
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 3, 1994                   TAG: 9412050055
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: GLOUCESTER POINT                                 LENGTH: Short

VIMS LAB UPGRADE MAY BE TOO COSTLY

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has $8.5 million from the state for an up-to-date research facility, but contractors bidding on the job say the facility will cost much more.

Bids that were opened Thursday for the three-story, 62,000-square-foot building, which was to be completed by 1996, range from $11.1 million to $12.4 million.

``It presents a real challenge for us,'' said Hank Humphreys, institute spokesman. ``This is significantly more than we're authorized for.''

The institute's labs are spread among several buildings that have needed almost constant renovations over the past decade to keep up with health and safety standards. Even so, outdated labs have prevented researchers from working with some toxic chemicals.

- Associated Press

by CNB