November-9-2000
Board of Regents Meeting
Special Meeting of the
Finance, Facilities, and Land Management Committee
Thursday, November 9, 2000; 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Regents' Conference Room 109, Butrovich Building
University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus
Fairbanks, Alaska
Committee Members:
Elsa Froehlich Demeksa, Chair
Mary Jane Fate
Kevin O. Meyers
Joe J. Thomas
Joseph E. Usibelli, Jr.
Michael J. Burns, Board Chair
I. Call to Order
II. Adoption of Agenda
MOTION
"The Finance, Facilities, and Land Management Committee adopts the agenda as presented.
I. Call to OrderII. Adoption of Agenda
III. Full Board Consent Agenda
A. Approval of FY2002 Capital Budget RequestIV. Ongoing IssuesB. Approval of FY2002 Operating Budget Request
A. Status Report on Joint University of Alaska Southeast (UAS)/Alaska Army National Guard (AKARNG) Recreation Facility at Auke BayV. Future Agenda ItemsA. Report on Land Management OperationsVI. Adjourn
B. UAA Master Planning & CIP Development
C. UAF Master Planning & CIP Development
This motion is effective November 9, 2000."
III. Full Board Consent Agenda
A. Approval of FY2002 Capital Budget Request
President Hamilton, Vice President Beedle, and Director Pitney will present the proposed FY02 Capital Budget Request.
At the April 20, 2000 Board of Regents' meeting, the board approved UA's FY02 Capital Budget Request Guidelines. Each MAU has submitted items for inclusion in the capital budget request in accordance with these guidelines. Additionally, budget staff provided input-ranking sheets for each capital budget category based on the board's guidelines. The ranking criteria included:
1. Alignment with Initiatives/Statewide Needs
2. Developed Plan/Readiness
3. Partnership Potential
4. Self-support
5. Impact on Students
6. Impact on Programs
7. Safety/Code
8. Impact on Daily Functions
9. Campus/MAU Priority
10. Impact on UA SystemParticipating in the ranking of the capital request items were all vice chancellors and facility directors for each MAU as well as Statewide Finance. IT, HR, and additional facilities' experts also contributed. To facilitate the ranking process under generic budget categories, budget staff provided a binder of all requests organized by MAU and the four capital budget categories:
1. R&R Instructional & Telecom Equipment
2. New Construction/Major Renovations
3. Building Renewals/Replacement/ADA
4. Planning & OtherAt the October 5-6, 2000 Board of Regents' meeting, the administration presented the draft capital budget for review by the regents under two formats. The first was formatted under the budget categories listed above. The second formatted the UA capital budget request under the same headings as the operating budget request for consistency in presentation. This second format was determined to be the best presentation format. Therefore, the final capital budget is broken down into the following four areas:
1. Maintaining a Solid Foundation
2. Attracting and Retaining Alaska's Students
3. Meeting Alaska's Employment Needs
4. Preparing for Alaska's Economic Diversification and SuccessThe President recommends that:
MOTION"The Finance, Facilities, and Land Management Committee recommend that the Board of Regents approve completing the FY2002 capital budget request in accordance with the plan as presented in Reference 1. This motion is effective November 9, 2000."
B. Approval of FY2002 Operating Budget Request
President Hamilton, Vice President Beedle, and Director Pitney will present the proposed FY02 Operating Budget Request. At the October 5-6, 2000 Board of Regents' meeting, the administration reviewed the Draft FY02 Operating Budget Request. In the presentation of the draft, areas that required additional refinement were noted to include programmatic refinements, additions to nongeneral fund receipts authority in light of recent federal activities, and overall presentation. The refinements noted are incorporated in the proposed University of Alaska FY02 Operating Budget Request in Reference 2.
The theme for the FY02 budget request will be "Preparing Alaska for Success." The University of Alaska, as the engine of economic development and diversification, is requesting a general fund increment of $16.8 million to prepare Alaska for success. This request builds on the state's FY00 commitment to putting UA on track and its FY01 investment in higher education as the primary catalyst for fostering Alaska's future economic development and diversification. The principles underlying UA's budget requests have been and continue to be meeting state needs and being fully accountable for the state's investment.
There are four request components within UA's FY02 Operating Budget Request:
1. Maintaining a Solid Foundation
2. Attracting and Retaining Alaska's Students
3. Meeting Alaska's Employment Needs
4. Preparing for Alaska's Economic Diversification and SuccessThe President recommends that:
MOTION
"The Finance, Facilities, and Land Management Committee recommend that the Board of Regents approve completing the FY2002 operating budget request in accordance with the plan as presented in Reference 2. This motion is effective November 9, 2000."
IV. Ongoing Issues
A. Status Report on Joint University of Alaska Southeast (UAS)/Alaska Army National Guard (AKARNG) Recreation Facility at Auke Bay
Recent developments may affect the evaluation/ranking of the FY02 UAS capital request for their recreational center; specifically, the substantially superior space attributes, the high likelihood for substantial partnering funds from the AKARNG, and effect on the university's earlier submitted state funding requests.
BACKGROUND
For over 15 years, the UAS master plan has anticipated a large recreational complex
on the undeveloped land downhill from student housing and uphill from the Auke Bay
Elementary School. The alternative minimalist recreation center request "on the FY01
and FY02 books" is a 20,000 square foot multipurpose facility housing a full collegiate-sized
court/assembly area with bleachers for 600 spectators, a suspended indoor running
track, open activity spaces for exercise and weight machines, lockers, showers, and
toilets. The smaller facility was envisioned to be located adjacent to the Egan Library
and was estimated to cost $5.2 million.
