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Capital Development Committee backs $7.5 million supplemental for Community College of Denver's Boulder Creek health center
Summary
The Capital Development Committee voted 5–0 to recommend support for the Community College of Denver’s request to add $7,500,000 in college cash funds to the Boulder Creek renovation, citing construction and technology cost increases; the extension to Dec. 30, 2026, is contingent on approvals from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting.
The Capital Development Committee recommended support for the Community College of Denver’s request to add $7,500,000 in college cash funds to the Boulder Creek renovation, the committee chair said after a 5–0 roll call vote. Senator Mulligan moved the recommendation and the committee recorded five affirmative votes; one member was excused.
Alberto Teixeira, vice president of business operations and chief financial officer at the Community College of Denver, told the committee, “This morning, we're requesting, the committee's approval to add $7,500,000 of additional funding to the Boulder Creek project.” He said the supplemental would come from college cash funds and cash reserves and was needed because of “considerable time constraints relative to the completion of the project and cost increases that we've seen over the, the past several months, specifically in construction and technology costs.”
Teixeira described the Boulder Creek work as a long-running renovation and expansion, saying the project was envisioned in 2017 and has received earlier capital funding. “So $13,000,000 of cash, cash funds or, capital construction funds … have been appropriated to this project,” he said, and added the college is now in initial abatement and moving toward the final phase of construction.
The college presented the project as a health center of excellence that will expand training capacity for nursing, veterinary technician, radiology technician and dental hygiene students. Teixeira said the college aims to complete construction around September 2026 with students occupying the space in 2027.
Representative Perrone asked how the college produces the cash funds. Teixeira explained these are institutional capital reserves that build up when budgeted initiatives are not fully executed and from vacancy savings. “So this past year, $63,000,000 was our our budget,” he said. “And over time … we find either, that initiatives are aren't fully executed, or in reality, we have vacancy savings. Just we don't spend all $63,000,000 of that cash. And so the our our cash funding or our capital reserves grow over time.” Teixeira said the college's reserves stood at a little over $20,000,000.
The chair clarified that the supplemental request is not an appropriation from the general fund and staff noted it is common for institutions to seek spending authority for cash funds to finish construction projects. Senator Mulligan’s motion recommended adding the $7,500,000 supplemental and extending the project completion date to Dec. 30, 2026, contingent on approval by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and the Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting. The motion passed on a 5–0 vote.
After the vote, the committee encouraged the college to coordinate next steps with the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and the Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting. Teixeira thanked the committee for its time.
The committee also discussed interim meeting dates for the upcoming session and adjourned.
