Emporia State University could get nearly $35 million to use for repairs if a proposal by Governor Kathleen Sebelius passes the Legislature.
Sebelius’ proposal would give the state’s universities $575 million over five years, more than half of it paid through increased turnpike tolls. The rest would come from low-interest loans made available to the colleges and from early repayment of the bonds for the state’s Crumbling Classrooms initiative.
ESU President Mike Lane was in Topeka when Sebelius made her announcement. He called the proposal a strong first step.
“What she did was open the conversation and say ‘If you have other ideas, let’s hear them,’ and that’s a great approach,” Lane said. “It’s the first concrete plan that’s been laid down on the table for discussion.”
Based on a formula devised by the Kansas Board of Regents, ESU would receive 6 percent of the new funds. That comes to $34.5 million over five years.
Overall, academic buildings at the state’s universities have a deferred maintenance backlog of $727 million, including $44.7 million of needed work at ESU. That total does not include non-academic buildings, such as athletic facilities.
A report last October said that about half of ESU’s deferred maintenance came from four buildings: the William Allen White Library, King Hall, Roosevelt Hall and the Health, Physical Education and Recreation building.
The roof of the physical education building had the top priority and was already scheduled to be worked on this summer. But any additional money could help the university get moving on its next priority, repairs to the library. White Library’s heating and cooling systems, windows and parts of its interior need to be either repaired, upgraded or replaced.
Roosevelt Hall was high on the list in part because of foundation problems. During a tour last October, university officials pointed out the long white cracks in the red brick that indicated shifting.
“These are state buildings and they belong to everyone in the state,” said John Schwenn, ESU’s Vice President of Academic Affairs. “We want to make sure we can keep them in good condition.”
College students across Kansas lobbied the governor through a postcard campaign in December to pay for more repairs. Sebelius promised in this month’s State of the State address that she would present a plan to address the issue.
The increased turnpike tolls would raise the cost to about eight cents per mile, which Lane said is about average for the region.
However, Sen. Jim Barnett, R-Emporia, called the plan “poorly thought-out public policy.” Raising tolls would discourage turnpike traffic, he said, which would divert revenue from Emporia and also increase traffic on U.S. Highway 50, possibly resulting in more fatal accidents.
An alternative approach, he said, would repay the Crumbling Classrooms bonds while making long-term plans to cut state spending and prioritize the state’s needs.
“If we put $700 million forth today for correction of the crumbling classrooms, the Regents institutions wouldn’t be able to spend it fast enough,” Barnett said. “So this indicates a phased-in solution.”
Barnett also said that future Regents budgets should set aside 5 percent per year for maintenance, “so that in five years, we don’t have to deal with this issue again.”
Rep. Don Hill, R-Emporia, had his doubts about the plan as well.
“I think it’s good to have another bad proposal out there,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s one of those things where there aren’t any good choices.”
Hill said the plan fell short of what the universities needed and that it put too much of a burden on a small group of people by relying on turnpike tolls.
“Having said that, it’s in play as far as I’m concerned,” he added. “I’m not rejecting her proposal categorically.”
Like Lane, Schwenn said he was excited to see the discussion begin. Schwenn was interim president of ESU when the Kansas Board of Regents raised the deferred maintenance issue last fall.
“It’s a great start,” Schwenn said of the governor’s proposal. “It’s very positive as far as I’m concerned.”