Newton B. Thomas and the industrial contractor group he founded have gifted $1.5 million to the Water Campus in downtown Baton Rouge to underwrite research on climate change, rising seas and flooding on coastlands.
The donation from The Newtron Group and its founder will, according to a Baton Rouge Area Foundation press release, help ensure that the 35-acre development is built to the highest standards among research facilities globally.
The campus—which includes tenants like LSU and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority—will have state-of-the-art laboratories and research space for scientists to work collectively on understanding the challenges of coastal communities. The Water Institute of the Gulf will locate to the Campus early next year, BRAF says, adding that at least two more buildings are scheduled to begin construction next year.
Once complete, the entire campus, located along the Mississippi River, will span 1.5 million square feet.
“[Thomas’] company and his employees have quietly contributed millions over the decades to make lives better in their home city and across the southeast,” John G. Davies, BRAF president and CEO, says in a statement. “Their commitment to the Water Campus will help us build a place that is as remarkable as the research that is taking place there.”
To honor the contribution, BRAF will emboss Thomas’ name on the landing for the old city dock which will connect to The Water Institute of the Gulf—the campus’ headquarters.
