By DEBORAH BEHRENDS

Indiana Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has announced the state will use nearly $300 million of reserve funds to pay for several one-time capital projects and to finish the free-flow of U.S. Highway 31, based on the 2019 fiscal year closeout report outlined by State Auditor Tera Klutz.

"Indiana's economy is on a roll, and our reserves are healthy because of robust revenue growth. It is of paramount importance that Indiana continue sound fiscal management to further fortify our strong fiscal position," Holcomb said.

"We have an opportunity to reduce our ongoing costs by paying cash rather than borrowing for several projects approved by the Indiana General Assembly in this year’s legislative session. Paying for capital projects now maintains Indiana’s low debt burden, avoids lease obligations over the next 25 years, and leads to taxpayer savings of more than $100 million."

Holcomb said the state will maintain reserves of nearly $2 billion, or 12.2 percent of expenditures, after putting aside money for the following capital projects:

•$50 million for the swine barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

•$73 million for the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine teaching hospital

•$60 million for the Ball State University STEM and Health Professions facilities

•$30 million for the Ivy Tech Columbus main building replacement

Renovation of the swine barn on the fairgrounds is scheduled to begin after the 2020 state fair, according to Sharon Smith, director of communications for the Indiana State Fair Commission.

"We have been working toward this day for more than two years, but we're still early in the project and there are a lot of unknowns with the timeline currently," she explained via email.

She said the building is nearly 100 years old, built in 1923, and in need of renovation for several reasons. Among them are that it is not enclosed, livestock loading is challenging, and the building is not accessible for people with physical disabilities.

Plans include restoration of the historic north façade, with the rest of the building being rebuilt with a 140,000 square-foot show floor.

"We are rebuilding for livestock, but we will build a multi-use facility that can be used year round and attract new shows to our state. Swine shows are our largest exhibition shows annually," Smith said.

The total direct economic impact of the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center in Indianapolis is $197.4 million (based on a 2017 study). The fairgrounds account for 1,088 jobs in Indianapolis. A new multi-use, revenue-generating facility on the campus will only strengthen this impact, Smith said.

"We are thankful to Governor Holcomb and the Indiana General Assembly for being champions of Indiana agriculture and our iconic fairgrounds facilities," she added.

Veterinary teaching hospital

Plans are moving forward for the construction of a new veterinary teaching hospital at Purdue, replacing a majority of the current hospital with larger, state-of-the-art facilities and services. Pending formal approval from Purdue’s Board of Trustees, the projected cost is $108 million.

Purdue has committed $35 million, which includes ongoing fundraising by the College of Veterinary Medicine, along with the state's recently approved $73 million appropriation. The new hospital, which will be constructed east of Lynn Hall on campus, will consist of small- and large-animal facilities, including a new equine hospital and farm animal hospital.

Groundbreaking is anticipated next February or March, with the goal of completing construction by December 2021. The process of moving in would begin in January or February 2022.

Building a new teaching hospital will solve an important issue with the college’s accreditation, which was recently changed from full to probationary accreditation after the American Veterinary Medical Assoc. (AVMA) Council on Education cited issues with the existing hospital, following a visit last fall by an accreditation review team.

“While this designation has no near-term effect – we remain an accredited college of veterinary medicine – it does highlight the urgency of building a new hospital facility,” said Dean Willie Reed. “The new veterinary teaching hospital project is exactly what we need to correct the deficiency and restore the college’s full-accreditation status."

Dr. Nickie Baird, large-animal hospital chief of staff at Purdue, said the AVMA reviews all parts of the program at vet schools every seven years. And while the organization changed the status to probationary, Baird said there is no reason for alarm.

"They basically said we still have our accreditation, but being the oldest brick-and-mortar clinic at any university in the country, it needed updating," he explained. "We have two years to show them we're making progress. Hopefully in those two years, we can do everything but tour them through the new building.

"If we didn't have the support of the state and the university, it would be a significant issue, but it's not a concern for stakeholders, students, or referring veterinarians."

Baird said the AVMA was impressed with the retrofitting already done to a 60-year-old building. "We have programs now that weren't even thought about 60 years ago. I'm pretty sure biosecurity wasn't even a term coined 60 years ago."

The Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine is the only vet college in Indiana. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital provides comprehensive vet care for animals, annually serving more than 16,400 patients through the Small Animal Hospital, more than 1,800 patients in the Large Animal Hospital, and an additional 23,000 farm animals and horses through on-farm visits conducted by the Bovine, Equine, and Swine Ambulatory services.

In fiscal years 2009-10 to 2017-18, hospital caseloads increased by 50 percent.

The hospital also is vital to the education of veterinary students, postgraduate veterinarians, and veterinary nursing students, providing hands-on training in an actual hospital setting for the next generation of professionals. The hospital supports the education of about 40 residents and interns, 100 clinical year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students, and 30 veterinary nursing students each year.

As of fall 2018, the college enrolled 339 DVM and 89 veterinary nursing students.

"One of our biggest concerns is the long wait times," said Lauren Bruce, marketing and communications manager for the hospital. "Because of space limitations, animals referred here have a four- to six-week wait time to see a specialist."

Baird said though $73 million from the state sounds like a lot, that $108 million projected cost could easily turn into $125 million, so fundraising is ongoing.

"That number doesn't put the latest technology into the new building," he added.