DeKALB | Outside Founders Memorial Library, there is a cement slab with a few scrawny trees growing out of it. Worn steps lead into the dark area and few students cross through it.

Despite its appearance, this area does have a name: the Sunken Garden.

Although plans to remodel the garden are in place, the $320,000 it requires will take time to acquire.

The garden, along with other maintenance projects at NIU and public facilities in Illinois, relies largely on capital funding from the governor’s office of management and budget.

The plan to remodel the Sunken Garden includes correcting the deteriorated cement in the steps, sidewalks and plaza as well as fixing the drainage of the storm water pipes and improving the exterior lighting.

The goal is to correlate the landscape with the King Memorial Commons because of the proximity of the two sites, said Pat Bell, planning associate for Finance and Facilities.

The plan has been on hold for over three years, said Bob Albanese, associate vice president of Finance and Facilities.

The goal for the Sunken Garden is to “improve the total site” and make it “more usable, more enjoyable for students to use that area down there,” Bell said.

Albanese said the reason for the frozen funds has not been specified by the governor’s office. He said the project has been sitting for at least three years.

“The governor, as part of the budget crisis, has frozen the capital funding,” Albanese said.

Bell said Illinois’ financial state has resulted in decreased funding for many state capital projects.

Even though the project has been approved with a budget of $320,000, no funding has been released.

“Once we receive the funding, we will proceed,” he said.

Another larger maintenance project that has been affected by frozen capital funding is the Stevens Building.

“The Stevens Building is first on our major capital list and that has been frozen for quite some time,” Bell said.

Students should not expect to see any improvement on either site any time soon, as funding is not expected to be unfrozen in the near future.

“It’s not going to happen this year,” Albanese said.