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SCP-197 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-197
Expected annual
$365K
One-time setup
$1.3M
Annual recurring
$344K
Personnel
5.5
Initial one-time baseline setup is modest-to-moderate (~$1.31M due to an optional large-scale reactivation contingency); normal annual operations are dominated by staff, quarantine monitoring (if used), legal/PR, and contingency set-asides (~$344k/yr). Major cost drivers are quarantine build-out and any full reactivation/scale-up.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $1.3M
Reactivation Scaleup One Time $1.0M
[#25] One-time capital for full reactivation/scale-up (greenhouse refurbishment, full research lab build, distribution program) — contingency option rather than baseline.
Facilities $242K
[#1, #7, #12, #18, #21, #22] Fence/boarding installation, initial structural survey, quarantine greenhouse build-out, initial permit fees, optional solar install, and a capital repair fund for greenhouse/structure work.
Equipment $62K
[#4, #5, #6, #11] Vehicle purchase for emergency response, initial PPE/tool kits, surveillance system install, and one-time database/deployment costs.
Personnel Training Initial $6K
[#20] Initial staff training for containment, safe herbicide use, and removal protocols.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $0
[]
Property Acquisition $0
[#10] Purchase/lease of property: baseline assumes Foundation retains condemnation/municipal control; purchase not assumed (variable).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $344K/yr
Staff Wages $100K/yr
[#2, #4, #13] Weekly site security rounds (2 guards), research oversight (part-time botanist + tech), and emergency-response on-call stipends.
Research And Monitoring $99K/yr
[#11, #12, #15, #16, #23] Secure documentation hosting, quarantine greenhouse operations/monitoring, long-term area surveys, soil/contamination testing, and ethical review when research is active.
Incident Response Contingency $50K/yr
[#19] Annual set-aside/reserve for unpredictable large incidents (major re-sprouts, break-ins, legal actions).
Cover Story And Legal $40K/yr
[#8, #9, #18] Legal/municipal liaison and condemnation paperwork, cover-story/PR contract work, and annual permit renewals.
Facilities Maintenance $12K/yr
[#1, #6, #7, #21] Fence/boarding repairs, surveillance data/comms/storage, periodic structural safety inspections, and site utilities.
Supplies And Consumables $12K/yr
[#3, #5, #17] Monthly herbicide contract, PPE/tool replenishment and repairs, and waste/hazardous-materials disposal.
Community Mitigation $10K/yr
[#24] Small ongoing community mitigation/reparations budget assumed in baseline; large reparations handled as incident scenarios.
Logistics And Transport $8K/yr
[#2, #4] Vehicle operating costs for emergency response and weekly guard travel (fuel/maintenance).
Mental Health Program $6K/yr
[#14] Counseling and limited psychosocial support for exposed staff.
Property Taxes And Insurance $6K/yr
[#10] Insurance and (where applicable) property taxes or municipal control payments; variable by jurisdiction.
Personnel Training Annual $2K/yr
[#20] Annual refresher training for guards, techs, and applicators.
Reactivation Scaleup Annual $0/yr
[#25] Recurring operations for full reactivation are not included in baseline; accounted for in scenarios if reactivated.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $344K/yr
91.0% probability / year
Normal, uneventful year with weekly checks, monthly herbicide, legal/PR, minimal research oversight, and maintenance reserves.
regular_inspections monthly_herbicide routine_maintenance
🚨 Minor Incident $404K/yr
8.0% probability / year +$60K vs baseline
Localized large re-sprout or small break-in requiring remediation, extra labor, remediation disposal, and modest legal/municipal work.
localized_resprout unauthorized_entry targeted_remediation
🚨 Scale Up Reactivation $1.9M/yr
1.0% probability / year +$1.6M vs baseline
Decision to recommission SCP-197 for active research/therapy and scale up distribution — includes major one-time capital and elevated operations.
program_recommission full_research_scaleup public_distribution
👥 Personnel 5.5 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 2 Two contracted guards performing weekly site inspections and perimeter checks (maps to #2).
Research Scientist (Botanist, part-time FTE) 0.5 Part-time botanist oversight for monitoring and guidance (maps to #13).
Research Technician 1 On-site tech for monitoring, sample handling, and database logging (maps to #13, #11).
Emergency Response Technician (on-call) 2 Small rapid-response crew (2 techs) with stipend for emergency removals and specimen transport (maps to #4).
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide detailed line-item ranges for most costs; however many items are jurisdiction-dependent or optional (property purchase, large reparations, full reactivation), and incident probabilities are subjective, so overall confidence is medium.
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