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Though several UA buildings are in need of new fire alarms and upgraded elevators, officials said no campus structures pose an immediate safety threat to students and staff, despite a legislative leader's claim.

The University of Arizona plans to spend about $68 million on building renewal over the next three years to repair roofs, upgrade electrical components and bring older buildings up to current fire and safety codes.

But Speaker of the Arizona House Jim Weiers, R-Phoenix, says the UA isn't funding all of its critical safety needs, instead directing money from a $1 billion stimulus package that could go to repairs into new construction, according to a letter he wrote earlier this week to Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The stimulus package, which was split among the three state universities, was originally lobbied as a mix of building maintenance and new campus construction designed to boost the lagging construction industry.

Close to half the money will go toward construction at the UA's biomedical campus in downtown Phoenix, with another $90 million tabbed for an environmental sciences building at the UA's main campus.

Of the $68 million set aside for repairs, the UA plans to spend roughly $24 million in the next year on a host of issues, including upgrading fire alarms, air conditioning and elevators at dozens of buildings across the UA campus, according to a draft list of planned repairs provided to the Arizona Daily Star.

But it is what's not included in the list that concerns Weiers, said Barrett Marson, the speaker's spokesman.

During initial negotiations with the Legislature, the UA had included a $43 million planned renovation of the Chemistry Building, which included as part of that package $13 million in safety upgrades.

The UA removed the renovation from the list after legislators pared back the stimulus package during budget negotiations, a move that led Weiers to say in his letter that lawmakers had been "hoodwinked."

"They were concerned enough to list it as a fire- and life-safety issue and they were given the money to address it," Marson said.

Instead of putting all the money toward improving safety on campus, the UA has opted to fund new construction, Marson said.

But UA Budget Director Jim Florian said that although the issues in the Chemistry Building are important, they don't pose an imminent risk to the safety of students, faculty and staff using the building.

And if the UA were to tackle the building's fire and safety issues immediately, it could cost more down the road, as the university would have to replace the systems again when it remodels the entire building, Florian said.

"Old buildings have issues, and that's a safety concern," Florian said. "You do have a fire alarm in there, but it's not up to state code."

Though the issues surrounding many of the buildings are serious, no campus structures are in danger of failure, said Christopher Kopach, associate director of UA's facilities management.

"If there's something that critically needed to be done right now, it would be done," Kopach said. "If a building's unsafe, we're not going to put people in it. We don't want to see anyone get hurt."

Additionally, if the UA used money from the stimulus package to repair the Chemistry Building, it wouldn't have enough money to repair other campus buildings, Florian said.

"By not doing it, we actually accomplished more," he said. "We have a lot of buildings that need attention."

Florian couldn't say when the Chemistry Building renovation would occur, only that it was on a list along with several other projects that will be completed when money becomes available.

Among the costlier repair projects the UA plans to undertake are replacing electrical transformers throughout campus — tabbed at roughly $20 million — and $4.7 million for heating and cooling upgrades.

The UA also plans to spend nearly $7 million on new fire alarms in such buildings as Modern Languages and Administration, according to the draft provided to the Star.

Only three structural repairs to buildings have been identified, including work on Old Main, the Engineering Building and Arizona Stadium.

The $1 million worth of repairs to Old Main and Engineering relate to exterior walls and columns, while $1.5 million for the stadium would go toward waterproofing certain sections.