Proposed House capital budget earmarks $180.6M for WSU

The House Capital Budget Committee released its proposed 2007-2009 biennial budget on Monday, March 19, targeting $180.6 million to Washington State University — a record for the university.

The budget closely parallels recommendations made in December by Gov. Chris Gregoire.  Both budget proposals would provide funding for WSU to complete the Pullman Life Sciences Building, extend the life of existing older structures, protect the lives of students and employees, provide for vital infrastructure and build a needed classroom building for the burgeoning Vancouver campus. In addition, the House budget would fund design of a Vancouver Applied Technology Classroom Building.

Here are a few of the details.

* Pullman Life Sciences Building  (House and governor):  $58,000,000

Funding for WSU’s top capital construction project will finish construction that the governor and the Legislature initiated with a $10 million appropriation in 2006. When occupied in 2009 the four-story building will bring together academic disciplines in innovative laboratory settings in the life sciences, predominately researchers on National Institute of Health-sponsored projects.

* Minor Works Preservation (House and governor):  $38,900,000

WSU’s preservation project extends the life of buildings by replacement or repair of elevators, roofs, fire alarms, HVAC, pumps, masonry, windows, flooring, painting, and building network cabling and electronics.  The request includes health, safety and code projects needed to protect the lives of students, faculty, staff and visitors and to comply with occupational/public health, and environmental regulations. 

* Minor Works Program (House and governor):  $17,000,000

Minor works program money funds improvements ($8,000,000) that allows older facilities to be retrofitted for cutting-edge research and education and provides significant quality of life improvements.  It includes omnibus equipment ($9,000,000) to improve, upgrade or replace essential apparatus and equipment throughout the university.

* Utility Extension (House and governor):  $11,536,000

The Pullman Campus is experiencing a critical shortfall in electrical capacity and a deficit of chilled water production that will be solved by the recommended utilities extension.

* Library Road Infrastructure (House and governor):  $15,000,000

Extended service life and greater capacity to underground utility lines is provided by this project. The corridor project also includes accessibility and safety improvements for enhanced pedestrian movement and decreased vehicular traffic. 

* Universitywide Infrastructure (House and governor):  $8,000,000

This funding will address the most critical improvements to infrastructure and roadways.  WSU had requested $14,360,000.

* Aggregated Intermediate Preservation (House and governor): $3,119,000

WSU requested $7,740,000 to address deteriorating heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems in Sloan Hall/EEME and Johnson Tower and the deteriorating exterior of Wilson Hall.  The Governor’s budget included $3,119,000 for the projects.

* Vancouver Undergraduate Classroom Building (House and governor): $24,350,000

Construction of this facility will provide general classrooms and computer laboratory spaces for delivery of lower division programs and to accommodate enrollment growth on Southwest Washington’s only four year campus.

* Vancouver Applied Technology Classroom Building Design (House only): $4,770,000

This building will provide classrooms and teaching labs for the Vancouver building.  WSU had requested $3,770,000 to design this project in a future biennium.  The expanded building may also house the Washington Technology Center in Vancouver.

Not funded in either the House budget or the governor’s budget are design costs of the Biomedical Sciences building.

All reappropriations are as we requested.

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