UH REPAIRS
UH repairs a top goal, lawmakers say, despite Isles' economic concerns
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Government Writer
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The University of Hawai'i may still get a significant amount of state construction money even as legislators reconsider spending because of uncertainty about the economy.
The figures under consideration are far less than UH administrators requested late last year but more than Gov. Linda Lingle included in her budget draft in December.
State House and Senate leaders made UH repairs a priority at the start of the session in January. But since then, the state Council on Revenues has downgraded the state's revenue forecast and the closures of Aloha Airlines, ATA Airlines and Moloka'i Ranch have become warnings of potentially deeper trouble with the economy.
The university's physical decay, especially on the Manoa campus, was on national display during the football team's championship season last year. The deteriorating conditions of the athletic facilities were also a factor in football coach June Jones' decision to leave for Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
House and Senate budget negotiators will go into conference committee in the coming days with drafts for UH construction spending that are not as aggressive as some lawmakers may have wanted.
The House draft of the budget proposes $138.7 million in UH construction spending for next fiscal year, while the Senate recommends $153.8 million. Both chambers — like Lingle — propose $48.5 million of whatever is ultimately budgeted for deferred repair and maintenance projects — about half of what UH administrators had requested.
"I think we've done a good job. Hopefully, in conference, we can add to the repair and maintenance portion of it," said state Sen. Shan Tsutsui, D-4th (Kahului), the vice chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. "It's kind of wait and see."
Brian Minaai, the UH associate vice president for capital improvements, told lawmakers in a memo Thursday that the university supports the majority of adjustments made in the Senate's draft of the budget. Minaai said the Senate draft would provide full or partial funding for 14 of the 26 projects included in the university's request.
The projects tie into the university's strategic plan, Minaai said, "by developing, maintaining, and improving campus structures to promote a nurturing learning and working environment."
UH-Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw told lawmakers this session that the deferred maintenance backlog on the Manoa campus alone is upward of $400 million. Tsutsui said Hinshaw told him Friday that she has concerns about the level of repair and maintenance money being discussed.
"She would like to see that bumped up," Tsutsui said. "And we're hopeful that we can increase that amount. It just depends on what we do with the total sum of CIP statewide."
UNDER CONSIDERATION
The House and Senate are in accordance with UH administrators on many of the university's construction spending priorities. According to a budget comparison prepared by the university, the projects being considered include:
Despite the attention by the news media and by UH sports fans to the condition of the athletic facilities, the university only included a few athletics-related projects among its priorities.
Lawmakers are looking at $3.1 million the university wants for women's locker room improvements in Manoa to comply with federal equal opportunity law and $288,000 in planning money to replace Manoa's Klum Gym. Lawmakers have so far not agreed to budget money the university has requested for a covered basketball court at the Student Life Complex at UH-Hilo.
After listening last year to quarterback Colt Brennan and Jones complain about the state of Manoa's athletic facilities, and hearing ESPN commentators mention it on national television broadcasts of Warriors' football games, several lawmakers toured the Manoa campus after Jones' departure for SMU.
LAWMAKERS' PRIORITIES
In response, lawmakers have chosen to consider spending on several projects at Manoa that were not on the UH priority list.
Budget negotiators will discuss up to $5 million for improvements to Cooke Field and $386,000 for repairs at Les Murakami Stadium. They will also consider a $3 million lump sum for overall upgrades to athletic facilities and another $2.3 million specifically for athletic training room improvements.
Separate from athletics, lawmakers will consider $9.5 million for a regional biocontainment laboratory and $5 million for improvements at Edmondson Hall at Manoa.
On the Big Island, lawmakers will look at $16.2 million for development at Hawai'i Community College.
State Rep. K. Mark Takai, D-34th (Newtown, Waiau, Pearl City), said lawmakers want to finance some specific projects in the athletic department at Manoa instead of providing lump sum amounts at the discretion of UH administrators because of the way money was spent in the past.
"From my perspective, they showed that that decision was unwise," he said.
Takai said Hinshaw and other UH administrators should be pleased with the amount of new construction money being discussed given the forecasts for the economy.
"They're pretty sizable investments that I think will help address the commitments we made at the beginning of session and, more importantly, will address the critical needs of the program," he said.
Other lawmakers agree with Tsutsui that it is possible UH construction spending levels may increase in the budget during conference committee, although UH will be competing with other state priorities, such as repair and maintenance at K-12 public schools and public housing.
'SO FAR, SO GOOD'
UH is fortunate, some believe, that the Warriors' Western Athletic Conference championship and Sugar Bowl appearance brought attention to the construction needs and repair backlog throughout the 10-campus system.
"So far, so good," said state Rep. Jerry Chang, D-2nd (S. Hilo), the chairman of the House Higher Education Committee.
With state general-fund spending tight because of slower revenue growth, many lawmakers want to invest more this session in bond-financed capital improvement projects to offset a potential downturn in private construction and help the economy.
State Sen. Norman Sakamoto, D-15th (Waimalu, Airport, Salt Lake), the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said he hopes House negotiators prefer the higher spending on UH construction contained in the Senate draft of the budget.
"My hope is that they agree with some of the things that we have in there," he said.
Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.
