It’s hard to comprehend why a tattered Depression-era farmhouse would house a world-class research institute. But that is the situation the University of Idaho’s Aquaculture Research Institute has found itself in because of the disappearing maintenance funding from the state, said Keith Ickes, UI executive director of planning and budget.
“It’s an old farmhouse, it is in need of repair, it needs a new roof, it needs new facilities and it’s developing mold in certain areas,” Ickes said. “We are doing 21st century science in 19th century buildings.”
Ickes said the aquaculture lab conducts research on fish toxins and disease, and developed an antibiotic to combat a disease affecting Idaho’s trout industry.
Ron Hardy, director of the institute, said although the old building does not directly impede their research, they have had maintenance issues with the roof, electrical system, windows and plumbing.
“We are faced with various safety and compliance, and code issues — it means we can’t do certain things,” Hardy said.
Deferred maintenance costs consist of renovations and maintenance projects UI administrators know need to be fixed, but lack the funds to complete.
Ickes said UI has accrued $228 million in deferred maintenance costs.
He said the cost increases annually, because maintenance problems continue to grow and become more expensive to fix. UI’s status as a public university means it is the responsibility of the state to fund major repairs and renovations, which Idaho’s state government has neglected to do.
“The state of Idaho has not been able or willing — either one — to put the money into renovation that is necessary,” Ickes said.
Ickes said UI receives approximately $2.6 million from the state each year to repair facilities, but that’s not enough to make a dent in the accumulated deferred maintenance costs. He said UI decides which facilities need the most urgent care and submits recommendations to the Idaho Legislature for approval.
“We know we’re going to get about $2.6 million, and we make sure we get the most out of that $2.6 million, and then we go do good things,” Ickes said.
Ickes said deferred maintenance costs have severely affected many facilities on campus including the historic Morrill Hall, multiple heating and cooling systems and the Food Science Building.
Brian Johnson, assistant vice president of facilities, said deferred maintenance is so widespread almost all buildings on campus need repairs and renovations.
Johnson said limited state funding has caused UI to continue using outdated facilities that are not up to code. He said the Native American Student Center building on the corner of Line Street and West Seventh Street is a prime example.
Johnson said the Native American Student Center’s building was constructed as a temporary building during World War II, but was not demolished and continued to house UI administrators for the next seven decades.
Ickes said large deferred maintenance costs are common among public universities across the U.S. that built large facilities, but lack the state budget to provide proper maintenance.
As for the aquaculture lab, Hardy said UI has decided to demolish the old farmhouse and build a new research lab. He said the building is so old it would be cheaper to build a new lab that has proper research facilities, as opposed to remodeling the farmhouse.
“We have just run into a situation where there are so many things that are not up to code and are wearing out, that it costs more to maintain than to replace,” Hardy said.
Ickes said construction on the new aquaculture lab will begin this summer, and UI will remove multiple expensive items from its deferred maintenance lists by building a new lab, as well as give the institute a proper building to continue its research.
Written by Ryan Tarinelli