Deseret News | University chiefs want $164 million for new buildings

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University chiefs want $164 million for new buildings

All are needed, higher education leader says

By Stephen Speckman

Deseret News

Published: Thursday, Sept. 11, 2003 8:12 p.m. MDT

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TAYLORSVILLE — Hey, Legislature. Can you spare about $164 million?

Didn't think so.

That's about how the presidents of Utah's universities and colleges might envision such a conversation if all were to submit their requests for money to fulfill their most "desperate" building needs.

Utah's higher education leaders met Thursday with the Utah Board of Regents to come up with a more palatable request, which first must pass muster today with the state Building Board. Then the pleas for money move on to the Legislature.

"They're all needed," higher education commissioner Cecelia Foxley said. "How do you draw a line anywhere?"

The current breakdown of requests for the state looks about like this, prioritized by what some feel is a flawed system of ranking least to most important projects:

1. $8.5 million for a renovated Reed K. Swensen building at Weber State University ($3 million of that would come from the Stewart Educational Foundation).

2. $67.3 million for structural upgrades and a new automated storage/retrieval system for books at University of Utah's Marriott Library ($17 million would come from non-state funds).

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3. $30 million for a new digital learning center at Utah Valley State College.

4. $26.5 million for a 148,000 square-foot health sciences building at Salt Lake Community College.

5. $4.5 million for a renovated animal sciences building at Utah State University.

6. $15.4 million for a new health sciences building at Dixie State College.

7. $10.8 million for a new 62,000 square-foot teacher education building at Southern Utah University.

8. $3.7 million for a new 28,000 square-foot multi-function building for use as a library and health sciences building at College of Eastern Utah.

9. About $17 million for a new library/classroom building that would benefit Snow College and its hometown of Ephraim, which may bond for part of the cost.

And all of those figures don't include what it could cost in new state funds for operations and maintenance of those buildings.

The solution for the Building Board to consider will be whether to submit all the requests under the notion that most or all would get some funding.

The trick is that the Legislature would set aside money for these various projects in something akin to an escrow account. Construction on any one project wouldn't begin until it was fully funded, which could take several years by this method.

Regent David Jordan suggested getting the U.'s "elephant" off their back so other projects could be funded down the road.

U. President Bernie Machen said the library remains the "central" focus of what his school wants to do with state funds.

University presidents huddled in separate rooms with regents to also begin looking at how much they will ask the Legislature for faculty and staff salary increases and funds to make up for various shortfalls.

E-MAIL: sspeckman@desnews.com