Topeka — State lawmakers released $15 million for repairs at public universities, but higher education officials said Wednesday that's not enough to make a dent in the massive amount of needed work.
"We are in a pattern now where we have to put Band-Aids on wounds," said Eric King, director of facilities for the Kansas Board of Regents.
A 2004 assessment of the six regents universities found a maintenance backlog of $584.5 million worth of projects.
In addition, the cost to fully fund the schools' annual maintenance is $74 million per year, and the state currently is trying to determine the cost of deferred repairs at Kansas' 19 community colleges and Washburn University in Topeka.
It's a problem lawmakers and higher education officials have been studying for several years. The regents proposed a tax increase last legislative session, but that went nowhere in the anti-tax Legislature.
Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway said he hoped lawmakers would deal with the issue soon.
"The sooner, the better," Hemenway said. "Frankly every year that you fail to continue to maintain these buildings, you fall further behind."
More about the allocations
KU has more than $160 million of deferred projects at its Lawrence campus and nearly $70 million at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., according to studies.
The House-Senate Building Construction Committee last week released $4,459,500 for maintenance for the Lawrence campus and $1,534,500 at KU Med for the current fiscal year.
Jim Modig, director of design and construction management at KU, said the task of applying the funds to the large number of projects is daunting.
"It's kind of frustrating in one regard, and kind of demoralizing in another. It creates a real challenge to do what I call crisis management," Modig said.
Of KU's approximately $4.5 million allocation, about $1 million will go toward reconstructing the first floor slab in Wescoe Hall.
The slab is heaving because the shale beneath it is expanding from moisture, Modig said. That is pushing up partitions and ceilings.
"It's one of the more complex and difficult problems we are going to have to deal with," Modig said.
There also is $890,000 to repair parts of aging utility tunnels on campus.
Most of the projects funded under the repair appropriation will be put out for bids in the spring and will start next summer, Modig said.
Comments
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prioress (anonymous) says…
Danger Will Robinson! Underfunding basic maintenance projects at the Regents' Schools will eventually create a disaster.
Baille (anonymous) says…
This is why the Kansas legislature wasn't providing enough funding for a "suitable education" pursuant to the state constitution and why their funding scheme was in no way related to the actual costs of providing such funding. Kansas legislators, on the whole, are a bunch of dumbasses.
prioress (anonymous) says…
Reality_Check: Good points, and there is some truth to what you say. Getting people to vote against their own self-interests is a long-standing Republican tactic. Educated sheeple can sometimes see through the fog, but not always. Just curious, where did you get your data that more D's than R's are receiving advanced degrees?
75x55 (anonymous) says…
There is some seriously self-deluding thought going on here. 'If people were educated, they wouldn't think differently than me....' That's tolerant, multi-cultural and non-prejudicial - NOT.
Unless, of course, this is satire, then, bravo!
gccs14r (anonymous) says…
There is research on the topic of education and political demeanor. The more education one has, the more likely one is to vote for the public good rather than for one's own short-term self interest.
Sandman (anonymous) says…
Time for a Reality Check:
Voters with college degrees are (in fact) more likely to be Republican. Those with post-graduate degrees and those who did not finish High School tend to vote Democrat.
So, I guess if you assume that education level = intelligence, only the very smart and very stupid vote for Democrats. All us average people vote Republican.
Anyway, a good breakdown (at least from the 2004 election) is at:
http://www.cnn.com/election/2004/page...
Also, if you make more money you tend to vote Republican. If the assumption is Republicans are stupid, and liberals are smart, then you have to assume stupid people make more money than smart people.
vote by income__________bush ___ kerry
Less Than $50,000 (45%)_____ 44% __ 55%
$50,000 or More (55%) ________ 56% __ 43%
gccs14r (anonymous) says…
Notice they don't do a further breakdown above $200k. The numbers flip back to D once you start talking about real money and real education (sorry, no link). Today's Bachelor's is the equivalent of an 8th-grade education from a century ago. Look at the guys whose net worth begins with a B and see how they vote. Sociopaths such as the Walton clan don't count.
hobb2264 (anonymous) says…
Great info Sandman! It's good to see someone make a bold statement....then back it up with actual evidence!
bd (anonymous) says…
deferred maintainance!
delayed?
ignored?
put-off?
peventitive???????????????
looks like a little of each, or a lack of # 4
blessed3x (anonymous) says…
I am certainly glad to hear that all the Billionaires are Democrats. Maybe KU can appeal to them and quit hitting the state up to dig into my meager paycheck to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for one school. Thanks gccs14r! You better get on the phone to raise that dough!
Solomon (anonymous) says…
The condition of some of the buildings at KU are a disgrace. My wife works in a building in which they found a weed growing up through the floor. Many other problems as well.
The problem needs to be fixed!
Sigmund (anonymous) says…
In related news, Sigmund only got a $3,000 raise last year of the needed $30,000. When contacted by the LJW concerning the situation, Sigmund released this statement. "It is sad my employer has turned a blind eye to an obvious and ongoing need. By deferring my raise till next year I will be forced to request even more in the future. Lawrence's real estate and sales tax have never been higher and I don't see either declining anytime soon. That doesn't even account for increase State and Federal Taxes."
Godot (anonymous) says…
I agree with "bd." The university administration, particularly the current one, has failed miserably to be good stewards of the property that they were charged with. They choose to expend their resources on new buildings and cosmetic fixes rather than tackle the mundane business of maintenance.
Hemenway should beg the endowment association for money to fix the buildings. They could devote return on their assets for two years to building maintenance, just two years, and there would be more than enough money to bring the buildings up to snuff. That assumes Hemenway would actually spend the money on maintenance, rather than some new cosmetic project, once he got his hands on it.
If I were in the legislature, the only way I would approve money for the deferred maintenance would be to keep the money out of the University's hands. I would assign the responsibility to another state agency.
Baille (anonymous) says…
Hate to tell you, Sigmund, but that isn't even tangentially related.
Sigmund (anonymous) says…
I've posted over 600 times on this site. Thanks for pointing out the one post you couldn't find any relevence, or humor, in. I hope you are not too disappointed to discover that what you find relevent, or humorous, is of no concern to me. Be assured I understand the feeling is mutual.
Baille (anonymous) says…
It's true I could not find any relevance in your post, but I could see some humor. Too bad the pool from which it arose is so shallow. I am neither disappointed nor assured. I am not even all that interested anymore.
Have a good night.
dizzy_from_your_spin (anonymous) says…
It'd be interesting to know what (pet?) projects are included in the $160M figure.
Have the universities ever been able to operate within the money alloted by the State? If so, when did all these deficits begin and what was the money used for instead of the deferred projects?
If the roof and walls were collapsing on my home, I'd make those repairs a priority before or a room addition or big screen. (Well, that is unless my rich daddy--KS Legislature--tires of the whining and throws me more cash every so often.)