Senate Leaders Propose Improved Capital Budget (SHB 1165): Child Care, Hazardous Waste Facilities Funded
State Senate leaders disclosed their version of the Capital Budget today. For WSU, the proposal shares many similarities with the House proposal. One significant difference is that the Senate budget fully funded the Infant Care and Development Lab (Near Rogers-Orton) at the $3.1 million level recommended by the governor. The House budget delayed the project two years. The Senate proposal also provides for $3 million for hazardous waste facilities state-wide that were also recommended by the governor but not funded by the House. It is not yet clear how either the Senate or House budget will pay for construction of the Riverpoint Health Sciences building but the capital budgets reference the complete project. The capital budget bill passed the House 93-2 April 8 while the Senate version will be considered by its Ways and Means Committee Monday. Here are the highlights of the Senate Capital Budget for WSU and some comparisons with other versions:
Johnson Hall Addition (Pre-Design), $300,000 Has House & Senate Support. The most significant unmet need in Gov. Gary Locke`s capital budget, the Johnson Hall addition, has now been recommended by both the full House and Senate leadership -- and seems destined for construction to begin in Fall, 2003. The decision by senators and representatives to fund the project was in part a reaction to lobbying by agricultural groups including the Washington Wheat Commission and the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. The addition will be designed to ease overcrowding at Johnson and provide research laboratories.
Senate Proposed Renovating Childcare Facility-Infant Care, Development Lab This Year, House Would Delay. WSU was pleased that the proposed Senate capital budget allocates $3.1 million for renovation of the WSU Childcare Facility to include infant care and a child development laboratory. If the Senate prevails on this issue, renovation of the building could begin in December of this year. The House-passed budget, however, only provides $563,000, effectively delaying the project until 2002. The childcare center is a 41,000-square foot facility that provides daycare for children of students, faculty and staff. This project will consolidate and relocate the infant care program from Commons Hall and the Child Development Laboratory from White Hall. It was also recommended by Gov. Gary Locke.
WSU Spokane Health Sciences Building Appears Funded, But Source Uncertain. This Riverpoint project remains a major area of concern in the capital budget for WSU and the Spokane community. The House Capital Budget and the proposed Senate Capital Budget endorsed the complete project by referencing it at $36.3 million. But this project still relies on other budgets in the Legislature for its source of funding. One plan, suggested by the governor, would be for the state to use supplemental operating budget funds, deposit them in an account to settle a WSU lands trust dispute, and use the interest off those funds to retire the debt on the Spokane Health Sciences building. The state Senate provided for $20 million of the necessary $36.3 million in its supplemental budget. House Republicans have provided about $10 million in supplemental and biennial operating budgets. House Democrats have not identified any funding. Located at Spokane`s Riverpoint Campus, a majority of the building will house programs that are required by statute to be offered in Spokane by Eastern Washington University plus WSU health sciences programs.
AMID/ Landscape Architecture, $2.78 million Funded by House & Senate. Proposed for the East Side of the Pullman campus near Johnson Hall, this building will house programs in Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design as well as in Landscape Architecture. The total project cost is about $30.7 million and is scheduled for construction to begin in July, 2001. This funding level fully meets the WSU request.
Teaching & Learning Center (Construction), $28.9 million, Funded by House & Senate. Located near Stadium Way in the heart of the Pullman campus, the Teaching and Learning Center is an innovative classroom building that will provide 1,300 classroom seats and a 2,200 FTE capacity. It is WSU`s highest priority for the Pullman campus. If funded by the Legislature, site work will begin this summer and be completed for classes in 2002. The governor recommended $30 million but the House & Senate proposals appears to be sufficient.
The WSU Vancouver Engineering/Life Sciences Building (Construction), $27 million Funded by House & Senate. The next classroom building for WSU Vancouver will create capacity for 620 more FTE. Funding appears sufficient to begin the project. $250,000 is also provided by both houses for pre-design for an additional Vancouver building. Construction could begin this summer and be complete in 2001.
Shock Physics Institute $1.76 million (Design) Funded by House & Senate. Construction could begin on this project in July 2001 if the capital budgets now under consideration are adopted by the Legislature. Both fund design for a Shock Physics building near Webster Hall.
Scholars Hall Renovation (White Hall), $5 million. Honors students will live, study and take classes at this renovated White Hall facility. Construction may begin next February if the proposed House or Senate funding is adopted.
Also fully funded by the Senate proposal and the House-passed budget are these projects: Museum of Art Building (Pre-Design), $125,000; Murrow Hall Addition (Design) $1.65 million; Cleveland Hall Education Addition (Design) $1.4 million; Animal Disease Biotechnology Equipment, $1.2 million; and Spokane Riverpoint Campus Development (Planning) $250,000.
