By Mike Shields
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, Jan. 18
A former Department of Homeland Security official has been hired to help convince that agency Kansas is the best location for a new, $450 million bio-defense laboratory.
Tom Thornton, chief executive officer of the Kansas Bioscience Authority, said Thursday that Barry Erlick, a former director of veterinary medical research at the agency, was one of two people recently hired to help convince federal decision makers that one of two Kansas locations is best among 18 competing sites nationally.
“He”s a critical guy for us,” Thornton said of Erlick, “because he understands what DHS is looking for.”
Last week, the bioscience authority approved spending $250,000
to hire a Washington D.C. lobbyist and a consultant to help with Kansas” sales pitch.
Kansas has two sites in the running: one is in Leavenworth County adjacent to Fort Leavenworth; the second on the Kansas State University campus.
Thornton said a second person also had been hired but would not reveal a name, saying only that it was an individual of “very high visibility,” whose identity would be disclosed later.
“We don”t want to reveal all our chips,” for now, Thornton said.
Earlier Thornton warned lawmakers that competition for the site would be fierce. He said Georgia, North Carolina and Texas would be strong challengers for the site.
“With a half billion dollars on the table, states will go very far to win this, he said.
He told lawmakers he would return to them in about two weeks with a detailed request for additional money to help make the state”s case or to be used as part of an inducement to be included in the state”s formal proposal which must be presented to Homeland Security by Feb. 16.
Mike Shields is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. He can be reached at
mshields@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 123.