Wine Science Center Update

Wine Science Center Update

Wine Science Center Update. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report.

Some time back I reported on the groundbreaking ceremony at WSU's Wine Science Center in Richland, Washington. It was a grand celebration and since then things have progressed. Now the center is poised for its grand opening. Gary Ballew is the WSC Executive Director.

BALLEW: Landscaping is going in, they're waiting for warmer weather so we'll be doing asphalt wrapping that up. Doing some final inspections, kind of on a punch list of items now we should get a temporary certificate of occupancy from the city in December, start putting the equipment into the facility and in March it's the official grand opening.

Ballew says there will still be plenty to do including some last minute fundraising for the center.

BALLEW: Roughly a million left for the building to finish off those rooms and a couple million for equipment so out of a $23-million project still about $3-million to raise

He says the center will serve multiple purposes.

BALLEW: The Wine Science Center was a partnership between the wine industry, the university but the local community stepped in and played this key role so if you are Washington State University you're looking forward to having this facility and being able to conduct that research. Industry is looking for kind of the same thing, that step forward in research as well as the development of talent needed to fuel the industry

That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.

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