By CJ Jorgensen for AZBEX
The University Governance and Operations Committee of the Arizona Board of Regents approved Northern Arizona University’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027-2030 Capital Improvement Plan during its Sept. 11th meeting.
The CIP calls for $40M in FY 2027; however, the meeting also touched on two FY 2026-2029 projects totaling an additional $98M.
$50M Nursing Building
The $50M New Nursing Building will serve as a replacement building that will become the new primary structure for the College of Nursing.
Currently, nursing programs are spread throughout various buildings. The new 40KSF building will consolidate the programs into one facility. The building will feature advanced simulation labs, skills practice areas and flexible classrooms. It will be located in the north campus science corridor. The project will be funded via system revenue bonds.
The project also calls for the demolition of Peterson, Babbitt Academic Annex and Academic Annex. The project justification report says, “This project will be delivered through the ABOR-approved procurement method of hiring a Design Professional (DP) and Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR).”
The DP and CMAR are to be selected early 2026. The design is expected to be completed within 12 months of the contract being awarded.
Once the design is complete, construction and demolition will begin. Construction is currently estimated to begin sometime around August 2027 and complete around August 2029.
Cline Library Renovation
The $48M Cline Library Renovation consists of the partial renovation of the 211.3KSF Cline Library. The project justification report says it is focused on deferred maintenance, code/safety improvements and space optimization. It will be funded via SRBs.
The building’s HVAC system and fire sprinkler system currently share a water supply. The renovation will create individual supplies for the two systems.
The project is interconnected with the New Nursing Building, as the current occupants of the Babbitt Academic Annex building will relocate to the improved library. The report says it will reduce the campus footprint and lower operating costs.
The renovation will also address the building’s finish and outdated layout. It will also utilize a DP and CMAR, both of which have not been selected at this time. NAU expects to select the DP and CMAR sometime in the middle of 2026.
Construction is scheduled to begin in December 2026 and end in December 2028.
Campus Wide Maintenance
NAUhas a single line item in FY 2027. The Campus-Wide Maintenance project addresses physical infrastructure across the Flagstaff campus.
The project description says the campus has “significant deferred maintenance needs.” The line item indicates it is a conglomerate of various small projects with a combined valuation of $40M.
The item goes on to say focused projects include replacing critical infrastructure at Gammage, both central plants, roofing/envelope repairs, lighting replacements and HVAC replacements.
The description ends by saying, “This project would be part of an FY27 deferred maintenance bonding package in the absence of state building renewal funding.” The maintenance projects will be solely funded by system revenue bonds.
FY 2028-2030
NAU also touched on different projects that will appear in 2028 and beyond. These developments range from student housing to building expansions. Click here for more meeting details.
