Building renovations and maintenance delayed too long, will cost more than original repairs

University officials are waiting for a drop in the bucket — just $12.4 million to help catch up with a maintenance backlog totaling more than $670 million in deteriorating facilities.

This backlog — known as deferred maintenance — means renovation has been put off for so long that the building requires further maintenance than the original repair.

At a meeting of the UNC-system Board of Governors last week, two projects addressing deferred maintenance were authorized for planning.

One would provide much-needed roof repairs to Fetzer Hall and the other to the Student Recreation Center.

While the SRC repairs are slated to be funded by student recreation fee money, UNC officials are hoping to use a special type of funding, called repair and renovation funds, for Fetzer’s $2.6 million cost.

The legislature approved $12.4 million of the 2011 funds for use at UNC this year, said Bruce Runberg, associate vice chancellor for facilities planning.

But that money was then frozen by the Office of State Budget and Management, said Erin Schuettpelz, director of state relations and communication.

“If they don’t release the (repair and renovation) for this year, we just don’t get it,” she said.

“Repair and renovation allocation from the legislature is really critical if we hope to keep even with the deferred maintenance backlog,” Runberg said.

He said the money should be released within the next two months, but might not be granted. The decision depends on how much money is left in the state budget after tax filings.

The money would go to an approved list of projects, the most critical in the deferred maintenance pile.

“What we would hope to get in order to keep up with deterioration, aging, would be probably $30 million or so per year. Now in the last three years or so we haven’t gotten anything,” Runberg said.
Marty Pomerantz, director of Campus Recreation, said the roofs that need repairs leak, causing games and events to sometimes be moved or canceled.

“You know, it’s a matter of when money becomes available obviously for the University, and there is a long queue of projects and different priorities that are dealt with (by people with) a much higher pay grade than mine,” he said.

“We just get very excited as soon as we hear that we have finally worked our way to the top of the queue,” he said.

He added they are waiting to repair some water damage, such as the floors of the racquetball courts, because repairs are pointless until the roof is fixed.

Schuettpelz said repair and renovation funds are given irregularly.
“Some years we get a lot, some years we don’t get any. It historically matches (the legislature’s) availability and budget,” she said.

If the repair and renovation funds aren’t unfrozen, Runberg said, there will be no money to make the repairs.

Abbas Piran, director of engineering information services, said since state funds have dried up, UNC isn’t receiving the money that goes to regular maintenance. That means maintenance costs will go up as equipment ages and is deferred.

“What it means is that your facilities are continuing to deteriorate,” Runberg said. “We’re doing the best we can with the funds we have to put band aids on things and eventually there will be operational problems.”

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