilities on all three of our campuses (Columbus, Wooster, and Statewide) meet the needs of our research, teaching, and Extension mission areas.
Please direct any questions my way.