Penn State is planning an addition to a research laboratory that serves its College of Agricultural Sciences and the state Department of Agriculture, according to a sketch plan presented to the College Township Planning Commission on Tuesday night.
The two-story, 43,000-square foot addition to the Animal Diagnostics Lab at 131 Pastureview Road is among several projects in the agricultural research complex north of East Park Avenue that began with a support annex currently under construction, project director Jeff Spackman said.
The lab provides “rapid diagnostic information to support disease control, health management and performance in livestock and wildlife to ensure the safety of foods of animal origin,” as well surveillance of animal diseases, identification of emerging diseases and training for new diagnosticians, veterinarians and graduate students, according to the Penn State Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences website.
A request for qualifications for construction management firms issued by Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant in 2024 listed a total project budget of $65.3 million (including design, construction, construction management and furniture, fixtures and equipment) mostly funded by the state Department of General Services. The addition, according to the RFQ, will house a sample receiving area; shared core laboratory space; bacteriology, serology, virology, histopathology and parasitology labs; molecular diagnostics; pathology; and conference, office and support spaces.
Aging building infrastructure, space constraints and advances in technology necessitate the addition, according to the RFQ.
The expansion, however, is only one part of the complex total project.
Utilities will be relocated into Wiley Lane and Diagnostic Drive to support the new infrastructure and maintain existing services to the Animal Diagnostics Lab Complex and the nearby Pell Laboratory.
Those two roads also will be widened to improve access for emergency services vehicles, and the project team has consulted with fire officials about the improvements, said Paul Politza of construction engineering company GFT Transystems.
Pastureview Lane, meanwhile, will be realigned to accommodate and run parallel to the addition.
The south wing of the existing 1950s era building will be demolished to create a new staff parking area.
“There’s some logistics of how we’re going to have to do that,” Politza said, noting that the lab will need to remain in operation during the project.
“It is a primary function for the state—not just for Penn State, but for the state,” he said. “So we have to keep it in operation. It will not shut down.”
Two entomology trailers for bee research also will be relocated to the Pell Lab site and another trailer will be eliminated.
The overall project is expected to be completed in phases over several years.
Spackman said the plans for Pastureview Road, Wiley Lane and the bee research trailers are nearing the 90% stage and he expects them to be submitted in January, with plans for the building tentatively expected to be submitted in March or April.
