An appeal to let UCCS building go on

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs officials are appealing to Gov. Bill Ritter's office to exempt construction of a $56 million science/engineering building from a freeze on state-funded projects.

"We don't know what will happen yet, but we're in discussions with the governor's office," UCCS spokesman Tom Hutton said.

Meanwhile, Hutton said, work is continuing on the project, which is 60 percent complete. Because the work is so far along, UCCS requested the waiver for the 159,500-square-foot science/engineering building, said Brian Burnett, vice chancellor for administration and finance at UCCS. The building is scheduled to open in the spring.

Another reason: Although the state's portion of the project is $20 million, the university supplied $36 million in cash to fund the building, he said.

University officials are optimistic that they'll get the exemption and the project will be finished on time.

"We have a need for the building. It's been on the books since 2001, and the need has been re-emphasized and re-approved," Hutton said.

The science/engineering building is one of 13 construction projects statewide affected by Ritter's halt to $85 million the state has committed to capital construction for higher education and full-day kindergarten projects.

Ritter delayed spending on construction projects and instituted a state government hiring freeze Sept. 25, after the Legislative Council forecast that declining sales and income-tax revenues would leave the state's general fund $100 million short this year.

UCCS will honor the governor's request for universities to join in the hiring ban by adding an extra level of executive review for vacant positions, Hutton said.

Future construction projects at UCCS will not be affected by the state's budget crisis, including a $17.1 million expansion of the existing science building. That project is scheduled to begin next year and be finished in 2010, Burnett said.

Also planned is a $7 million expansion of the university's event center to enlarge the gymnasium, now the smallest in NCAA Division II athletics. Construction on that project began Monday, Hutton said.