The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted to approve the reconstruction of the Southeast Recreational Facility, adding $9 million to the original budget Friday.
The SERF demolition and construction now totals $96.5 million to include funds for additional repairs and maintenance projects.
The board does not expect to see any impact on student segregated fees, Laurent Heller, vice chancellor of finance and administration.
“Rec Sports has been hard at work identifying alternative revenue sources that they can bring to bear to make sure that seg fees don’t need to go up,” Heller said.
In addition to the SERF project, the board also approved UW’s agreement with Amazon Pickup Points, LLC to operate a facility at Sellery residence hall. The agreement is slated to bring in nearly $1 million in revenue to the university over the next five years.
Cross also talked about his priorities as state lawmakers work on Gov. Scott Walker’s biennial budget proposal. He said, for example, that he’d like more flexibilities from the state, noting that a 2011 study found Wisconsin had one of the four most regulated university systems in the country.
“At a time when leaders in Washington and Madison are working to reduce regulatory burdens on all levels of government, we’re asking legislators and the governor to work with us to reduce costly regulations,” Cross said.
Overall, Cross said he was pleased with the increase in state dollars that Walker has proposed.
“This is the best budget the UW System has seen in a decade,” Cross said. “There is no question about that.”
