He also serves as program manager for the construction of the NOAA portion of the facility. If it does, we'll be in good shape. The initial funding will go toward design and beginning start-up construction costs, he said. For its part, OU was pinning its hopes on a state bond issue for higher education, which was not approved before the end of the 1999 legislative session. However, the matter is expected to be taken up again this session, which got under way Monday.
Legislators say how to pay for the bond issue has yet to be agreed upon.
Federal funding, which Forsyth is tracking, will build the other half of the facility. Several laboratories housed on the university's North Base would then locate to the south campus as well. NOAA operations include the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the Storm Prediction Center, the National Weather Service Forecast Office, and the WSR-88D Operational Support Facility. The proposed center will focus solely on severe storm forecasting and warning, research and prediction.