Vermont State Colleges seek $10 million for deferred maintenance and Johnson heating-plant replacement

The Vermont State Colleges System asked the Senate Committee on Institutions on April 2 for $10,000,000 in capital funding for the next biennium, including money for major maintenance and to replace the Johnson campus heating plant.

The request, presented by Beth Moutf, chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges System, and Sharon Scott, chief financial and operating officer, seeks $3,000,000 for systemwide major maintenance and $5,000,000 toward a heating-plant replacement at the Johnson campus; the colleges said they are requesting an additional $2,000,000 above current House funding to meet the total $10,000,000 ask.

Why it matters: college officials said the Johnson heating plant is original equipment more than 60 years old and in fragile condition, raising the risk of “catastrophic failure” that could disrupt campus heating and community services. Officials framed the funding request as life-safety, accessibility and deferred-maintenance work intended to protect students, campus visitors and community resources.

Chancellor Beth Moutf told the committee the system has focused on enrollment growth and workforce training while addressing long-standing financial and infrastructure problems. “We graduated 415 nurses last year. More than 90% of them passed the NCLEX on their very first time through,” Moutf said, describing health-program growth and workforce retention in Vermont.

Sharon Scott reviewed recent capital work and cost fluctuations. She said a Green Hall project on the Randolph campus was originally scoped at $1,600,000 but “the actual cost came in about $2,000,000 higher,” and the system self-funded roughly $600,000 of additional deferred-maintenance scope to complete that work. Scott said the system also contributed $2,500,000 of its own funds to deferred-maintenance last year.

Officials described two recent federally designated grants that do not require state funding: $6,300,000 for nursing education and $5,900,000 for dental-hygiene education. Scott said those federal awards will expand program capacity without asking the committee for additional state capital.

On the Johnson heating plant, college leaders estimated a total project cost near $8,000,000 and said the House placed $5,000,000 in its bill consistent with the governor’s recommendation. The colleges said they expect that additional funding will likely be necessary and proposed a planning year (if state funds are authorized) to work with Efficiency Vermont and engineering consultants on alternatives, cost refinement and potential fuel or efficiency changes. “If funded, one of our first steps is to partner with Efficiency Vermont,” Moutf said.

Committee members praised recent institutional turnaround and student outcomes; several members described the request as addressing essential repairs rather than discretionary projects. Committee discussion touched on housing needs for older and commuter students, the system’s increased use of online and hybrid instruction, the colleges’ efforts to build “seamless transfer pathways” between Community College of Vermont courses and Vermont State University degrees, and the Johnson plant’s siting constraints that complicate some low‑carbon alternatives.

No formal committee vote or appropriation occurred during the presentation. College leaders said they will return with further planning details if the committee funds a planning year; the system expects that next-step engineering and efficiency analysis will allow the Legislature to make a more detailed funding decision in the following session.

Ending: The committee accepted the colleges’ briefing and asked staff to include the Senate column in the meeting spreadsheet ahead of floor presentations later in April. The colleges said they would provide updated cost and design information after completing planning work with Efficiency Vermont and engineering firms.