NORMAL - Illinois State University trustees must decide Friday whether to spend about $4.5 million extra on current projects.

ISU spokesman Jay Groves said the proposal to spend more on the soon-to-be constructed Student Fitness and Kinesiology/Recreation Center and for expansion of the campus baseball stadium shouldn't come as a surprise to trustees.

"This is not the first time this has happened," he said. In past projects, as required by state law, the university has sought board approval to cover extra project costs.

"Certainly we see it at construction projects locally, and all over the country: The cost of steel, and the price of energy to transport materials, is going up. That's what we're seeing here," he said.

The university seeks the approval to spend an extra $4.4 million on the student recreation center, bringing the total cost to nearly $50 million. About $200,000 more for the stadium would bring that total to near $3.2 million.

Interestingly, for the first time since the board's 1996 creation, trustees are holding the regular meeting outside of the Bone Student Center.

To celebrate the completion of the ISU Alumni Center, 1101 N. Main St., the board will convene its quarterly meeting in one of the center's conference rooms.

At the meeting, trustees also are expected to vote on a $28.4 million proposal to renovate mechanical, electrical and plumbing system of Watterson Towers, and a $3 million proposal to renovate University High School's Stroud Auditorium.