Higher education construction presses on despite funding

AGC Construction’s most recent inflation report stated while overall educational construction climbed 14 percent across the nation in 2007, “public education construction, from pre-kindergarten through universities, may begin to suffer in 2008 from the downturn in property taxes and other revenue sources.”

But public university and college officials across Idaho said hurting for building funds is nothing new for them.
“It’s terribly difficult to find funding,” said Ray Pankopf, University of Idaho’s director of architectural and engineering services. “We live in a state that is a state in which it is difficult to obtain state funds, and with the economy the way it is, private fund raising is not an easy proposition. So funds for new facilities are always a struggle to come up with.”
Pankopf said while U of I is not working on any big projects currently, they are working on feasibility studies for a new science and technology lab and an alumni center.
Boise State has responded to the scarcity of state funding with aggressive fund-raising efforts. Dave Cooper, Boise State’s interim director of facilities planning and design, said they’ve set out on a campaign to raise $170 million, and they’re about half way there. And with enrollment climbing 3 percent to 5 percent every year, the money is more than needed.
“From the dollar standpoint, we’re probably in the largest building boom we’ve experienced,” Cooper said.
Cooper said BSU’s last building to be funded by state money was built in 2005. Since then, everything has required outside funding or money from student fees. Going further, a housing group on campus is pursuing a public-private partnership where a private entity would build student housing, then own it and manage it for the school.
Currently, Boise State is keeping an eye on quality and sustainability as they work on three major projects. Kreizenbeck Construction continues work on the $23.6 million Student Union Building addition and remodel, which is funded primarily by student fees. And the new stadium press box will cost close to $38 million (including the furniture, fixtures and equipment), money that comes from donations, sales of suites and club seats and institutional funds. FFKR Architecture of Layton, Utah, beat out two other design-build proposals to win that contract.
Ormond Builders Inc. of Idaho Falls recently broke ground on a $13.95 million health sciences building at Boise State funded by outside donors.
Boise State isn’t the only campus in Idaho expanding the health sciences program. Lewis-Clark State College is building a 59,000-square-foot nursing/health sciences building as well – but this one is funded by the state. The Idaho Legislature approved the $16 million building with an aim at helping Idaho combat a looming threat of a national nursing shortage.
Idaho State University received $5 million from the legislature to help fund a $15 million building at its Boise campus, and “that’s all they’ve got the money for,” ISU associate vice president of facilities services Darrell Buffaloe said. Their other current projects – with costs totaling $23 million – are funded by student fees, federal grants and donations.
North Idaho College is not currently building anything new, and information on projects at Eastern Idaho Technical College and the College of Southern Idaho was unavailable.