The State Board of Higher Education approved a $1.156 billionbudget for university system construction projects over the nexttwo years at a meeting at Portland Community College’s Cascadecampus, August 5.
The 2005-07 budget will be submitted for approval by the state’sDepartment of Administrative Services.
Included in the proposed budget are several Portland Stateprojects, including a $5 million rehabilitation of the Science 2building, and $7 million for new land acquisition.
Approximately 21 percent of the total proposed budget would beallocated for university system-wide repairs, building codeupgrades and renovation projects, according to Robert Simon,director of capital construction planning and budget for the OregonUniversity System (OUS).
George Pernsteiner, acting chancellor for OUS, said that systemcampuses need $40 million a year in repair funds just to breakeven. Without those funds, a maintenance backlog will develop,according to an OUS press release.
Building projects are funded using a combination of state anduniversity funds. For the 2005-07 biennium, 38 percent of fundswould come from the state and 62 percent from campuses.