Universities and technical colleges present capital requests ranging from renovations to new building designs

Multiple institutions used the Jan. 30 subcommittee hearing to present dedicated capital requests and program descriptions. Presenters emphasized renovations and efficiency, capacity needs in technical education and a mix of design-phase and purchase requests.

Weber State University: Jacob Kane, associate vice president for facilities and campus planning, presented two renovation projects. He described an MEP-focused remodel of the Student Services building and an Allied Health update intended to convert some lecture classrooms to labs and upgrade mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Kane said the projects would "inject another 30 to 40 years of life into the building," and reported dedicated funds requests of about $820,000 and $460,000 for the two projects, respectively, plus $250,000 in institutional funds for the student services project (presentation figures as shown to the committee).

Southern Utah University: President Benson asked for a cost-overrun allocation of $1,360,000 to complete the Joe and Beverly Burgess Business Center, and for dedicated funds of $6,635,000 to purchase 11 contiguous parcels (about 2.74 acres) adjacent to campus to avoid becoming landlocked. Benson said the parcels include some aging housing that SUU would remove or repurpose and that acquiring the land now would avoid higher future costs.

Utah Tech (St. George): Paul Morris described a two-phase remodel and 29,000-square-foot addition to the McDonald Building to house the art department and the MFA/BFA programs. Morris said DFCM estimates total project cost at just over $27 million, with an annual O&M estimate of about $425,900. He said the addition restores the art program to the main campus and allows demolition of an off-campus building that is past its useful life.

Utah Valley University (Vineyard site): UVU representatives presented two projects: a proposed 37,000-square-foot Student Athlete Success Center (estimated cost about $29 million) and a health professions and mental-health building at the Vineyard site. UVU said it has raised $12 million toward the athletic facility and proposed a funding plan that would include roughly $1,450,000 in dedicated funds matched with $1,450,000 in other funds to reach the $29 million target. For the Vineyard health professions building, UVU said it seeks $8,711,000 out of dedicated funds to begin design; the project was framed as part of a "health and wellness village" that would complement a planned Huntsman Cancer Institute site.

Salt Lake Community College: Chris Martin, vice president for finance and administration, asked for $940,000 in dedicated funds for a seismic retrofit of the South City campus to meet FEMA grant-match requirements. Martin said structural deficiencies were identified in the 1929 original building and a 1961 addition and that the requested state funds would be leveraged as FEMA match.

Snow College (Richfield): President McKiff described a Washburn Building "refresh" and outdoor-gathering-space project on the Richfield campus to support Snow's expanded role and technical-education mission in the region. CFO Carson Howell said the scope includes a roughly 5,415-square-foot addition and an overall funding ask of about $640,000 to create internally conditioned student social and study space while avoiding full-system upgrades to the older building.

Dixie Technical College: President Rushton asked for a new Trades and Technology building ranked the Board of Higher Education's top technical-college priority. The latest estimate presented to the committee was $6,680,000, and Dixie Tech said the building would be classroom, lab and high-bay space only, with projected FTE increases of 30'40% in the first year of the facility.

Nut graf: Presenters repeatedly framed projects as renovation- and capacity-focused, citing SB 102 incentives to renovate when possible; technical colleges stressed immediate workforce demand and waiting lists. Most requests were presented as dedicated-funds requests tied to institution allocations rather than new incremental general-fund asks.

Questions from committee members focused on capacity, sequencing and material lead times. Weber State and others noted supply-chain delays that could push construction schedules. Utah Tech and Southern Utah University described demolition or land-acquisition plans needed to consolidate campus footprints. No bond authorizations or appropriations were voted on at this hearing; presenters requested approvals or future committee action.

Ending: Committee members thanked presenters; the subcommittee did not take immediate votes on the projects during the Jan. 30 hearing and requested follow-ups and finalized allocation figures for the session.