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SOU buildings in need of serious repairs Lack of state funds put campus years behind in maintenance By JOHN DARLING Southern Oregon University has fallen about 12 years and $22 million behind in repairs and upkeep on its buildings, according to a report released by the Oregon University System. The maintenance backlog is due to a shortage of state funds, said Lynda Swanson, director of capital construction planning and budget for the seven-campus system. "The combination of increased enrollments, aging buildings, facilities mismatched to changing curriculum, new technological requirements for distance education, the need to house new programs and few state dollars for capital construction pose a growing problem for public university campuses," she said. According to SOU Physical Plant Director Bruce Moats, the Ashland campus' backlog includes: Antiquated electrical systems, especially in Churchill Hall, which was built in 1926 and can't handle the exploding number of computers essential to staff work and teaching. Single-pane windows that need to be replaced with energy-efficient double-pane windows with tinted glass to reflect sunlight and increase air conditioning efficiency. A mechanical ventilation system that's old and wearing out. Rotting wood on eave boxes, masonry repair and painting at Central Hall. One area not in trouble is roofing. "We've kept up to date and made it a priority to protect the building envelope," Moats said. SOU received just $1.5 million for maintenance in this two-year budget -- "not enough to make a dent in the backlog," Moats said. Most of that money has been invested in a new energy-management system that controls heating and cooling in all buildings and cuts SOU energy use and costs, he said. The proliferation of computers on campus has SOU "playing catch-up" -- such as adding a transformer in the library to handle 60 computers. Oregon universities need about $420 million to perform deferred maintenance, according to a report by Pacific Partners Consulting. The backlog amounts to about 20 percent of current replacement value of the buildings, Swanson said. "We're boxed in," she said. "Our analysis says to improve facilities quickly to respond both to these needs and to student demand. Our funding picture says that without substantial new funds, we can't get from here to there." Higher education officials say they plan to ask the Legislature for money for maintenance next year, said university system spokesman Bob Bruce. The maintenance problem for SOU and other universities is worse now because they underwent a building boom in the 1960s and 1970s, Moats said. Those buildings have subsystems, such as heating, cooling and electrical systems, that have about a 30-year life and are now coming due for replacement. "There's a real spike in maintenance and repair coming up now," Moats said. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA