- A primate husbandry is coming to the city where primates will be raised and later transported for medical research.
- Phase one of construction is set to begin February 2024.
- Watch the video to ride along at the site of the planned project.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Bainbridge, you've got questions about a new primate facility coming to the area, so I went out and found the answers.
I'm tracking down the facts and learning what this means for the future of Bainbridge..
"It does directly impact the students,” according to Boyd English, Superintendent, Decatur County School District
He's telling me how the incoming primate facility will impact the next generation in Bainbridge.
That facility will raise monkeys that will be later be used for medical research.
"This is a great opportunity for them to enter the workforce and allow them to have good paying jobs to allow them to stay in Bainbridge,” said English.
With salaries starting at roughly $64,000 project investors aim to bring 263 jobs to the city. Those jobs will range from veterinarian, veterinary assistant, nutritionist and maintenance positions.
I took a ride with the executive director of the Industrial Development Authority for Bainbridge and Decatur County, Rick McCaskill, to the Downrange Industrial park where the primate facility will be built.
"They will be raising monkeys here. Not doing any research or anything like that here. But, it will strictly be an animal husbandry facility to raise monkeys,” said McCaskill.
Safer Human Medicine is a company that uses primates in accordance with a specific code of ethics handbook to perform research for drug development.
The company plans to make almost $400 million investment towards the project here. Mccaskill tells me investments like this create opportunities..
"A lot of people are going off to school and didn't have anything to come back to their jobs,” according to McCaskill. “We've done a pretty good job of getting a better diversity of jobs and better paying jobs for those folks to stay in Bainbridge [or] come back to Bainbridge."
English said the school system supports new projects coming in making a way for the youth to..
"Be citizens in Bainbridge not only for a year or two but for a lifetime,” said English.
Primates must quarantine for 45 days to make for a healthy environment for all those on-site. Construction is set to start February 2024 but keep in mind this project will develop in phases so the number of primates is not yet decided.
