Accounting mistake leads to shortfall for UConn construction

(Storrs-WTNH, Apr. 5, 2005 7:50 PM) _ There are more problems with construction at the University of Connecticut.
This time, a measurement mistake for the new student union is costing the school millions more than they budgeted for.
by News Channel 8's Kent Pierce
It's a $9 million mistake.
UConn's student union should be beautiful when construction is done but the budget keeps getting uglier.
It's now almost $16 million over budget, rising prices for steel and labor are part of the problem.
But most is because of the difference between gross and net square footage.
"Gross square footage is the entire surface of the whole area in the building, net is that portion of the building you can use when you exclude hallways and common shared areas and stairwells," says Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith, UConn Vice President.
When the construction manager came up with the budget for the project she only took into account a net square footage instead of gross. That meant she thought this was only a sixty-thousand square foot building when really it was going to be 90-thousand square feet.
That mistake added $9 million to the budget and that money has to come from somewhere.
Correcting the error added 30-thousand more square feet and nine million dollars.
"We took the money from a line in the UConn 2000 program phase 3 for equipment, telecommunications and library books."

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