The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s new engineering building is once again in danger.
Republican lawmakers at a State Building Commission meeting Wednesday rejected the UW System’s request to increase the project’s $347 million budget by $73 million. The request to increase the budget was based on higher costs and design changes, including an additional floor for business collaboration opportunities.
UW officials did not ask for more money during the meeting but sought approval to reallocate funding for a UW-Eau Claire construction project, which had been bid $70 million to fill the budget for the UW-Madison project to increase, as well as for several projects on other UW campuses that needed more money than expected.
The vote failed 4-4 along party lines, effectively halting the projects until the commission signed off.
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, blasted the UW system for a lack of accountability and transparency, saying critical questions from lawmakers remain unanswered.
Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, said he was “floored” by the UW-Eau Claire science construction project, which was 20% below bid, and lawmakers “didn’t hear a peep about it until this week.”
UW-Eau Claire’s new science building was initially estimated to cost $344 million. The price tag is now estimated at $274 million. UW officials blamed unprecedented inflation trends and supply chain and labor market problems for why the offer was so poor. The UW Board of Regents discussed the uncertainty surrounding construction project estimates at a 2022 meeting.
Jacque said approving the reallocation of funds could set a precedent and incentive for UW and other agencies to submit higher pre-bid estimates that could then be used as “cash piñatas” for other projects.
UW-Madison proposed to fund the $73 million budget increase by using $29 million in unused taxpayer money from the UW-Eau Claire project and raising $43 million in gifts and grants. That’s in addition to the $150 million UW-Madison had already committed to raising for the project.
UW-Madison responded to the latest project issue by noting that any extended delay would drive up the cost of the building even further.
“Time is certainly of the essence,” said Craig Thompson, who leads the university’s relationships with government and other stakeholders. “We stand ready to sit down with members of the Legislature and the State Building Commission to continue conversations, answer questions, provide additional information and resolve any remaining issues as quickly as possible.”
A spokesperson for UW System made a similar statement about working with the Legislature to address lawmakers’ concerns.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who serves on the State Building Commission and voted in favor of the project, made no comment during the meeting. His spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The widely supported engineering project became entangled for months last year in broader political negotiations over diversity programs on campus. In the previous budget, Republicans completely ignored the project.
The UW-Madison College of Engineering receives about 8,000 applicants annually, but only has the space and educational resources to accept about 1,200. The new building will allow the state flagship to graduate at least a thousand additional engineers annually, hire more faculty and expand research.
Construction was expected to begin in 2025, with a target opening date of 2028.
Kelly Meyerhofer covers higher education in Wisconsin. Contact her at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer.
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The new UW-Madison engineering building is in danger again
