House construction plan: not nearly as good for higher ed…
The House version, released this afternoon, is leaner -- $2.9 billion -- and doesn't include a lot of the new construction at state colleges that the Senate plan does. Instead, it focuses largely on repairs and maintenance.
"My father always used to say it's better to fix what you have than buy a new one," said Rep. Hans Dunshee (pictured), D-Snohomish.
Like the Senate plan, it would invest heavily in K-12 school construction and repairs. It includes more than $200 million for weatherization, habitat restoration, water and sewers, etc.
The House plan, includes much of what's in the Senate plan. It also adds some things. Among them:
-$231,000 to expand the facilities of the East Central Community Organization in Spokane.
-$1.3 million for a Family Services Center.
-$1.8 million to expand the Northeast Community Center.
It also includes well over a million dollars in work on the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, mostly repairs and preservation work. It also has substantial work (more than $2 million) at Eastern State Hospital, and another million for nearby Lakeland Village.
Among the few new higher-ed projects on the House list: $6 million toward an animal diagnostic lab in Pullman. Most of the building is paid for with $25 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dunshee said, and the state didn't want to lose out on that grant.
The House budget would NOT, however, pay for the Patterson Hall work at Eastern Washington University or other major projects at WSU or Spokane's community colleges.
Lawmakers will spend the next few weeks hashing out the differences and agreeing on a final plan.