2008 Woodie Awards
State Board, Legislature allots ISU $10.4 million for 'alterations and repairs'
Ryan Hunter
Issue date: 4/25/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Idaho State Board of Education has approved roughly $10.43 million to be allotted to ISU from the state's Permanent Building Fund for alterations and repairs of state owned facilities at ISU. This amount, to be used for fiscal year 2008, is a sizable increase from maintenance funding allotted by the State Board over the past several years.
According to Ken Prolo, Financial Vice President of ISU, the typical amount allotted to the state for maintenance of state owned building is around $2 million, which is roughly how much ISU received for this fiscal year 2007.
"This is a really fortunate surprise from the legislature," said Prolo. "They were so helpful and generous, so now we can do a lot of things we've put on hold the last few years and it's well appreciated."
Associated Students of ISU (ASISU) President Ryan Sargent also expressed surprise and excitement at the generous amount allotted by the state.
"This was a great year for [ISU] in terms of past amounts," said Sargent. "The legislature needs to be thanked for recognizing the needs of ISU. Hopefully these kinds of allotments will continue in the future because it's exactly what ISU needs."
The money will be used to address a number of maintenance issues that have been overlooked the past several years due to lack of funds, the first of which will be the replacement of the roof on the life sciences building, according to Prolo. Other repairs include the upkeep and improvement of campus elevators and structural improvements and repairs to various other buildings on the ISU campus.
Some maintenance items still won't be addressed this year, however, due to the number of projects on the list and to time constraints required to complete the projects. Also, the money is earmarked specifically for state owned facilities, meaning the buildings some see as needing the most money won't get any.
"None of the money can be used for Reed Gym, the Rendezvous Center, or the Pond Student Union Building," stated Prolo.
As for when ISU students and faculty can expect to begin to see the maintenance and repair work on campus, Prolo stated that there are still a few technicalities to overcome before the university receives the money.
"[ISU] won't have access to the money until after July 1 at the earliest," said Prolo. "This is because the Division of Public Works (the state agency that takes care of all buildings and renovations) has to go through and decide on contractors and the renovation schedule."
Regardless of the "red tape" that must be worked through, Sargent feels that this shows improvement in how the university is dealing with the legislature.
"The university has been much more effective this year than in previous years in lobbying the legislature," said Sargent. "Pres. Vailas has been much more active in Boise, and hiring Kent Kunz as lobbyist for ISU was a very smart move."
According to Ken Prolo, Financial Vice President of ISU, the typical amount allotted to the state for maintenance of state owned building is around $2 million, which is roughly how much ISU received for this fiscal year 2007.
"This is a really fortunate surprise from the legislature," said Prolo. "They were so helpful and generous, so now we can do a lot of things we've put on hold the last few years and it's well appreciated."
Associated Students of ISU (ASISU) President Ryan Sargent also expressed surprise and excitement at the generous amount allotted by the state.
"This was a great year for [ISU] in terms of past amounts," said Sargent. "The legislature needs to be thanked for recognizing the needs of ISU. Hopefully these kinds of allotments will continue in the future because it's exactly what ISU needs."
The money will be used to address a number of maintenance issues that have been overlooked the past several years due to lack of funds, the first of which will be the replacement of the roof on the life sciences building, according to Prolo. Other repairs include the upkeep and improvement of campus elevators and structural improvements and repairs to various other buildings on the ISU campus.
Some maintenance items still won't be addressed this year, however, due to the number of projects on the list and to time constraints required to complete the projects. Also, the money is earmarked specifically for state owned facilities, meaning the buildings some see as needing the most money won't get any.
"None of the money can be used for Reed Gym, the Rendezvous Center, or the Pond Student Union Building," stated Prolo.
As for when ISU students and faculty can expect to begin to see the maintenance and repair work on campus, Prolo stated that there are still a few technicalities to overcome before the university receives the money.
"[ISU] won't have access to the money until after July 1 at the earliest," said Prolo. "This is because the Division of Public Works (the state agency that takes care of all buildings and renovations) has to go through and decide on contractors and the renovation schedule."
Regardless of the "red tape" that must be worked through, Sargent feels that this shows improvement in how the university is dealing with the legislature.
"The university has been much more effective this year than in previous years in lobbying the legislature," said Sargent. "Pres. Vailas has been much more active in Boise, and hiring Kent Kunz as lobbyist for ISU was a very smart move."
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