The yellow tape surrounding bulging, water-damaged floors in the EMU’s east wing should signal caution both to passing pedestrians and to state lawmakers: Building repairs, especially preventative maintenance, are not receiving adequate funding.
With a backlog of more than $123 million in needed repairs (“Campus maintenance costs total $123 million to date” ODE Dec. 5), maintenance needs from broken steam pipes to leaky roofs plague our buildings. Recent water damage to the EMU alone will cost an estimated $75,000, and five or six other buildings may have suffered rain damage during the winter break.
Maintenance presents a dirty, costly problem, but it’s a burden that nobody wants to pay for. Facilities Services, the department that oversees campus buildings and grounds, receives only about $5 million each year from the University general fund to maintain about 5 million square feet of building space. The University also receives some money from the Oregon State Legislature through the Oregon University System, but that money is used for larger repair projects.
Hence, about $9 to $12 million in repairs on campus buildings is deferred each year. The EMU, Athletics Department facilities, University Housing and the Student Recreation Center are not included in that figure.
Further, donors would rather have a shiny new classroom complex named after them than be known for financing a new roof. New buildings often don’t receive gifts to cover the costs of long-term maintenance.
When foul weather or other forces create the need for emergency repairs, students can be left to help foot the bill. Recent water damage will be lumped together and billed to the state’s insurance entity, but the University will still need to pay a $2,500 deductible.
Student money will fund part of that bill.
Catching up on this maintenance backlog and performing more preventative repairs will be difficult as the Legislature continually fails to emphasize higher education. There are many demands for the state funding received by the University, and on paper, maintenance looks like an easy place to skimp.
But an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure, and legislators should prioritize at least planning a way to pay-off deferred repairs. Donors should also consider maintenance of future building projects.
The logic behind prioritizing repairs is simple. For example, if you own a car, you don’t wait until it breaks down to change the oil. Delaying maintenance only compounds inevitable future problems.