LANSING – The Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee is being asked to give authorization to nine new projects that, when constructed, would total $184 million. The projects include the four highest-scoring university projects and the top three community college projects. The two state projects were automatically added to the list.
If approved, the institutions could begin planning for the projects, later returning for State Building Authority bond funds to cover a portion of the construction costs.
The new projects would be added to the projects recommended for 2016 that never saw legislative action, State Budget Office officials told the committee.
The largest of the new projects is the Strong Hall renovation at Eastern Michigan University, which is projected at $39.5 million, of which the State Building Authority would pay $29.7 million. The project includes roofing and mechanicals replacement as well as accessibility improvements and modernized laboratory and classroom facilities.
The University of Michigan-Flint’s Murchie Science Building addition would be a close second at $39 million ($29.3 million in state funds). The project would add 80,000 square feet to the building that was recently renovated under State Building Authority financing.
The other two university projects are $17.5 million ($9.8 million state funds) for the College of Business Management expansion at Saginaw Valley State University and $29.5 million ($14.8 million state funds) for the STEM Innovation Learning Center at Wayne State University.
Among the three community college projects, Wayne County Community College’s Eastern Campus repurposing and upgrading project is largest at $18 million ($9 million state funds), which involves renovating the existing 50,000-square-foot building and adding 20,000 square feet to it.
Northwestern Michigan College’s West Hall Innovation Center would see $14.5 million ($7.3 million state funds) to renovate and nearly double the size of the building, while Kellogg Community College’s Regional Manufacturing Technology Center would see $4.3 million ($2.2 million state funds) to renovate the current 40,490 square feet and add 8,400 square feet.
The university and college projects are selected based on a scoring system that includes both statutory and State Budget Office criteria.
The scoring drew some concern from committee members, as the scoring team changed the Life and Safety Deficiencies criteria, required by statute, from a 10-point scale to a simple yes or no.
“A 10-point difference would have changed the position of maybe three or four,” Sen. Darwin Booher(R-Evart) said. He also objected to changing the scoring plan after the requests were submitted.
Lisa Shoemaker, head of the Office of Economic Development of the Department of Technology, Management and Budget, who oversaw the scoring process, said the scoring was changed based on the 2016 reviews.
“We didn’t want to provide a scoring system that would incentivize institutions to allow a public health issue to grow to improve the score,” she said.
The state projects were $12.2 million for the Department of Natural Resources to upgrade the Thompson State Fish Hatchery in Manistique and the Little Manistee River Weir in Manistee to enhance coolwater fish production and $9.5 million to the Department of Technology, Management and Budget to renovate the Jackson State Office Building.
The projects were selected from more than $1 billion in total funding requests. Shoemaker said the office scored 29 total projects, 11 of the 14 university projects and 16 of the 20 community college projects in addition to the two state projects.
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