The request "on the books" is a massive downsizing of the 90,000 square foot, $21 million complex anticipated in the early 1990s to include a gymnasium, indoor running track, racquet sports, and outdoor play fields. In 1992, the university secured Coastal Zone Management and Corps of Engineers' permits for the development of this recreational complex on the university's large undeveloped parcel downhill from student housing and uphill from the Auke Bay Elementary School. Those permits expired in 1997.
THE NEW JOINT-USE CONCEPT BEING EXPLORED
During the past five years, UAS has conducted a series of RFPs exploring options for
a joint-use facility, all aimed at providing more affordable recreation facility options.
The administration believes that one is in the making.
The AKARNG contacted UAS officials in July of this year, explaining that it had been planning a new readiness facility for Juneau for several years. Their existing facility is outdated, located on valuable downtown Juneau leasehold property, with a lease due to expire in two years. The Mental Health Trust has indicated that it will not renew the AKARNG lease. The design for a new AKARNG readiness center is now 95 percent complete for a mid-valley (Lemon Creek) site, but funding for construction is stalled because national funding priorities for the AKARNG have dropped in the overall Army National Guard Infrastructure Requirement Plan. Funding has become more readily available when construction involves partnerships and joint-use facilities, saving operational costs while better serving the needs of local communities. It is believed that the university would construct the facility, but the Alaska Department of Military and Veteran Affairs would own it after construction, in turn allocating uses and operating costs via a joint-use operating agreement.
Absent a local, state, or national emergency, the AKARNG's maximum utilization of the joint facility is normally limited to one weekend per month and two weeks per year. AKARNG utilization, except in the case of emergency use, would not preclude simultaneous university use of portions of the facility.
The conceptual plan for the joint facility has expanded the 41,000 square foot, $9.5
million readiness center by approximately 17,000 square feet. The "joint-use" spaces
that would accommodate the university's needs are located on the ground floor of the
two-story building, except for the running track on the upper level of the gymnasium.
Approximately 30 percent of the facility would be off limits to the university. These
AKARNG spaces are principally located on the second floor. Approximately 10 percent
of the joint facility would be only for use by the university and approximately 60
percent would be joint use.
A separate $2.3 million, 8,000 square foot vehicle maintenance shop will be located
on the site and is not currently intended for university use.
UAS and the AKARNG are working to define details and formalize an agreement regarding the costs associated with the creation of a joint-use design and on-going operations. Examples of agreements at other joint-use facilities have been made available to UAS. The AKARNG is expressly prohibited from funding some portions of design and construction of joint-use facilities, but the UAS administration believes that such costs are so much lower than a stand-alone facility that it has initiated what is likely to be an intensive $100,000 planning/analysis effort to ensure that such matters are defined clearly and that reliable cost figures are established for consideration by the regents. The clarity of the information will greatly assist UAS in identifying commitments of additional non-state funding sources.
If successful in developing a partnership, federal construction funds could be available as soon as summer 2001.
The current AKARNG design includes an assembly hall with adjoining kitchen, locker/shower rooms, fitness room, two classrooms, an electronic shooting range, significant storage, and a small administrative area. The majority of the areas "off limits" to UAS and the public are on the second floor.
The current AKARNG design does not include the following UAS program needs, but they appear to be attainable within the existing university funding request:
~ Increasing the size of the assembly area to provide a collegiate-sized gymnasium
space;
~ Increasing the number and privacy of lockers and showers;
~ Adding more public reception and student lounge areas;
~ Changing building entry to provide public waiting areas, student lounge;
~ Public toilets in quantities required by State of Alaska;
~ Enlarging storage areas for UAS needs;
~ Revising public circulation areas for better segregation of activities.
THE SITE
UAS and the Guard have explored the campus core site envisioned for the downsized
UAS recreation center plus two other UAS-owned sites for locating a joint-use facility.
Only one site meets the requirements for the building, parking, and outdoor play fields
- the site identified by the UAS master plan for a recreational complex. This site
allows opportunities for future UAS facility growth. The site has the most level land
of any owned by UAS. The site is adjacent to the existing path that connects the main
campus to the student-housing site. Expensive road and utility access will need to
be included within the scope of this project.
Changes to the current AKARNG design are being analyzed for UAS by Jensen Yorba Lott Architects of Juneau, the architect of record for the current AKARNG design. Draft conceptual floor plans, site plans, and preliminary cost estimates may be introduced at the November 9 meeting of the Finance, Facilities, and Land Management Committee.
AKARNG and UAS officials will be available to discuss the developing details with the committee.
This is an information item only that is being advanced because the information may affect the evaluation/ranking of the FY02 UAS capital request for a recreational center, and to advise the regents of an ongoing expenditure of planning funds to fully define the levels of commitment that will be required to make this alternative recreation center a reality.
SUMMARY
Based on prior Board of Regents' action to authorize UAS Recreation Center approval
at $5.2 million and proceed with architectural/engineering design, UAS will proceed
with planning costs not to exceed $120,000 for schematic design and draft partnering
agreements to be brought back for bid-construction phased authority at the March 2001
Board of Regents' meeting, subject to satisfactory partnering/use agreements and available
funding.
V. Future Agenda Items
A. Report on Land Management OperationsB. UAA Master Planning & CIP Development
C. UAF Master Planning & CIP Development
VI. Adjourn