PSS updated on capital budget

By Sue Wuetcher
Reporter Editor

While news concerning the operating side of Gov. George Pataki's 1999-2000 executive budget is a source of consternation for UB, the capital budget remains a bright spot, Senior Vice President Robert J. Wagner told the Professional Staff Senate at its Jan. 28 meeting.

Wagner noted that the capital budget is drawn up through a "different process," one that was tremendously improved in 1998 with the implementation of a five-year budget that allows the university to plan and make choices, unhampered by not knowing what resources will be available from year to year.

UB's appropriation in that budget, Wagner reminded senators, is $100 million, which will be used for new construction, infrastructure work and rehabilitation of the university's physical plant.

Among the projects that UB will begin this year is construction of a $7 million mathematics building on the North Campus, which is targeted for occupancy by the Fall of 2000, Wagner said.

The university also will embark on a major signage project that will make it easier for both the campus community and the Western New York community to identify buildings and navigate the campuses.

Calling it "a fairly modest investment" of between $2.5 million and $3 million, the project will include installation of major signage at campus entrances, Wagner noted, so that "the first sign people see says they're pulling into the University at Buffalo, rather than one that says, 'don't park on this road.'"

Another capital project about to begin, Wagner said, is the expansion of UB Stadium, which is necessary to comply with the requirements of NCAA Division I-A play and the Mid-American Conference. That expansion, which he called "modest...from the perspective of construction," is expected to be completed in time for the first home football game this fall.

The university also is trying to line up design work for the New Student Center, which will serve as home to offices that include Admissions and Student Finance and Records, and could be completed in about two-and-a-half years, "if we're lucky," Wagner said.

In addition, funds from the capital budget will be used for infrastructure support. "A great deal of resource will be used to protect the existing campus," Wagner noted.

On the South Campus, he said, capital funds are being earmarked for additional laboratory space in Cary, Farber and Sherman halls. That project is expected to begin in the next fiscal year and continue over the next three years, depending on the needs that are identified.

Harriman Hall will see some "modest" improvements, Wagner added.

A "significant" investment will be made in the South Campus' McKay Power Plant, which is "many years beyond its projected useful life" and which will receive a major upgrade and replacement of infrastructure, Wagner said.

"We could have added another $100 million (in renovations and upgrades) easily, but we had to prioritize," he said of the projects.

Asked whether Acheson Hall was on the list of South Campus capital projects, Wagner noted that the building has been on and off the list of projects because it is expected to cost about $25 million to renovate.

"It's an important priority and needs to be done, but at the moment, it's moving toward not (being on the list) because of too many other priorities," he said.

In other business, senators voiced concerns about the condition of campus parking lots and the university's choice to remain open during January's inclement weather.

"We've all had trying times during the past month," noted Wagner. When staff encounter specific problems as a result of snow and ice in parking lots, "I hope people are confident and familiar enough to report problems to the University Facilities help desk," he said.

But don't expect UB to close when the weather is bad, just because the surrounding schools do, Wagner said. "You do the best you can," he said. "I got calls at 4:30 in the morning...and you just make a judgment call."

Most schools close because small children are waiting outside for the school bus, he continued. But during the January storms, classes were not in session at UB.

He noted that weather conditions may make it difficult for some staff to get to the university.

"If you can't make it in, you can't make it in," Wagner said. "But we're not going to close just because the other schools close."