Student center on schedule

Chancellor John Wiley says construction of a new building to house University Health Services and a student activities center will move forward, despite costing more than first anticipated.

“This project is vital to filling two long-standing needs on campus,” Wiley says. “It will continue on schedule.”

Wiley says project planners underestimated construction costs. The project, originally expected to cost about $22.9 million, will actually cost closer to $34 million.

A student referendum in fall 1999 authorized the university to use up to $17 million in student fees for the building. The university still will be able to fund the project without asking students for more money.

“We are not going to pass costs on to students for a miscalculation by project planners,” Wiley says. “However, this building is too important to let higher costs delay construction.”

Instead, Wiley is adjusting some of the construction recommendations made by the Campus Planning Committee last fall. The committee submits a list of building requests to the chancellor every two years. Wiley has the authority to alter the request before submitting it to the Board of Regents.

“I realize that the 2003-05 biennium will be a financially difficult one for the state,” Wiley says. “That is why I have taken the unusual step of adjusting or delaying some of the recommendations made by the CPC.”

In a 2003-05 capital budget request submitted by Wiley to UW System President Katharine Lyall, Wiley asks that the $30 million renovation of Sterling Hall remain in planning stages, despite a CPC recommendation to begin construction. Wiley also is dropping the CPC’s request to seek planning money for a Bascom Hall renovation.

The combined UHS/Student Activity Center facility will provide a modern, centralized facility to house consolidated clinical, counseling and administrative offices for University Health Services. It will also provide meeting rooms, work areas and offices for student organizations and the general student body.

“This facility has been a top priority of students for over five years and we will continue to push for its completion,” Associated Students of Madison Chair Jessica Miller says. “The change in cost is an unfortunate development, but we are pleased with the administration’s strong support – not just through words, but through concrete actions.”

The university continues to work with students and members of the campus and Madison communities to finalize a location for the facility.