Director Dr. Carrie Knott at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center (UKREC) in Princeton says progress is being made in rebuilding the campus that was destroyed in the December 2021 tornado.
Knott was the guest speaker at the Princeton Rotary Club’s meeting on Tuesday and provided an overall update on the campus. She said two years ago 59 structures on the experiment farm were destroyed or damaged in the tornado.
click to download audioAccording to Knott, they were able to consolidate and will rebuild 20 structures. She said the research building will be rebuilt with some minor changes.
click to download audioOf the 20 structures, eleven have been rebuilt.
click to download audioShe said four projects totaling approximately $45 million are coming online — two this calendar year with construction to start soon on two more buildings.
click to download audioThe other two large buildings will be a field processing building and a resident hall. She said a large pole barn will be built for use as the field processing building.
click to download audioKnott said the resident’s hall will be built where the brick building was at the top of the hill on KY 91.
click to download audioIn addition, Knott acknowledged that they are in the final stages of planning the greenhouse complex which gives them an opportunity to plan for the next 100 years.
Knott noted they are projecting everything should be completed by the experiment farm’s 100th anniversary in August 2025.
