Guinn criticizes college system over spending

Friday, July 14, 2000 | 10:37 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn used a meeting of the state Transportation Board to level criticism at the University and Community College System of Nevada.

The governor on Thursday referred to the system's solicitation of private funds to help pay for new buildings. In most cases, the state is then expected to pay any remaining costs and also contend with the inevitable cost overruns.

"The university has beat up the state pretty bad," said Guinn, who served as interim president of UNLV for one year in the mid-1990s.

Typically, the governor said, the university will collect something in the area of $10 million and then expect the state to chip in $40 million. The university's fallback position is always that it will lose the $10 million if the state does not come through with the remainder.

"The new state college (in Henderson) is a good example," Guinn said.

Land was donated for the Nevada State College and the proposed construction budget envisions the school collecting $10 million in private donations for its first classroom building and the state adding $26 million. The library at the school would be financed with $17.5 million in state funds and $10 million in private money.

Guinn, who serves as chairman of the Transportation Board, brought up the university scenario during discussion of local governments contributing to projects that cost more than anticipated, adding to the state's burden.

The governor also said he didn't want to see UNLV drag its feet in negotiations to locate a new state motor pool on campus property at Tropicana Avenue and Paradise Road. The school would have a similar facility.

He said he intended to call school officials to make sure they agree. The state, Guinn said, spends a lot of money on that campus.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said UNLV, "needs to come to the table."

Eric Raecke, manager of the state Public Works Board, said he was 99 percent sure UNLV would agree to the joint venture on the property. Guinn said he would be willing to contact university officials to move along the negotiations.

The motor pool is currently located at McCarran International Airport but must move for a variety of reasons. Raecke told the board that every time an airplane takes off from one runway, it spews dust and rocks, shattering the windshields of cars.

As a backup location for the motor pool, Raecke said the Public Works Board was looking at the 21-acre parcel owned by the Clark County Department of Aviation on Decatur Boulevard at Interstate 215. The state Transportation Department had sought to acquire the Decatur property by trading 15 acres of its land to Clark County.

But the Transportation Board nixed that deal based on questions about the financing and the possibility that other land was available.