North Dakota Opens New $70 Million State Laboratory in Bismarck
North Dakota's new $70 million State Laboratory officially opened on October 20 on the state Capitol grounds in Bismarck, Burleigh County, with Governor Kelly Armstrong leading the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The governor's office had announced the ribbon-cutting arrangements earlier. The ceremony began at 10 a.m. Central Time and was livestreamed on the governor's office website (governor.nd.gov).
Joining Armstrong were Lieutenant Governor Michelle Strinden, who chairs the Capitol Grounds Planning Commission, state legislators and cabinet members, along with leadership from North Dakota Health and Human Services and the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, including HHS Commissioner Conner Swanson and Environmental Quality Director Jennifer Turnbow, who delivered remarks.
The roughly 100,000-square-foot facility stands on the northeast side of the Capitol grounds at 620 E Boulevard Ave. Approved by the state legislature and built with federal funds, it houses about 50 staff members from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Environmental Quality. The laboratory tests for infectious diseases, supports water quality monitoring and mosquito and tick surveillance, and supports investigational responses to natural or man-made disasters, such as sampling and testing water after a flood. It also includes a training laboratory. The Department of Health and Human Services' Laboratory Services relocated to the new building effective October 15.
State officials said the scalable design allows the laboratory to adjust for growth and to pivot quickly for public health or environmental emergencies, preserving and advancing the state's ability to protect public health and the environment.
(Source: Office of the Governor of North Dakota)
The $70 million, federally funded laboratory broke ground in April 2024 under then-Governor Doug Burgum and is the first new building on the Bismarck Capitol grounds in 43 years. Christie Massen, lab services section director for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the expanded space means staff no longer have to test in hallways and store equipment there, making the work far more efficient and safer; the new lab will also be able to test for PFAS "forever chemicals" and for substances involved in non-fatal overdose cases, and it provides a permanent spot for the National Guard's 81st Civil Support Team mobile laboratory. Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden said: "The work happening inside this building will touch the lives of people living in every corner of North Dakota."
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Bismarck 的北达科他州议会大厦，新州立实验室位于其园区内。Wikimedia Commons（CC BY 4.0），自托管
