By KYLE ODEGARD
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 12:00 am
Oregon State University took a step toward construction of three new campus buildings on Friday, when the Oregon Board of Higher Education voted to approved a building budget for 2009-11.
The higher ed board also approved a proposed 5 percent raise for OSU President Ed Ray.
Included in the budget requests was $284 million for a new $56 million College of Business building, a $55 million student involvement center near the Memorial Union and a $52 million new international residence hall.
"It's a long process, but this is the first milestone approval," said Di Saunders, director of communications for the Oregon University System.
The proposed budget includes a total of $1.36 billion in requests and will be forwarded to the governor for consideration in the 2009 Legislative session. Of course, neither the governor's budget nor the Legislature's approval is guaranteed once the Legislature convenes Jan. 12, 2009.
"The governor's recommended budget, we'd typically only see half the projects," said Bob Simonton, assistant vice chancellor of the Oregon University System. "We try our best to get as many projects moved forward as possible, but there's only so much funding available."
OSU had the highest requests in the state's public university system, by nearly $200 million.
However, nearly $63 million of OSU's $284 million in the proposed budget comes from donations and grants, usually as a match to state funding, Simonton said.
Although the budget is not yet approved, Ray's salary increase will be effective immediately. He also will receive a 5 percent increase in his OSU Foundation supplement, bringing his total compensation package to $425,700. The state provides $245,700 now, and the foundation $180,000.
Here is a summary of OSU's proposed projects:
• A new 100,000 square foot College of Business building, with a price tag of $56 million, is expected to start construction in 2009 and be complete in 2011. Includes a $28 million match. Would be constructed north of Jefferson Way and west of the Women's Building.
• A four-story student involvement center, set for the Memorial Union parking lot, could start construction in 2009 and wrap up in 2011. The $55 million building is planned to host student government, leadership and involvement offices, as well as student media, a drop-in childcare center and more. It would essentially replace the deteriorating Snell Hall.
• The $52 million international residence hall is planned to include a living and learning center, academic offices, 300 to 500 student beds and a natural foods market. If approved, construction would begin south of Halsell Hall in 2009 and finish in 2011.
• Student Health Services is the focus of a $19 million project that would create a new 55,000-square-foot facility designed and constructed to meet current standards for outpatient health care.
• An $18 million new building at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport will provide much-needed new space - about 28,000 square feet of it - for OSU scientists at the coast. It includes a $9 million match.
• Also envisioned is a $17.5 million renovation to the interior and exterior of Education Hall, including a seismic rehabilitation and a redesign of office and teaching space. There's no timeline for construction, and funding includes an $8.75 million match.
• A $14 million renovation of the Memorial Union includes plans to replace the roof and improve the ballroom. No timeline has yet been identified.
• The $14 million student success center would be a complex dedicated to the academic success of students and student athletes. Construction is planned for 2009, with work expected to wrap up in 2011. Includes a $7 million match. So far, more than $5 million has been raised.
• Phase II of the $12 million Gill Coliseum annex project would add a practice gym to the north end of the Sports Performance Center and would allow for more flexibility in scheduling of practices as well as more room to expand summer camps. Construction is estimated to start in 2010 and finish in spring 2011.
• A $12 million project would renovate Bates Hall and create the connecting Hallie Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families. Estimated start of construction is 2009, with an end date in 2010. Includes a $6 million match that already has been made.
• Few details were included about a $10 million renovation or creation of new cultural centers on campus.
• The CH2M Hill Alumni Center is set for a $4.2 million upgrade that would expand the ballroom and kitchen and add storage space and restroom facilities. Initial funding for the center's construction was inadequate to build a ballroom with the desired seating capacity of 750 people. No timeline. No state funding will go toward the project.
Under consideration for 2011-13 are an $80 million facility for the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences and a $60 million pharmacy building on the south waterfront of Portland.
The budget for 2013-15 has the $90 million under consideration for the Linus Pauling Science Center on campus, as well as $75 million for a new mechanical, industrial and manufacturing engineering building and $60 million for a new chemical, biological and environmental engineering building.
Kyle Odegard covers Oregon State University. He can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523. To read more on OSU's proposed construction projects, see his blog at gazettetimes.com.
Campus proposals
Eastern Oregon University - $11.5 million
Oregon Institute of Technology - $6.6 million
Oregon State University - $283.7 million
Portland State University - $90 million
Southern Oregon University - $11 million
University of Oregon - $93 million
Western Oregon University - $18 million
System-wide projects - $850.8 million