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UVM requests $4.5 million in state capital funds to address deferred maintenance
Summary
Richard Kate of the University of Vermont told the Senate Institutions Committee that the university seeks $4.5 million in state capital appropriation over two years for building repairs and deferred maintenance, highlighting aging historic buildings and large outstanding needs including $40 million for Dewey Hall.
Richard Kate, vice president for finance and administration at the University of Vermont, told the Senate Institutions Committee on April 9 that the university is seeking $4.5 million in state capital funds over a two-year period to address deferred maintenance across its campus buildings.
Kate told the committee — convened by Senator Rob Plunkett, vice chair of the Institutions Committee, with Chair Harrison joining by Zoom — that UVM manages roughly 5,400,000 square feet of space across about 280 buildings, and that about 64% of those buildings were constructed before 1975. "If we could even get to spend $30,000,000 a year on our buildings, we'd be able to keep pretty good pace with our deferred maintenance," Kate said.
Why it matters: Kate said the university carries substantial debt and recurring capital needs tied to an aging physical plant. He told the committee UVM has approximately $540,000,000 in bonded debt for facilities, uses a mix of state capital appropriations, university-provided funds, bond proceeds and a renewal fund to pay for projects, and allocates a portion of its general fund and operating budget to facilities work. The renewal fund, he said, has collected 1% of the capital cost of projects since 1992 and is dedicated to the specific buildings for which the money was raised.
Details and examples: Kate singled out Dewey Hall, built in 1906 and formerly home to the College of Medicine, saying the building is "functionally obsolete" as an academic facility and has about $40,000,000 in deferred maintenance. He said renovating adjacent academic space and relocating departments could be part of a larger plan, and noted that a private developer might repurpose Dewey Hall using historic preservation tax credits for housing if such a partnership were pursued.
When Senator Wendy asked whether Dewey Hall was the specific target for the current state request, Kate replied the building was an example and estimated the renovations needed to move the college would be about $45 million to $50 million; he said the $4.5 million request is intended for the university's broader capital needs. Kate also clarified ownership: "It's not, the university owns all of its property," in response to a question about the state's ownership role.
Funding posture: Kate said UVM's formal capital request for the year is $4,500,000 for the two-year period; committee members noted that the current proposed allocation in the budget was $1,500,000. He described how the university sometimes accrues state appropriations across years to fund larger projects, citing Jeffords Hall as a past example.
No formal vote or action was taken on the request during the April 9 meeting; the committee recessed until 2:15 p.m. to await the next agenda item.
