Infrastructure for Life
Left, The former
home to the WSU tennis courts, this is where construction began this
year on the Pullman Life Sciences building, just south of Johnson
Hall and the new Plant Biosciences building along Stadium Way. WSU
is going to the state capitol, right, seeking funding funding during
the 2007 legislative session to complete the project.
Printable Adobe PDF version
January 17, 2007
Infrastructure for Life:
Completing the Pullman Life Sciences Building and Supporting a Long Life Cycle
for Existing facilities is the WSU construction priority.
The 2007-2009 WSU capital budget priority list contains no
surprises and virtually no deviations from what are regarded to be state and
university priorities. Washington State University proposes capital projects
that complete the Pullman Life Sciences Building, extend the life of existing
older structures, protect the lives of students and employees, and provide the
vital infrastructure that is the lifeline to serving the state as a premier
research university.
The Pullman Life Sciences Building Tops The List
WSU’s
largest and top capital construction project, is $58 million to complete the Life Sciences Building. It is
the number one construction priority of the Public Baccalaureate Prioritized
Capital List, the combined list of projects submitted by the University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, Central Washington University, Western Washington University, The Evergreen State College and WSU. It is also
among WSU construction priorities recommended by Gov. Christine Gregoire.
The
request will finish construction that the governor and the Legislature
initiated with a $10 million appropriation for the Life Sciences Building in 2006. With that authority, WSU cleared the site and constructed the foundation for
the building. It now awaits a second appropriation so that the building can be
completed in 2009.
The
four-story building on the Pullman campus will bring together academic
disciplines in innovative laboratory settings in the life sciences,
predominately researchers on National Institute of Health-sponsored projects. The research building will
immediately bring some long-sought relief to the Pullman campus that has less
than half of the laboratories required for hands-on learning by undergraduate
and graduate students. And the building will contain the types of programs that
have been identified by Gov. Christine Gregoire’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund
that was approved by the Legislature.
State support thus far for
this project has been helpful in securing matching federal funds. The Murdock Trust has awarded a grant for $475,500
for a core research laboratory, contingent on the legislature appropriating the
remaining funds for construction. The U.S. House of Representatives has voted
for a $35.6 million appropriation to complete an additional biotechnology
building that would be constructed nearby and share core laboratory facilities
with the Life Sciences building. The U.S. Senate has recommended a smaller
appropriation but Washington’s congressional delegation is optimistic that this
matching building, known as the Agricultural Research Service Building, will be moved ahead by the federal government.
Other Highlights of the WSU capital budget include:
- WSU’s $38.9 million minor works
preservation project and $17 million minor works program is in the top tier of the Public
Baccalaureate Prioritized List, ahead of all major construction projects. Minor works program money extends
the life of existing facilities and infrastructure, and allows older facilities
to be retrofitted for cutting-edge research and education. Likewise,
preservation money 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.
- The Pullman Campus is experiencing a
critical shortfall in electrical capacity and a deficit of chilled water
production that is solved by WSU’s $11.5 million utilities extension. This package is ranked as the
fourth project overall by the six public baccalaureate institutions.
- Extended service life and greater capacity
to underground utility lines is provided by the $15 million Library Road Project. It is the seventh ranked project
overall by the institutions. The corridor project also includes accessibility
and safety improvements for enhanced pedestrian movement and decreased
vehicular traffic.
- Expanded access for Vancouver freshmen and
sophomores.
Additional requests for university-wide infrastructure, intermediate
preservation, and a WSU Vancouver classroom building all rank among the top 26
projects recommended by the institutions. Construction of the $24.4 million WSU Vancouver
building will be necessary to provide general classrooms and computer
laboratory spaces for delivery of lower division programs and to accommodate
enrollment growth. The building is WSU’s second highest priority for new
building construction.
- Some items on the WSU priority list
propose to design projects that would be built in a later biennium. The top design priority for WSU is
Biomedical Sciences, a $7.4 million design proposal which was not included in
the governor’s budget. The building will replace crowded, outdated biomedical
space with an appropriate facility for targeted programs including
neuroscience, pharmacology, cancer research and toxicology.
