CU is trying to reduce its $1.17B maintenance backlog

BOULDER COUNTY » The University of Colorado is investing in rehabilitation projects on campus to cut down its $1.17 billion of deferred maintenance — 91% of the four-campus system’s total backlog — as part of the university’s strategic plan.

“Campus is committing $10 million to smaller projects to repair air conditioning systems, roofs — things like that — across campus, touching a lot of facilities, a lot of smaller projects — trying to focus on this issue,” said Brian Lindoerfer, assistant vice chancellor for facilities operations and services.

The CU Board of Regents on Thursday listened to employee-led presentations on the last leg of the university’s strategic plan: fiscal strength.

Pat O’rourke, CU’S chief operating officer, said the revenue the campus generated from all funds, excluding in-state undergraduate tuition and fees and state funding, dipped during the pandemic. To get back on track, the campus has focused on student retention through its Buff Undergraduate Success Leadership Implementation Team program and has partnered with study abroad program Verto Education.

“What we are seeing for the first time is that we are going to be over 90% on retention,” he said. “That is a huge accomplishment that’s happened on the campus through the work of many people over the past year.”

The campus has a lot of work to do to achieve its building maintenance goals also known as the facilities condition index, which measures the cost of remedying a building’s deficiencies compared with the building’s current replacement value, O’rourke said.

CU’S goal is to have a facilities condition index of 85%. It’s currently at 56%.

To reach its target, the campus would need to invest $698 million, O’rourke said.

“I checked the couch cushions, and (the funding is) not there,” he said.

O’rourke said what the campus is doing is working on targeting facilities such as Hellems Arts and Sciences that need the most work.

“Doing that (Hellems) project will actually reduce our deferred maintenance backlog by more than $36 million,” he said.

During the presentation, Regent Ken Montera asked what the incremental energy costs are at campuses with older buildings such as Boulder.

“I think we would be shocked what we’re spending on energy,” he said.

Chris Ewing, acting vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability, said energy costs increase over time as the buildings continue to degrade.

He estimated that energy costs increase by about 2% to 5% as buildings continue to age.

The campus is also looking at borrowing money next year to address some of its deferred maintenance needs, O’rourke said.

“We’re going to be pretty careful in the market right now in terms of issuing debt just because of the volatility that is being experienced for the return for that stream of revenue,” he said.