UH regents want to trim repair backlog
By Loren Moreno
Advertiser Staff Writer
The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents yesterday approved a budget request that, if approved by the state Legislature, would help cut the university's repair and maintenance backlog by nearly $98 million.
At the regent's monthly meeting held on the UH-Hilo campus, UH President David McClain presented the university's supplemental budget for fiscal year 2009, which begins July 1, 2008.
The panel approved a request for an additional $30.6 million in operating money and an additional $365 million for capital improvement projects.
Included in the capital improvement fund request, is about $97.9 million for repair and maintenance projects at the university's flagship UH-Manoa campus, UH-Hilo and the community colleges.
The repair and maintenance backlog has been estimated at more than $180 million.
Last year, the university had requested about $357 million from the Legislature for capital improvements. The Legislature approved $185 million of that.
Among the capital improvement requests are:
Also included in the supplemental budget request is about $4.1 million in planning money to rebuild a classroom building lost to fire at the UH Lab School in June 2006.
That money was requested last year by the regents in the university's biennium budget but was not approved by the Legislature. The university is also expected to request $45 million during the next budget cycle for the construction of the Lab School building.
Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.
