The ISU Facilities Planning and Management Department faces a renovation backlog of approximately $112 million, requiring deferred maintenance for many campus buildings.

David Miller, director for facilities planning and management, said the large backlog addresses all the buildings on campus, but does not include student housing, which operates on a separate maintenance budget.

“This has been a concern for a number of years now, and it affects everyone at Iowa State,” Miller said.

State legislators took notice of the amount of deferred maintenance and have issued a one-time $2.5 million state appropriation for the 2006 fiscal year to help address the issue.

The state appropriation is uncommon, Miller said.

“In the past, the building and repair fund has been as low as $500,000,” he said.

Robert Currie, assistant director of facility services, is helping to implement a new system in evaluating and prioritizing the need for maintenance around campus.

“We have some systems that are well beyond life expectancy and we are prioritizing them,” Currie said.

The new evaluation system is a way for the Facilities Planning and Management department to maximize efficiency and cope with a limited budget.

Building systems, that include electrical systems, steel structures, masonry, roofs, doors, windows and plumbing, will be evaluated on a three number system. Those assigned a one are of top priority. Buildings assigned a two need addressing in five to 10 years, and those assigned a three need addressing beyond 10 years.

“It is a way to classify lots of information and is a more formal assessment of the condition of the campus,” Currie said.

For example, Coover Hall’s main addition was built in 1950, and the systems are beyond their life expectancy of 45 to 50 years. Because the systems might still function properly, it is categorized for deferred maintenance, Currie said.

“It’s a problem anytime that the space you are in does not function for its intended purpose,” Miller said.

The Facilities Planning and Management Department considers the state of roofs to be among the top priorities when addressing the backlog, because of further damage that can be caused by precipitation, he said.

A committee comprised of faculty and staff from the President’s Office, the Provost’s Office, Student Affairs and Facilities Planning and Management must approve all maintenance projects that cost more than $5000.

“They try to meet every month for whatever request that comes from the facilities department,” Miller said.

Deferred maintenance is an ongoing problem that never really stops, Miller said.