CSU's plant research arm puts down new roots

It could have been worse for the Plant Environmental Research Center, its staff and its students.

They're making way for Colorado State University's new on-campus stadium after having greenhouses for more than 60 years on Lake Street in Fort Collins.

But when the construction dominoes started to tumble, things turned out OK for them.

"Our administration could have just let us figure it out on our own," said Steven Newman, greenhouse crops extension specialist and professor of floriculture. "But not CSU. They said they were going to do this right. That's the attitude of our administration. I've been in enough meetings with those people, from top to bottom, and I think they are trying to do it right."

A new $7.5 million PERC facility is nearing completion just south of Prospect Road near Centre Avenue and Bay Drive and is expected to be operational for the start of the fall semester. Seven greenhouses, four labs an office and classroom space will contribute to making the new PERC among the best facilities of its kind in the country, Newman said.

"It's a beautiful facility and it's a testament to the willingness of our administration to step out there and make a major investment in the program," Newman said.

Funding for the project was approved earlier this year, and is part of a bond package that included the biology building, medical center, a four-story parking structure, a surface parking lot, and academic and alumni space within the on-campus stadium.

The new location, new technology, energy efficiency, the potential for more synergy with the adjacent U.S. Department of Agriculture greenhouses and the chance to partner with companies have helped create a new atmosphere.

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"With new facilities, I have companies now coming to me interested in doing partnerships," Newman said. " … They'll be able to come in and show their customers the latest and greatest technology, and we'll have graduate students and researchers working with that technology."

That's certainly a step ahead of the soon-to-be-demolished Quonset huts that have served as the PERC's home.

"There's a lot of history in the old facility," Newman said. "A lot of people, a lot of students have gone through the facility. There'll be some lost memories there.

"However, with the new facility, being able to teach modern greenhouse technology to our students … this is an opportunity our students need, and it's something CSU needs to do to maintain its status as the flagship institution of the Rocky Mountains. The old facilities have long outlived their life."

A move of this sort doesn't come without its difficulties.

"I planned to shut my projects down and have them complete before we moved into this facility," Newman said. " … The schedule of the demolition was formulated around the planting dates for the annual trial gardens.

"The biggest challenge was moving out 65 years of work."

And, Newman admitted, there has been some disappointment about moving.

"Change has been hard for some," he said.

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Another piece of the puzzle is ensuring old products are disposed of correctly.

"We had to make sure we did a good job of cleaning up any waste fertilizers, any waste pesticides. … We found a lot of experimental products that hadn't been used in years," Newman said. "We're making sure everything is done safely, correctly and appropriately."

The new greenhouses total 21,000 square feet, which Newman said is the same as at the Lake Street location.

"We actually have a little more space, and when you consider functional, good space, there's a whole lot more," he said.

Variable frequency drives, the latest technology for fan speeds, are in place with the dual benefits of energy efficiency and "softer" noise impact on the neighborhood. The fans draw air only at the necessary speed, and slow starts mean the belts won't squeal. Newman said the energy conservation would pay for the extra cost of the system in a matter of 6 to 8 months.

"Wherever we can find an energy efficiency, we've installed it," he said.

The ropes course just south of the PERC will be relocated to CSU's Mountain Campus and the land will be developed into research plots. Just west of the ropes course, the garden plot — allowed to go fallow this year — will be redeveloped.

"I'm working on making arrangements with housing and dining to start growing some specific vegetable crops that they want to have on their salad bar that they can say are CSU-grown," Newman said.

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There are no state funds directly allocated for the operation of the grounds at PERC. The CSU Agricultural Experiment Station, Extension and the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture assist by partially funding the salaries and research projects of many of the faculty involved at PERC.

Either financial assistance or plant materials for the ground areas, or both, come from a number of sources.

The arboretum and perennial gardens will remain near the new stadium.

At the new facility, the greenhouse manufacturer and climate-control system firm are both from Colorado, said Newman, who added that much of the construction, other than that done by specialty employees, has been done by CSU employees.

"Because of that, there is a lot of pride in making this done well," he said.

After two decades just a few blocks away, Newman is ready to make the move.

"After 21 years," he said. "This is like Christmas."