ROCHESTER, Minn. — The University of Minnesota is seeking bonding funds to build a veterinary isolation lab, greenhouse and for asset preservation.
"The veterinary isolation lab is really critical," University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler told the Post-Bulletin Editorial Board during a visit last week. "Our current veterinary isolation facilities are simply not adequate."
The labs were built in 1958 and do not meet biosafety standards. There is a risk of contamination and disease spreading in the current facility, Kaler said. There is a need to isolate animals and carry out research.
The U of M is the only university in the state that trains veterinarians, he said.
The total project cost is $27 million, with the state being asked to contribute $18 million.
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The funds will replace two obsolete facilities with a new biocontainment facility that includes small and large animal holding areas.
Greenhouse
The greenhouse was cut from the last bonding bill, Kaler said. The university is requesting $4 million of the total $6 million cost.
The greenhouse on the St. Paul campus was built in 1970 and has deteriorated. Annual repairs cost $65,000 and replacement parts are difficult to find. Repairs are also hampered by the presence of asbestos.
The new greenhouse will have four specialized biome rooms and two flexible project rooms.
The university projects biological sciences enrollment will increase by 40 percent during the next two years.
Asset preservation
The U of M maintains 29 million square feet across five campuses and 35 percent of the university's 850 buildings are more than 50 years old.
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Each year, the allocation for asset preservation gets bigger, Kaler said. There is a 50 percent gap between funding and the minimum recommended industry maintenance standards, according to the U.
They are requesting a state investment of $55 million this year.
Bonding bill
The fate of these projects depends on how the bonding bills are put together. Kaler has been in conversations with the governor's office on a bonding bill, but he hasn't been in conversation with members of the Legislature.
The governor is expected to unveil his bonding proposal this week.
