The information session, which is being hosted by Leavenworth County Development Corp., will educate area residents about the biodefense facility would mean for them and for the county.

Guests at the meeting will include Kansas State Rep. Kenny Wilk, R-Lansing; Thomas Thornton, head of the Kansas Bioscience Authority; Jerry Jax, DVM, associate vice provost for research at Kansas State University; and Ron Trewyn, spokesman for KSU’s Biosecurity Research Institute, all of whom are closely tied with the effort to bring the facility to Kansas.

If state and county officials are successful in attracting the facility, called NBAF by those most familiar with the project, to Leavenworth County, it could generate nearly $400 million of economic activity and create about 1,000 construction jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

According to state officials, the NBAF labs will be used to research dangerous plant and animal diseases, including those that could be used for bioterrorism.