CM Restler on City Tech capital needs and state of good repair
Restler asks about City Tech capital conditions including mold and leaks, and the timeline to get 100% of vital building systems to state of good repair. The Chancellor references the $9.7 billion capital request and efforts to move quickly with DASNY.
And then lastly, I represent City Tech.
We regularly get incoming from the faculty at City Tech about the conditions that staff and students are working in.
And I recognize that we have significant outstanding.
capital needs across the CUNY campuses, and we need to do a whole lot more to invest in that capital infrastructure.
But at City Tech, we get reports of mold in classrooms, leaks, and more.
And I understand CUNY's current goal is to bring about 55% of vital building systems into a state of good repair by 2030.
Gosh, I wish we could get that to 100%.
But I recognize that it's a lot of resources and work that's needed just to get to over half of our building systems in a state of good repair.
What do you think the timeline is to get to 100%?
Do we even have that kind of big picture goal of by 2040, we're going to get 100% of our vital building systems in a state of good repair?
What is there a capital need?
Do you have a kind of complete physical needs assessment for the CUNY portfolio of what we would need to come up with to be able to get there?
Well, that is a request in the total capital plan, right, which is nine.
9.7 billion, right?
So that would be the answer to that.
To get to 100, you have to go through 32, 35, 50.
So we're trying to move as quickly as we can.
And depending on the level of resources that we receive from the state and the city.
Another thing that we've been very, very working very hard is to do better at being quicker at being able to use the funds that we're given, right, which is another component of this.
We've been also making sure that our partner in that entity, which is DASNY, is also, you know, also very responsive.
So the more funding that we receive, and particularly for the community college, where you have to do the match with the state,
we'll get to be able to have a lot less of those concerns that you identify, which we take very seriously, and we appreciate you bringing them to our attention.
Okay.
I appreciate the answer, and I think we just, we want to, we all want to do more together to improve the conditions on our CUNY campuses, and I think being even more ambitious in our capital plan is necessary.
So thank you for the extra time, chairs, and thank you, Chancellor, as always, for your tremendous leadership.
Great.