Idaho’s colleges and universities are seeking more than $170 million for capital projects — requests likely to far outstrip available funding.

The money would come from the Permanent Building Fund, which receives a share of lottery dividends and collects a host of tax carveouts. The fund pays for public works projects across state government, not just on campuses.

This year’s Permanent Building Fund budget came to $72.5 million. Gov. Brad Little and the Legislature cut into this budget, siphoning $48.5 million in interest earnings into a cash-strapped state general fund budget.

Consequently, the state funded only $890,000 for a single capital project this year, an Idaho National Guard request. State agencies requested $229.4 million for capital requests, and most were unfunded.

Nonetheless, when Idaho college and university leaders appeared before the Permanent Building Fund’s advisory council Tuesday, they took turns pitching a long list of capital projects.

Here’s a closer look at the higher education requests:

College of Western Idaho. The state’s largest two-year college has the longest and costliest wish list in the higher education system.

CWI pitched four capital projects:

• A 10,000-square-foot construction trades facility. This is CWI’s top priority, President Gordon Jones said. The building would help train graduates for carpentry and construction jobs — including the 1,000-plus positions now unfilled in the Treasure Valley. CWI is seeking $3 million from the Permanent Building Fund, and plans to contribute $1 million for the project.
• A regional public safety training center. CWI is seeking $40 million in Permanent Building Fund money, which it would match dollar for dollar. “That shared investment would create a regional asset in Southwest Idaho, one place where agencies across the region can train together, keep their personnel certified, and build the workforce Idaho’s growing communities need,” Jones said Tuesday.
• The second phase of CWI’s student success center, a one-stop shop housing the library, financial aid, tutoring and other services. CWI is seeking $25 million from the Permanent Building Fund, to cover the bulk of the $30 million cost.
• The second phase on CWI’s health and science building. This phase would consolidate all of CWI’s health programs, including noncredit workforce training for EMTs and certified nurse assistants. Here, CWI is requesting $17 million from the Permanent Building Fund, pledging a $4 million match.

“This is a school that’s looking to catch up,” Jones said.

University of Idaho. Higher ed’s biggest capital request comes from the U of I: $50 million over two years, for a new engineering and science building.

“This isn’t about replacing an old building with a new one,” President C. Scott Green told the advisory council. “It’s about removing constraints on how many students we can educate, the type of research we can conduct, and how effectively we can respond to the needs of Idaho’s employers and communities.”

The building has a $115 million price tag. The U of I would raise $10 million for the building and finance the balance.

The U of I also is seeking $5.6 million for a College of Engineering “top secret facility,” for classified research with federal agencies and national laboratories.

Lewis-Clark State College. LC State’s $23.7 million in requests won’t go toward “shiny and new buildings,” President Cynthia Pemberton said. Instead, the money would go toward renovations at three decades-old buildings.

The biggest item would be a $10 million upgrade to Meriwether Lewis Hall, a classroom building constructed in phases from 1970 to 1981. LC State’s 105-year-old administration building and 55-year-old Sam Glenn Complex, which houses career-technical programs.

“Just because we’re small does not mean that our needs are small,” Pemberton said. “In fact, our age makes our need greater.”

North Idaho College. The two NIC capital requests total $21 million. An Emergency Vehicle Operations Course for law enforcement training would cost $12 million. Reconfiguring the first floor of NIC’s library has a $9 million price tag.

Boise State University. The biggest ask from Boise State is $10 million to renovate its original science building. Boise State is working on a new, $140 million science research building, and it’s expected to come online in 2029. Renovations would breathe some new life into the original, 1977-vintage building.

“This request is both timely and strategic,” President David Hahn told the advisory council. “It allows us to complete design for the building renewal while the new science building is being constructed.”

Boise State is also seeking $4 million for street, sidewalk and curb projects on the south end of campus.

Idaho State University. Idaho State is emphasizing private-public partnerships — such as a 370-bed student apartment complex, slated to open in 2029. The State Board of Education has selected Pennsylvania-based Radnor Property Group to develop the complex.

Unlike its colleagues, Idaho State is not requesting money for capital projects. The university’s $11.6 million request for deferred maintenance would go to 11 different upgrades, including four HVAC projects and four roof replacements. “Because our 125-year-old campus depends heavily on the preservation of existing facilities, addressing deferred maintenance remains a vital priority,” vice president of campus operations Brian Sagendorf said.

College of Eastern Idaho. While CEI is the state’s newest two-year school, some of its buildings predate its community college status. The college’s cafeteria was built in 1969; CEI is requesting $3 million for renovations and new kitchen equipment.

“We have a lot of students on Pell grants,” said Penny Lyon, CEI’s vice president of finance and operations. “We have a lot of students that need affordable cafeteria food, and we provide that. But we also need to upgrade our cafeteria and get it more modern and our equipment more up to date.”

College of Southern Idaho. One priority is $3 million to upgrade controls for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, systems. A $750,000 request would cover improvements to CSI’s fish hatchery.