On-campus building maintenance behind schedule

Maintenance on several buildings across campus has fallen behind schedule as a result of cuts in state funding and a tightened budget.

CU buildings are affected by the $374 million maintenance backlog, a current cost that has been increasing for the past eleven years. Some of the buildings affected are Cristol Chemistry and Biochemistry, Muenzinger Psychology and Norlin Library.

Malinda Miller-Huey, CU’s spokesperson for media relations and news services, says the delay is a result of the economy. 

Norlin Library, one of the buildings on campus in need of maintenance. (Courtesy of Wally Gobetz, flickr.com/wallyg)

“The money for this maintenance comes from state funding, which was first cut in 2000 during the recession,” Miller-Huey said.

Miller-Huey also said that the maintenance in question, which includes electrical and HVAC repairs, occurs outside of facilities’ operational budgets, and further cuts in funding have continued to hinder the school’s ability to keep up with need maintenance.

However, CU is working on a plan to catch-up.

“We are still in the early stages of figuring out a proposal,” Miller-Huey said. “We’ll have to request funds and come up with a strategy.”

One method that will likely be utilized is priority funding, which entails looking at the list of buildings in need of maintenance and taking care of the most significant issues first. 

The maintenance that is needed for buildings like Muenzinger and Norlin is different than a lot of the routine repairs that go on around campus on a daily basis.

The maintenance delay does not influence CU’s various upcoming construction projects, including the recently approved $100 million geosciences building.

Miller-Huey says maintenance is in an entirely different budget pool — new buildings are financed by donations and auxiliary funds — these are means of generating money proven stable over the years.

It is obvious to CU students that a lot of the buildings on campus are aging, and updates are desired and necessary in many cases.

“Chem 140 is always extremely humid and hot,” said Jordan Mazur, a 20-year-old junior political science major.

Katie Mallett, a 19-year-old sophomore psychology major, said she agrees.

“It’s interesting that this is such a problem,” Mallett said. “Because I’ve definitely noticed it in Chem 140. It’s so hot all the time, and there’s no air flow at all.”

Despite the need for many updates across campus, Miller-Huey says the university is working to create a plan and get moving.

“It’s a big situation,” Miller-Huey said. “$374 million is a lot. But something will get figured out.”

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Annie Melton at [email protected]