University Welcomes Provincial Funding for Facilities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

$3,263,500 in Targeted Funding to Address Basic Repairs

Friday, April 11, 2008

New provincial funding announced for Trent University will result in improvements to on campus accessibility, increased energy efficiency and improvements to aging infrastructure.

The $3,263,500 in Facilities Renewal funding was announced today by Jeff Leal, MPP, Peterborough at the Bata Library.

“Trent University welcomes the infusion of $200-million in campus renewal across the province,” said Bonnie Patterson, President and Vice-Chancellor. “This significant investment demonstrates that the province and the Premier recognize that investing in university infrastructure is an important priority if we are to provide a quality teaching and research environment for our students. We commend the Premier McGuinty, Minister Milloy and Jeff Leal for their on-going support.”

The funding is part of a broader $200-million initiative to improve facilities contained in the March 28 provincial budget. The funds are targeted at capital investments and are not incorporated into the University’s annual operating budget.

The announcement was made by Mr. Leal on behalf of the Honourable John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.

The provincial investment will be used by the University to address a number of projects:

• Installation of a new elevator to improve accessibility to the Environmental Sciences and Chemical Sciences Buildings, to comply with provisions of the Accessibility for Ontarians Disabilities Act (2005)
• Retrofitting of lighting in various buildings including: the Bata Library, Environmental Sciences, parts of the Science Building, the academic areas of Champlain, Lady Eaton and Otonabee Colleges, and Blackburn Hall
• Roof replacements for Alumni House, the Library and a portion of the Science Building

The targeted funds are in addition to the $2.2-million in deferred maintenance funding announced by Mr. Leal on January 29.

President Patterson notes that facilities renewal at Trent remains an on-going issue. The University has a growing backlog of facilities renewal projects totalling $17.2-million. This backlog covers a range of outstanding facility needs including roof replacements, windows, heating and cooling systems, plumbing, etc.

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For more information contact:

Brittany Cadence, Communications Officer, (705) 748-1011, ext. 6185