01/14/2005

Groundbreaking, Public Meeting Set for Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center

CROSSVILLE, Ala.—Ceremonies to break ground on a much-needed 4,100-square-foot auditorium at the Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center (SMREC) in Crossville will be held Thursday, Jan. 27, at 4 p.m. at the center, located at 13112 Alabama Highway 68.

The groundbreaking will be followed at 6 p.m. by a public meeting at the Tom Bevill Enrichment Center in Rainsville focusing on the future direction of agriculture in Alabama and, in particular, at Auburn University and the SMREC. The meeting is cosponsored by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System—the two agencies sharing the costs on the new $491,000 auditorium.

The meeting is one in a series of “Auburn updates” being held at the seven AAES/Extension System research and extension centers (RECs) located across the state. It will include reports on the current reorganization of Extension and on the status of regional agricultural initiatives and research priorities that have been developed for the regional RECs based on citizens' input at a similar series of meetings a year ago.

Also as part of the meeting, AAES and Extension leaders will report on the actions to date of a 29-member broad-based commission that AU Interim President Ed Richardson has established to advise him on the future direction of agriculture and associated programs at Auburn University.

As for the new SMREC auditorium, it will be the first new construction on the site since the 1960s, when the existing office building was built. A seating capacity of 175, state-of-the-art media capabilities, a food preparation area and restrooms will be among the features of the new facility. A covered walkway will connect the auditorium to the existing office building.

Jim Bannon, director of AAES's outlying units, said the auditorium is long overdue.

“For years, when we've had field days or other educational events and meetings at Sand Mountain, the only covered structure to accommodate a crowd has been an old feed barn that has no place to prepare or serve food and has provided only marginal protection from the elements,” Bannon said.

Berry Construction of Scottsboro will build the auditorium. Projected date of completion is July 15.

The SMREC, which was founded in 1929, is a primary source of information on agricultural production in northeast Alabama. Research at the 536-acre unit focuses on agronomic crops, beef cattle, swine, horticultural crops and waste management.

The public is invited to attend the groundbreaking as well as the Auburn update at the Bevill Enrichment Center, located at 115 Main St. W. in Rainsville.

For more information on either event, call SMREC superintendent Tony Dawkins at 256-528-7133.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu

For immediate release