SPOKANE, Wash. — The Washington State University Board of Regents Friday endorsed the conclusions of the 2020 Commission on the Future of Post-secondary Education, which calls for easy access for Washington citizens to “world-class education and technical training.”
In a unanimous vote, the regents called on Gov. Gary Locke and the Washington Legislature to use the commission report, which calls for “maintaining our public commitment to educational opportunity for all.” The commission, appointed by Locke, was made up of business and community leaders.
In other action, the regents gave the authority to proceed with construction of a $1.5 million creamery annex facility for Ferdinand’s dairy products. They also approved a bachelor’s degree program in natural resources at WSU Vancouver, extended a contract with AT&T for long distance phone services, and approved changes to the WSU Regents/Foundation Endowment Investment Policy.
The regents withdrew a proposal to spend $1.3 million for a third court in the upper gymnasium of the new Student Recreation Center. A favorable rate on the sale of bonds for funding the $36 million project in Pullman made additional resources available for the court. A decision on the addition will be made after bids are received. Construction of the center is expected to be completed in two years.
Regents received several briefing reports.
— Lydig Construction of Spokane has been awarded a $1.5 million building contract for construction of a waste incinerator in Pullman. An $882,000 contract for incinerator equipment has gone to ENVITECH of San Diego, Calif. The project is expected to be completed next November.
— Lydig also has received a $1.66 million contract to become the general contractor and construction manager for the university’s proposed Teaching and Learning Center on the Pullman campus.
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