Project ID Number is 540

A. General Information Suggestion State:
Entity/Sponsor: State of Alabama's Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium (dba Dauphin Island Sea Lab) Organization Website: https://www.disl.edu/
Contact Name: John  Valentine Title: Executive Director
Contact Address: 101 Bienville Blvd, Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Dauphin Island, AL   36528
Phone Number: 251-861-2141   7505 Email: jvalentine@disl.org
Suggestion State: Reviewed Suggestion Date: 10/15/2021
B. Project Classification - Primary Infrastructure
C. Project Classification - Secondary
 Ecological/Environmental (Including Water Quality) |  Economic
D. Project Information
Project Name: Renovation of DISL Marine Science Hall
Project Location: Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Boulevard, Dauphin Island
Project State(s):
AL
County(s):
Mobile
Watershed/Basin: Mobile Bay Basin Latitude: 30.250101 Longitude:   -88.078985
E. Project Description The Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) seeks to modernize and reorganize the 12,715 sq. ft. aging laboratory space in the Wiese-Marine Science Hall (WMSH) and bring it to current acceptable building codes. The existing facility is a 1950’s era blast-hardened, re-purposed, U.S. Air Force building. Renovations will include relocation of existing utility/IT infrastructure services from deteriorated floor trenches to an overhead, accessible tray system, enhanced access to emergency power, in-house distilled water, energy efficient lighting, modern laboratory spaces, two new environmentally controlled culture rooms, expanded power capabilities for more robust specialized research equipment, and emergency power to protect research and sensitive research equipment in the wake of projected extreme weather events and recurrent power outages. DISL’s growing University Programs faculty and other researchers housed in WMSH are now poised to expand a robust multidisciplinary research program to elucidate how coastal ecosystems respond to environmental changes at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Because of the enhanced analytical skills of our newest faculty, and anticipated skills of future faculty hires, and future students, we must update the aging WMSH research building to support anticipated future cutting-edge research efforts. Our ability to support these anticipated needs is hindered by a decaying infrastructure last renovated in 1994. Renovating WMSH is vital to the continued growth of existing and recently funded research, for example the RESTORE Act funded Alabama Center of Excellence, as well as our education and outreach programs, and development of future multi-investigator and interdisciplinary programs. The proposed project would provide multiple benefits from expanding research focus and space to addressing more coastal resilience concerns in Alabama and increasing the $56.6 M impact to Alabama’s economy currently provided by DISL. Moreover, the proposed project would allow our faculty and students to use cutting edge technologies to address future anticipated changes to the health of the Gulf of Mexico.
F. Water Quality Projects and Ecological Benefits Not applicable.
G. Resiliency Considerations (Ecological; Social-Ecological; Social; Socio-Economic and/or Community Resilience) This project would serve to enhance resiliency in Coastal Alabama by modernizing and expanding relevant research capabilities and opportunities in a now COVID-dominated world, along with providing a means to use emerging technologies to respond quickly to future ecological changes. While the building exterior is clearly hurricane-resistant, the interior of the building requires modernization and improved ventilation and technology to better handle future disease outbreaks and other environmental disasters, such as oil spills, based on Mobile County’s SVI score of 0.7532.
H. Project Status
Property/Resource Acquisition:
Current Landowner or Holder of the Easement: 		State of Alabama Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium Recent Appraisal? No
Project Planning/Design: In Progress Project Permitting
No Permits
Project will take   4  Months to Begin and an additional  14  Months to Complete
Can be implemented in phases? No
No Phases
Is this project included under a regional or statewide plan/initiative? No
If so, list:
Project Feasibility and Likelihood of Success: If funded, this project would be 100% successful in being completed
Leveraging/Complementary Projects: This project would complement already existing research projects and complement them by building on existing research to expand knowledge of Coastal Alabama ecosystems and habitats of native species.
I. Project Cost
Estimated Cost: $7,670,000.00 Maintenance/Operational Cost: $100,000.00
Nature of Cost: Power, HVAC, equipment wear and tear Sources for Funding Costs: O&M covered through annual appropriation budget .
Level of Confidence: Medium New business startup or expansion? No
Basis/Method of Estimation: DISL holds a medium level of confidence in these budget estimates; however, these estimates are based on recent budgets for other projects.
Matching Funds Available:
No Matching Funds
Project Partners:
No Project Partners Entered.
J. Project Impact on Community
Community Need: This project would positively affect the Coastal Alabama community by expanding scientific knowledge of this ecosystem, interactions within it by more species and human impacts, along with the development of conservation efforts to further mitigate damaging impacts. Avoided Costs: Among the avoided costs is not delaying the escalating costs from the much needed renovation of this key science facility. One result of not moving forward with the modernization of this facility will be the hindrance of our ability to successfully compet
Indirect Benefits: Indirect benefits resulting from activities funded through this project would be a greater economic impact to Alabama’s economy by DISL research and educational opportunities through ecotourism activities. Environmental Benefits: This project would allow for the expansion of efforts targeted to increase areas of research that will provide a great understanding of multifaceted interactions with the Coastal Alabama ecosystem.
Environmental Impacts: There are no adverse impacts expected by the funding of this project. Project Monitoring and Performance: Once completed, the project’s success would be measured by extramural funding and published papers by faculty and students working in the renovated building.
K. Resource Benefit(s):
Benefit(s): Vegetation  |  Other  Education on Coastal Resiliency, Weather data management
Benefit State- or
Federally-listed Species? 		No If so, list: