Governor Jay Inslee on Thursday introduced a 2021-23 capital budget that significantly funds WSU’s request, funding for construction and renovation at campuses in Pullman, Vancouver and Spokane while making an important dent in the university’s deferred maintenance backlog.
The proposal is just the first of three to be put on the table for consideration. The state House and Senate will convene in January to write their proposals before a compromise is sent to the governor in late April.
The governor’s proposal mostly funds WSU’s top two requests, providing $27.8 million for small preservation projects shoring up basic infrastructure and $6.4 million for small renovations and improvements. Both are notable improvements when compared to previous years.
The governor’s proposed capital budget fully funds most additional WSU priorities:
- $8 million for the demolition of Johnson Hall on the Pullman campus, allowing for the construction of a new USDA Plant BioSciences Building
- $8 million to replace a water reservoir on the Pullman campus
- $52.6 million for the construction of the WSU Vancouver Life Sciences Building
- $15 million to design and renovate the Spokane Phase One Building
- $500,000 for predesign of a new Sciences Building on the Pullman campus
- $4.9 million for preservation of STEM Teaching Labs at WSU Pullman
- $4.9 million to design and renovate the Clark Hall Research Lab
The 105-day legislative session convenes virtually on January 11th.