Stimulus project requests in discrepancy
Source: Michigan.govWarriner Hall's list of stimulus requested projects don't quite match up with the Michigan Web site.
The Michigan Story Festival would receive $140,000. A request to shoot a documentary about a poet's life is labeled at $200,000.
Those are only two of 10 projects listed on a 2,240-page document on michigan.gov, which outlines what state organizations - which includes all Michigan universities and colleges - are seeking from the recently-approved stimulus package.
Of those 10 projects, Central Michigan University officials claim that they only requested four capital projects.
Associate Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services David Burdette said CMU sent stimulus requests with four projects totaling $173.9 million.
On the state of Michigan Web site, however, it lists the university as requesting 10 projects totaling $175,036,667, more than $1.13 million more than the proposal provided by Burdette to Central Michigan Life on Thursday.
These are the six requests listed on the Web site michigan.gov: $496,667 for newspaper preservation in the Clarke Historical Library; $100,000 for a community outreach art exhibition series; $120,000 for a School of Music summer camp; $80,000 for the CMU and Idlewild orchestra and choral camp; $140,000 for the Story Festival; and $200,000 for a poet's life documentary.
"I don't know anything about poets," Burdette said.
Steve Smith, director of media relations, also had not been informed about the posted spreadsheet online with the additional requests.
"I am not familiar with that," he said.
Burdette said the four verified projects include increases from original budgets for capital projects.
CMU is asking for $75 million for the biotechnology building being lobbied for in Lansing, and $19.9 million for the expansion of the Health Professions Building for the medical school. Originally, CMU budgeted for $65 million for the biotech building and $15 million for the HP Building expansion.
Burdette said those numbers are estimates and can still change over time.
"We've added a little bit to it," he said.
The biotech building would replace Brooks Hall.
"Brooks is older ... (and) when you are trying to vent out fumes in an older building, it's harder," said University President Michael Rao at Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting. "We are doing our very best to make that building as safe as possible but it would make us all feel comfortable if students are in a new facility."
Other capital projects requesting funding include
$65 million for a biomass cogeneration facility, which would produce 147,000 megawatts of renewable energy credits per year. Requests for $14 million for Anspach Hall's infrastructure upgrade was also requested.
Capital projects were the only requests Burdette had knowledge of.
"When (discussions) were held, we submitted capital projects," he said.
university@cm-life.com
