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CSCU Seeks Stable Capital Funding as Deferred‑Maintenance Backlog Grows
Summary
Interim Chancellor John Maduca told lawmakers the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system faces substantial deferred maintenance and asked for predictable state investment, highlighting priorities including Kinney Hall design, gateway automotive expansion and childcare center improvements.
John Maduca, interim chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system, told the bonding subcommittee that the system oversees $2.7 billion in capital assets and faces mounting deferred maintenance across community colleges and regional campuses. He presented a five‑year capital plan submitted in December that prioritizes projects at Naugatuck Valley, Norwalk and Gateway, and pledged to return next year with an investment case tying capital needs to workforce initiatives.
Maduca said the average age of university facilities ranges from about 20 years (universities) to 23–35 years (some community college campuses), and asked for stable, predictable authorizations so planning can be done over multiple years. Keith Epstein, CSCU vice president of facilities, told the committee Kinney Hall (Naugatuck) has preconstruction funds in place and that DAS is negotiating architectural contracts with design expected to take 12–18 months; construction authorization would be requested in a future biennium and preliminary estimates are about $64,000,000.
On childcare centers, CSCU officials said earlier bond authorizations included $10,000,000 for early childhood center upgrades but allocations have not been released; the system plans to request $3,000,000 for design and equipment then another $7,000,000 for construction. For advanced manufacturing, facilities director said there is a roughly $17,000,000 backlog of new‑replacement equipment for manufacturing programs across campuses.
Committee members pressed for more detail on unallocated authorizations and the process for getting projects onto the Bond Commission agenda. Maduca and Epstein said the system is improving transparency and tying projects to workforce outcomes and that allocations remain constrained by the statewide capital schedule.
Next steps: CSCU will continue to work with the subcommittee and OPM to seek allocations and to advance Kinney Hall design and other priority projects.
