Further development of the University’s Research Park might force the swine facilities in the area to relocate and, in the process, modernize their buildings.

The park’s Board of Managers meeting last week was the latest in on-and-off conversations about relocating the swine facilities that have gone on for the past ten years.

This new spark of interest is partially brought about by the next phase in the development of Research Park, where technology-based businesses work with faculty and students for collaborative research.

Currently, the University has swine facilities south of Assembly Hall on Hazelwood Drive near First Street. These pig farms are bordered by the ever-expanding Research Park’s facilities, which just started its fourth phase of development.

The first building in the Park’s plan is the Sony iCyt building, one that will be used for extensive cell research. The building is under construction and additional facilities will be constructed as needed to meet demand, said Larry Schook, University vice president for research.

This could leave the College of ACES’ swine facilities surrounded by the Park’s buildings and even “deter from the potential” of the Park, said Laura Frerichs, director of the Park.

“It’s maybe not the best placement for swine operations and lagoons that can have a factor in economic development (of the Park),” she said, calling the facilities not in the long-term interest of the Park.

In addition, some these swine facilities have been around since the 1950s and 1960s, while most of its buildings are designed to last only as long as 30 years, according to Neal Merchen, head of animal sciences.

One such concern with the old-fashioned facilities is that the lagoons gather runoff waste from the animals. Frerichs said modernized lagoons would possibly limit the smell in addition to reducing the land they take up.

Merchen said while these buildings and lagoons are not unusable by any means, they are starting to become outdated.

“The current facilities are fine as far as pigs used in food production research, but there are higher standards required for animals for federally-funded biomedical research,” Merchen said.

Such current research includes using pigs as models for human medicine and breeding them with unique genomes. Some faculty and staff on campus have the knowledge to further that research, Frerichs said.

“A big part of (the modernization) is to tap into that expertise in genomics,” she said.

Merchen said if the University decides to move the swine facilities, there are a few options on the table. He said the most desirable location for swine and other agricultural facilities would be to the west of South Race Street and north of West Old Church Road.

He added that there will have to be a feasibility study done to see if the project is financially justifiable.