Renovation and construction of nearly 35,000 square feet of screenhouses and greenhouses began on June 15 at the Lewis Brown Research Farm in Corvallis, Ore.
The project supports the Agricultural Research Service’s National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) – a gene bank established to collect, distribute and evaluate plant germplasm (e.g., seeds and other tissues that allow plant reproduction).
Working on behalf of the Agricultural Research Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Interagency and International Services (IIS) program provides planning, environmental, contracting, design, and construction contract oversight. The project’s construction contractor, Doyon Management Services, LLC, was awarded the contract after an open bid process in January 2023.
“These upgrades will help ensure that the valuable genetic resources we conserve here at the NCGR remain available to future generations,” said NCGR Acting Research Leader Carolyn Scagel. “We safeguard a collection of about 12,000 plants representing nearly 700 species of genetically diverse and agriculturally important specialty crops, including hazelnuts, hops, mint, pears, currants, and six kinds of berries.”
Michael Wyatt, Seattle District IIS project manager, said he is proud of his role overseeing the planning, design, and construction, which involves the demolition of existing screenhouses and the construction of new screenhouses and their supporting infrastructure. The project also involves renovating two greenhouses at the site.
“Working with another government agency to provide these types of facilities is an important piece of food stability research, which is critically important to the public, and it’s something I’m proud to be a part of,” Wyatt stressed.
The IIS program provides technical assistance to non-DoD federal agencies, state and local governments, private U.S. firms, tribal nations, and foreign governments.
“When complete, this project will benefit our collection, our mission, and our research partnership with OSU,” said Scagel. The $13.5 million federally funded project is expected to be ready for use by the fall of 2024.
For more information:
Louis R. Velasco
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Interagency and International Services
Tel.: +1 206-316-3934
Louis.R.Velasco@usace.army.mil