cranberry station
Media Advisory

UMass Amherst to Host Construction Celebration for $7.75 Million Expansion of Cranberry Station

                                     *** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

 

DATE:       Friday, Oct. 22, 2021

TIME:       11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

WHERE:   UMass Cranberry Station, 1 State Bog Road, East Wareham, Mass.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst will welcome officials from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association to a construction celebration ceremony for the $7.75 million expansion of the UMass Cranberry Station.

While the coronavirus pandemic delayed the start of construction, work is now under way on the facility with a targeted completion date of August 2022. The Cranberry Station is an outreach and research center charged with the mission of maintaining and enhancing the economic viability of the Massachusetts cranberry industry. Cranberries are the top commercial crop grown in Massachusetts on more than 60,000 acres, generating over $1.4 billion for the state’s economy and creating about 7,000 direct and indirect jobs. In recent years, however, producers have faced increasing pressure from bogs in the Midwest and Canada.

UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy will be joined by:

  • Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides
  • Sen. Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport), co-chair of the Cranberry Station Oversight Board
  • Rep. William Straus (D-Mattapoisett), co-chair of the Cranberry Station Oversight Board
  • Steve Ward, president of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association
  • UMass President Marty Meehan
  • UMass Trustee Mary Burns
  • Tricia Serio, dean of the UMass College of Natural Sciences
  • Hilary Sandler, director of the Cranberry Station

An investment of $5 million in capital spending authorized in the 2018 Environmental Bond Bill and a $750,000 grant from the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance will be used to modernize and expand the research facilities at the station. UMass Amherst also has committed $2 million for necessary deferred maintenance projects on the station, bringing the total cost of the project to approximately $7.75 million.

Following remarks by UMass and state officials, guests will be able to explore the station’s exhibits and activities.