The buildings on ASU's main campus may take a hard hit from the statewide budget cuts that are exhausting the building renewal fund.
ASU facilities management was given no funding for building renewal this year, which came as a disappointment because it was expecting the usual $13 million, said Dave Brixen, facilities management director of operations and management services.
"This is the first year we've received zero and that's a major impact on us," Brixen said.
Gov. Jane Hull vetoed the proposal for building renewal funds in spring.
There is a possibility that if a building were to have a major system failure, facilities management would not have the money to fix the problem and would be forced to close the building, Brixen said.
"We are trying to position ourselves to minimize the impact on campus," he said.
The building renewal fund is used for maintenance such as replacing roofs, servicing elevators, classroom upgrades and major repair work. Brixen also expressed a concern about the condition of the sewer lines near Palm Walk and the Computing Commons building.
Emergency funds set aside for minor problems on campus have already been frozen to help tighten the facilities management budget, Brixen said.
The budget cuts will have a definite impact on facilities management, said Scott Cole, assistant vice provost.
"We are not able to accomplish any of the deferred maintenance projects that were scheduled for this fiscal year," he said.
Hull proposed a 4 percent budget cut for all statewide agencies that will be discussed in a special legislative session Nov. 13. Until then, the amount to be cut from facilities management has not been determined, Cole said.
"We've been taking a conservative approach to maintenance on campus," he said.
Other buildings on campus that need repairs include the Social Sciences building where the fourth floor was found to be unsafe, the Goldwater Center where a water pipe broke, and the Matthews Center where the HVAC units that cool and heat the building are dangerously close to failing. To replace the seven HVAC units would cost an estimated $715,000.
"The University, as a whole, will suffer," Cole said.
Reach Jennifer Voges at jennyvoges@hotmail.com.
