Deferred maintenance a growing problem on OSU campus

COLUMBUS -- A stewardship policy designed to assure funding for maintenance and renewal of university facilities was presented to The Ohio State University’s Board of Trustees Friday (2/1). Request for action was deferred until the March meeting of the trustees.

Deferred maintenance — the accumulation of a backlog of facilities renewal — is a concern as the university currently has 98 buildings over 50 years old, the age at which they normally require replacement or renovation to meet changing academic needs.

Using a 50-year life cycle for buildings and based on a $4 billion physical plant (including athletic and agricultural facilities), $160 million is required in each biennium budget for renewal or replacement of facilities, said James Stevens, associate vice president for physical facilities.

While the academic and research programs at Ohio State are growing, so are their supporting facilities, Stevens said. Campus growth from 1990-2001 was just less than 3 million square feet. During that same period, 41 buildings were removed, 22 were renovated and 94 buildings were added.

To address the deferred maintenance issue, a stewardship policy has been drafted by Stevens and William J. Shkurti, senior vice president for business and finance. “The policy is supportive of an attractive physical environment as a key element of the academic plan, recognizing that a large deferred maintenance backlog detracts from the goals of the academic plan,” Stevens said.

The key points of the policy are:

• Plans for facilities and building renewal should be included as a component of the business plan for every new capital project over $1.5 million.


• Renovation and replacement of academic buildings continue to be given priority for use of state capital dollars.


• The university must manage the growth of space and recognize that the addition of space without funding for maintenance and renewal exacerbates future deferred maintenance problems.


• Attached to the policy are strategic principles that would apply to the maintenance and renewal of university facilities. An important element is annually setting aside 2 percent of the original construction cost or its equivalent for new space to assure sufficient resources are available.

The policy also suggests that University President William E. Kirwan report annually to trustees on compliance with the stewardship policy.

Just how serious is $624 million in deferred maintenance? Stevens said a Facility Condition Index — a measurement of the ratio of deferred maintenance and renewal to campus replacement value — gives Ohio State a 16 percent average, a poorer rating than the national average (10.25 percent) and the Midwest average (12.58 percent). He recommends a goal of 11 percent, which would require the elimination $258 million of the current deferred maintenance.

Stevens said that some deferred maintenance will always exist and is, in fact, normal.

“We can live with $275 million (in deferred maintenance) for the academic and academic support units and achieve the physical plant condition that would more fully support the academic plan’s objectives,” Stevens said.