State gives millions for WSU construction

Pullman campus will get new teaching labs and two new buildings.

FORREST HOLT, Evergreen news editor

The Washington State Legislature approved just under $114 million for WSU construction and renovation projects Friday.

The Pullman campus will directly see about $76 million, with two new buildings and renovations to add STEM teaching labs.

The Board of Regents, WSU’s highest governing body, approved designs in November for an add-on building to the Global Animal Health facility on the south side of campus and a new plant sciences building on the east side.

The state provided $1 million for the STEM teaching labs, $23 million for the animal health building and $52 million for plant sciences.

The state also approved $500,000 for the pre-design phase of a new life sciences building on the Vancouver campus and $3 million to develop designs for a new academic building on the Tri-Cities campus.

About $32.4 million will be spent system-wide on preservation, maintenance and repair.

WSU’s funding was passed alongside $4 billion in other building projects around the state, a quarter of which would go toward school construction.