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Environmental Assessment S&ME Project No. 1357-02-823 <br />Research Resources Facility Expansion September 15, 2003 <br />Historically, the main building has been used for a variety ofresearch-related purposes, <br />including the housing and quarantine of laboratory animals. The RRF is operated on State-owned <br />land, operated by the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM), and funded in paa ~ by <br />research grants. The RRF is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of <br />Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC}, is United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) <br />inspected, and is operated in accordance with federal and state regulations governing such <br />facilities. ' <br />Currently, the RRF is used primarily to house animals used in research at the Francis Owen <br />Research Laboratory (FORE), which is located in Carrboro, North Carolina. Iri recent years, the <br />research colony for studies involving gene therapy at FORE has expanded significantly. The <br />National Institutes of Health (N1H) and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) <br />support the important animal research colony housed there as a national resource. <br />The RRF has been successful in obtaining grants to fund on-going research conducted at the <br />facility. The amount of grant support, however, has exceeded the capacity of the current <br />research facilities. The central aim of the Proposed Action is the construction of a new 10,000 sf <br />`~ . masonry building tha# will house over 26,000 research rodents in 6,000 ventilated cages. The <br />facility will include cage wash units, locker zooms for staff, lab space and work areas, an office, <br />storage areas and a loading dock. The size of the proposed facility expansion is based upon the <br />recommendation of the DLAM. Further, since the RRF is a remotely located ample laboratory, <br />work space must be included to accommodate personnel engaged in research at the facility. <br />In addition to construction of the new building, the proposed project further entails the widening <br />of an existing gravel access road, a grave] parking area for 30 vehicles, new walkways to the <br />addition, and improvements to the current entrance of the RRF. The project footprint is located <br />entirely within previously-cleared land currently consisting of maintained lawn, and minimal <br />grading will be required. The addition of the roadway and parking area will be designed to fit <br />within the existing topography of the site. <br />2 <br />