OARDC to receive $6 million for tornado-damaged ag research bldg.

WOOSTER, Ohio — The state of Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management has allocated $6 million in emergency funds to assist with the reconstruction of a building at Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, which was severely damaged as a result of a Sept. 16, 2010, tornado that struck the Wooster campus.

The announcement was made Aug. 29 by State Rep. Ron Amstutz during a meeting of Ohio State’s Board of Trustees at OARDC.

Amstutz, whose House District includes Wooster and who chairs the Ohio House of Representatives’ Finance and Appropriations Committee, has been a strong supporter of OARDC over his three decades of service in the Ohio legislature.

The State Controlling Board is expected to approve the $6 million appropriation at its Sept. 10 meeting. The funds will go toward reconstruction of the Agricultural Engineering Building, parts of which crumbled to the ground during the storm. Total cost of that project is estimated at $14 million, with insurance covering only part of the expenses.

“The impact of the tornado on the OARDC campus was devastating, and we have been extremely pleased and gratified with the support from all quarters to rebuild the campus,” OARDC Director Steve Slack said. “The loss of the Agricultural Engineering Building was especially crippling because it housed the core of our bioenergy and bioproducts research.”