Kansas University officials said Friday the toll from last month’s microburst has increased to approximately $6 million as they discover more damage on the Lawrence campus.

Early estimates pegged damage near $5 million, according to officials, but the projected repair costs are in flux.

For example, two weeks ago, workers climbing the lighting poles to adjust lights at Memorial Stadium noticed cracks in the 150-foot, 10-ton structures, according to James Modig, director of design and construction management at KU.

The damage was missed in the initial assessments after the March 12 storm, Modig said, but added, “If you climb that pole, you are probably more attentive to what is holding it up.”

After an assessment of the four light poles, one was taken down for repairs, another will be repaired later and two are OK, he said.

The cost to repair and reinstall a pole is about $50,000, Modig said.

With repairs adding up from the storm, state officials were glad to learn of Thursday’s announcement that the federal government will provide assistance in repairs of state and local infrastructure in Douglas and Wyandotte counties.

“This is good news for our state,” Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said. “We hope it will help things return to normal for those impacted in these counties.”

The storm produced winds that reached 80 mph and damaged approximately 60 percent of the buildings at KU. Classes were canceled March 13 because of concerns about falling debris.

The state and local shares of the eligible repair costs are estimated to exceed $1.4 million, the governor’s office said.

Modig said officials from KU, the Kansas Emergency Management office and FEMA were continuing to discuss how much the government would pay.

The localized storm did not cause enough private property damage to trigger federal assistance for individuals.

At KU, Modig said workers were still doing temporary repairs and prioritizing permanent fixes needed to protect against future problems.

He said KU quickly fixed roof damage at the computer center to protect all the computer equipment, and workers are focusing on repairing roofs at residence halls.