March 21, 1995 - HOUSE CAPITAL BUDGET FUNDS WSU TRI-CITIES,
VANCOUVER BUILDINGS
A $9.7 million 70,000-square foot Consolidated Information
Center Building at WSU Tri-Cities and a $9.066 million 103,000-square
foot Early Childhood Education Building at WSU's new Vancouver
campus have been funded in a state capital construction budget
proposal made public by House Capital Budget Chairman Barry Sehlin,
R-Oak Harbor. The first capital budget in years crafted under
Republican leadership, Proposed Substitute House Bill 1070, will
be considered by the full committee today. The Democratic-controlled
state Senate is expected to announce its capital budget proposal
next week.
Both projects were put in doubt when Gov. Mike Lowry's capital
budget did not fund them for the upcoming biennium and indicated
that construction would be delayed for at least a biennium. The
House decision to fund the projects, which had bi-partisan support,
is applauded by Washington State University as it will keep branch
campus construction moving forward, provide more access to higher
education in those communities, and allow the university to take
advantage of critical matching federal dollars that are available.
All other projects funded in the Governor's capital budget
were addressed in the Sehlin budget proposal which will require
the sale of $63.9 million in state bonds to fund the WSU portion
of the request, substantially higher than the Lowry proposal.
Among other major Pullman projects recommended for funding
by both the Governor's and House proposals are the $25.1
million Engineering Teaching and Research Laboratory, the $6.58
million Animal Science Laboratory Building, and the $9.3 million
Bohler Addition.
SEHLIN: "WE WANT TO OPEN THE DOORS OF HIGHER EDUCATION"
In a statement issued at a Monday press conference, Sehlin explained
his decision to add the Tri-Cities and Vancouver projects to the
capital budget. "...We want to open the doors of higher
education to as many students as possible. We looked at a number
of projects that would have enhanced existing facilities, but
if they didn't improve access, we tended to give them less
weight. We just can't afford to put icing on every cake.
If I had to choose between adding frills or increasing opportunities,
well...I'm a pragmatist. I'll live without the frills."
The Sehlin budget is 19 percent less than current spending levels
statewide.
WSU estimates that more than 200 additional students could be
added to the Vancouver campus with the classrooms and other facilities
provided by the proposed building. While the CIC building itself
does not contain classrooms, it will house the WSU Tri-Cities
library. That will free 12,000 square feet in the existing WSU
Tri-Cities Building for remodeling into classrooms, offices and
laboratories. WSU estimates that 9,000 square feet will be classrooms,
creating an additional student capacity of about 750 student FTE
on the WSU Tri-Cities campus, a combination of both graduate and
undergraduate students.
In addition, the House budget includes language that will allow
WSU to borrow $8.6 million from the state treasury, to be repaid
by the federal government, to house the Cascades Volcano Observatory
to be operated by the U.S. Geological Survey on the campus of
WSU Vancouver. Moving the USGS from leased facilities in Vancouver
will put 35 scientists on the WSU campus, creating many opportunities
for adjunct teaching faculty, joint research projects, and sharing
of equipment, laboratories and libraries at no ultimate cost to
the state.
PULLMAN'S WHEAT RESEARCH FACILITY IS ALSO FULLY FUNDED
IN THE HOUSE PROPOSAL
The Sehlin proposal also increases the Governor's proposed
state funding level from $3 million to $4 million to fully-fund
the state portion of the proposed $8 million Wheat Research
Center in Pullman. The Washington Wheat Commission has already
pledged $1 million in its own funding. Federal funds are being
sought for the remainder.
