A new steam tunnel and general improvements throughout campus totalling almost $6 million is recommended in the governor’s budget.

Gov. Jim Edgar’s highest education recommendation was a new steam tunnel servicing Faraday Hall, the proposed Faraday II, Montgomery Hall and the Psych/Math Building. The project would cost slightly more than $3 million.

Edgar also recommended just less than $2.9 million in general improvements across campus.

The projects are recommendations only. The legislature is now pouring through the recommendations and ultimately decides if those projects and others are funded or cut.

The steam tunnel, which now runs behind Faraday Hall, across Watson Creek and over to Montgomery Hall and the Psychology/Mathematics Building is more than 25 years old, NIU President John La Tourette said.

The new tunnel will hook up to a bigger tunnel in front of Davis Hall on Normal Road. It will run south and service the four buildings, La Tourette said.

The tunnel is being moved to avoid tearing up “the nice landscaping” behind Faraday Hall, he said.

The improvement recommendation across campus, No. 25 on Edgar’s list, is the first shot in the arm to help NIU buildings.

“This is to, in effect, bring our buildings up to date,” La Tourette said. “That is, repair them and things like putting on new roofs, tuck-pointing the buildings, bringing-up-to date the lavatory facilities (and) remodeling.

“This is intended to be one of a series of multi-year requests because really we need … several millions of dollars to really bring the campus up to the minimal level of repair,” La Tourette said.

He estimated NIU needs $25 to $30 million for the work.