A $4.5 million supplemental capital construction proposal to create up to 200 new private sector jobs on small but critical Washington State University infrastructure projects in Pullman and across the state was announced this morning by House Capital Budget Chair Ed Murray, D-Seattle. The proposal is a long-awaited boost to neglected, deferred, or stalled WSU projects in every corner of the state and was strongly supported by the university in testimony before the committee this morning.
Enhancements for Agricultural Experiment Stations, Pullman's Pedestrian Mall, Spokane's Riverpoint Campus.
The House majority Democrats' proposal represents one of the most comprehensive investments in WSU agricultural experiment stations in decades, the first step toward additional improvements that the university will try to make with reallocations or budget requests in the upcoming biennia. Improvements range from a new elevator in a Puyallup laboratory building, to waste handling facilities in locations like the Lind Dryland Wheat Research Unit, to a new water system at Prosser's Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in the Yakima Valley. Also included is a key phase of a new pedestrian mall system on the Pullman campus, improvements to the main arterial road through the Pullman campus, and upgrading space in an older building at Spokane's Riverpoint Higher Education Campus.
Other communities that will benefit from private construction jobs created by the WSU package include Lind, Othello, Mount Vernon, Puyallup, Wenatchee, and Royal City.
The proposal, a House striking amendment to Engrossed Senate Bill 6396, is expected to come to a vote in the House Capital Budget Committee on Monday.
The $4.5 million proposal is a scaled-down version of a $6 million plan recommended last fall by Gov. Gary Locke. The state Senate stunned higher education leaders by deleting all such projects at universities from its jobs-stimulus plan, though they did fund job creation projects for other sectors of government and education. It will now be up to the House to keep these university projects alive for funding in the Legislature. Murray said support from Republican lawmakers will be the key to House passage.
If it passes the House floor in this form, it will likely be up to a House-Senate conference committee on SB 6396.
WSU is urging legislators to support this House version of the capital construction budget bill.
Here are some key components:
$1.2 million for Mount Vernon, Othello, Lind, Wenatchee and Royal City units. The $1.2 million will be spent to build hazardous waste disposal sites that could avoid hundreds of thousands of dollars in clean-up costs for the future and make the university a model for handling these chemicals. There are three components to each site, where about $200,000 to $250,000 in construction will be initiated. Most sites will have a 350-square-foot modular metal storage building for laboratory waste and petroleum products. Each building includes full utilities and a foundation. In addition, each site will construct a 2,400-square foot covered concrete pad and drain, for safe mixing of pesticides and rinsing residue off equipment. There will also be containment cabinets inside other buildings, equipped with fans. These improvements should make WSU research facilities a model for the safe disposal, handling, and storage of hazardous wastes. Since it was fined by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1992, WSU has reallocated funds and sought additional state funding to do these projects.
$250,000 in matching monies to provide a new elevator at Kalkus Hall at WSU
Puyallup. Kalkus is a four-story building, the largest building on the
campus. It has no elevator. That creates accessibility issues and it poses
difficulties with moving equipment and supplies into laboratories. WSU has
earmarked an additional $150,000 to complete the project for a total investment
of $400,000.
$435,000 to upgrade the water system at WSU Prosser. This first phase of replacing the domestic water system of a lead joint cast iron pipe dating back to 1919 at the university's Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center. Wells drilled in 1954 and 1956 will be retained but the pumps will be replaced. An underground water reservoir will be abandoned. A water tower built in 1962 will be improved. Changes will be made to the water chlorination system.
$500,000 in Spokane to complete the first phase renovation of the F.O. Berg building 410 East Trent, Spokane, to provide offices for Facilities Operations, Capital Planning and Development, Security and parking. This will free up space for academic programs and information technology elsewhere on the Riverpoint campus. The F.O. Berg building currently also houses the Students Book Corporation (Bookie) in Spokane, which is adjacent to the space scheduled for renovation.
$450,000 toward a $2.85 million pedestrian mall on library road in Pullman. The funding will complete a project by August that will also provide landscaping and lighting.
$575,000 to complete improvements to Stadium Way in Pullman, a $3.57 million reconstruction of the main Pullman campus arterial. The improvements will be made from Kruegal Hall bridge to Grimes Way in Pullman.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in safety improvements throughout the WSU System including laboratory fume hoods, and contaminated soil cleanup at Mount Vernon and Prosser.
This update is shared by broadcast fax and electronic mail to friends of Washington State University as government developments occur. Contact Kevin Ketchie, WSU Government Relations specialist, 509/335-6292 to be added to the list. Call Larry Ganders at 360-956-2165; From WSU Campuses, Dial 8-2165. E-mail:
Ganders@energy.wsu.edu. Contact Jane Yung Dennie
at 360-956-2164. For federal issues, contact Kristi Growdon at 206-219-2424. For state bill status, budget updates, and other government info, visit our web page at
www.olympia.wsu.edu. Improvements have
recently been made in bill status tracking. Just go to our page and click on
"Status" in the left hand column.
