NBAF Team Seeking Input

It’s hard to believe, but the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) has been part of Manhattan’s lexicon for nearly two full decades.

The promise of a new federal laboratory in our community is nearly complete. The ribbon was cut on the $1.3 billion state-of-the-art level-four research laboratory which will work to combat threats involving human, zoonotic and foreign animal diseases. If you missed this great event, you can view a summary video of the festivities here.

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The team at NBAF has been conducting tests and will eventually begin full-scale research. That will necessitate another 100 +/- families moving into the region as part of the transition from Plum Island, New York, the location of the current research facility.

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To their enormous credit, NBAF staff are constantly communicating with the community. We have had the opportunity to have a representative on the NBAF Community Liaison Group for the entirety of its existence. The CLG stood up in 2016 to provide area leaders with a platform to engage with the federal government’s NBAF program and increase understanding of what the facility will mean for our community.

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The most recent effort of NBAF to engage the community is through a survey of community perceptions.

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In collaboration with the NBAF, a group of K-State researchers have launched a survey inviting Manhattan residents to share their perceptions. The purpose of this survey is to understand community perceptions of the facility operations and communication practices. Findings of this study will help inform NBAF and similar research facilities on developing best practices for communicating with the community.

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NBAF and K-State would appreciate anything you can do to encourage participation in this survey, including:

1. Taking the survey: https://tinyurl.com/nbafsurvey It will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. No personally identifying information is collected. It’s open to anyone living in Manhattan or within 20 miles.
2. Sharing the survey within your circles (organizations, neighbors, etc.).

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The survey will remain open through Aug. 15.

Please take some time to participate. It is important for NBAF and the region to be in sync moving forward with this important endeavor and we appreciate the team for seeking our input.