Groundbreaking Planned for New $13.7M Applied Research Center in Newport News (Release)

Groundbreaking Planned for New $13.7M Applied Research Center in Newport News

NEWPORT NEWS — Construction will begin on a center in Newport News which allies hope will promote synergy between high-technology businesses, research universities and the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). A groundbreaking ceremony for the Applied Research Center, or ARC, will be held at 11:15 a.m. May 9, 1996, at CEBAF where the building will be located.

"This is an example of a local, state and federal partnership to position this community and the Commonwealth of Virginia at the forefront of technology," said Newport News Mayor Barry DuVal.

The ARC is a collaborative effort between CEBAF, the Newport News Economic Development Authority, the City of Newport News, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Department of Energy, Christopher Newport University, the College of William and Mary, and Old Dominion University. The City's Economic Development Authority (EDA) is the developer, and will be the owner of the $13.7 million center.

The seven-story, 121,000-square-foot ARC building will house researchers from the universities and CEBAF with some 23,000 square feet of transitional space available for new private business ventures exploring technologies related to the universities and CEBAF's research. The ARC will also provide 27 state-of-the-art laboratories, office space, advanced computer facilities, a technical library and classrooms.

"This facility is a cornerstone in the city's effort to attract the technology of the next century and to assist in our effort to diversify our economic base," says Newport News Mayor-elect Joe Frank.

Speakers at the ceremony include CEBAF Director Hermann Grunder, CNU President Paul Trible, ODU President James Koch, the College of William and Mary President Timothy Sullivan, as well as Newport News Mayor Barry DuVal and Mayor-elect Joe Frank, EDA Chairman John Munick and the Commonwealth Secretary of Administration Michael Thomas.

For more information on the Applied Research Center, call Paul Miller at 247-8428. If you plan to visit the ARC site, please call Linda Ware at 249-7689 or Deborah Hyman at 249-4852.