Substantial budget could improve campus conditions
Ritter keeps CU in mind.
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and his budget committee have set aside hundreds of thousands of dollars for maintenance projects at CU.
According to a source from Ritter’s budget office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the budget is not yet finalized, $217,000 will go to an upgrade of fire alarm systems at CU. There will also be a fire safety upgrade, amounting to $425,000. Another $362,000 will go to repair and replace a repressed air utility on main campus.
$9.1 million has also been proposed to aid a new visual arts complex. This request was made by CU while former Gov. Bill Owens was still in office and has been carried through to Ritter. The $9.1 million grant will be a part of Ritter’s 2008 budget, according to Ritter’s office.
According to the budget office, the process of getting Ritter’s ideas past the planning stage is lengthy. The proposals must be reviewed by the legislative capital development committee, and they then must approved by the joint budget committee.
A press release made public on Thursday said $13.4 million in maintenance projects on campuses and other state buildings was being proposed. The press release was not specific about which campuses would receive the funding.
The money CU is set to receive is for controlled maintenance, which includes smaller projects that maintain buildings. Projects like these are a high priority in order to minimize heath and safety risks and reduce future spending.
Other schools listed in the press release that will also receive funding are Fort Lewis, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, and Lamar and Morgan Community Colleges.
Other projects Ritter plans to fund include $7 million to cover inflationary costs for a new science and engineering building at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; $3.2 million in technology and telecommunications upgrades at Front Range, Lamar and Morgan community colleges; and $1.5 million to begin upgrading Berndt Hall at Fort Lewis College.
