The House of Representatives in Springfield is mulling a capital bill that, if approved, would give Eastern $25 million for a new steam plant.

Jeff Cooley, vice president for business affairs, said $1.5 million to fund the Doudna Fine Arts Center equipment is also a part of the capital bill.

He added that, along with those two items, around $800,000 would go to capital renewal projects, such as replacing a chiller or installing an elevator in McAfee Gymnasium.

Cooley said the university has needed a new steam plant for quite some time.

“It doesn’t have the glitz and glamour of a fine arts facility, but if we don’t have (the steam plant), we can’t heat or cool buildings,” Cooley said. “It’s mission-critical we get that thing replaced.”

The Senate approved the capital bill Sept. 18. The total amount of the bill is $25 billion.

The money is projected to go to the Chicago Transit Authority, public schools and universities throughout Illinois, and to build and improve roads and bridges.

The bill would be partly funded by revenue from three casinos in Illinois.

Cooley said the $25 million for the new steam plant project would not cover the entire project. He added the project is projected to cost around $60 million.

Eastern hopes to finance the additional $35 million through a guaranteed performance contract called an ESCO project, he said.

An ESCO project is when the university partners with a company, who would then replace the existing steam plant, Cooley said.

He added that the university has done several ESCO projects before.

The company in charge of replacing the existing steam plant would install co-generation capabilities, which would allow Eastern to produce its own electricity, Cooley said.

He said the university pays Ameren and Mid-American Energy about $2.3 to $2.5 million a year for electricity on campus.

With the ability to independently produce electricity, the university would take that money and use it to pay debt service, Cooley said.

The benefit to entering into an ESCO project, he said, is the company guarantees the university it will have enough savings to pay for the new steam plant over a 20-year period.

“We’re not going to have to increase student fees; we don’t have to go back to the state asking for more money; and we don’t have to take money from other areas of the university,” Cooley said.

He added that the Campus Master Plan has the new steam plant located to the east side of Greek Court.

“Our current plant is right in the core of campus. We got coal trucks coming in to deliver coal, and it really isn’t pedestrian-friendly,” Cooley said. “(The new steam plant) would be moved out to the perimeter of campus, where vehicular traffic is not as problematic.”

If the House approves the bill, it will be the first time Eastern has received capital money since 2002, when the last allocation for Doudna equipment was approved, Cooley said.

“There is a difference between a want and a need,” Cooley said. “We want (these dollars), but it is beyond that. We need these dollars.”

He said no construction bids have been issued for the steam plant project. There is no word from Springfield when the House will vote on the bill, Cooley said.

President Bill Perry met with representatives and senators in Springfield on Oct. 3 to discuss the capital bill and the importance of the $25 million to Eastern’s infrastructure.

“I think we made an impact,” Perry said of the meeting.

He said he discussed general issues regarding higher education and funding for operations, too.

“I’m convinced a lot of people know why our request is in there and how important it is,” Perry said.

He said the new steam plant would generate tremendous cost avoidance.

“Every dollar we can avoid spending in the future is a dollar we don’t have to ask the students to pay,” Perry said. “That is our approach here.”