(photo courtesy of Louisiana State University)
$4 billion worth of repairs and maintenance is needed on Louisiana’s college campuses, according to a study conducted by a facility management consulting firm. Gordian has spent the last two years assessing the physical shape of Louisiana’s campus buildings. Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says it’s a significant backlog in deferred maintenance.
“Everything from roofing to HVAC to plumbing; just significant challenges,” Reed noted.
Reed says the previous estimate was a $2 billion backlog. She says they can start reducing the backlog by getting rid of buildings that have outlived their usefulness.
“Understanding the demolition needs for every campus; because obviously, we take a building down that is beyond its use, that certainly reduces the deferred maintenance needs of those campuses,” Reed explained.
Reed says it will take an annual investment of $777 million in state funding to eventually erase the backlog.
“These are dollars that, obviously, the state will not have in one big lump sum. We’ll need to work through it,” Reed said.
Regents will be requesting over $702 million in capital outlay funding for new and continuing projects for the fiscal year 2027-28.
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