GRAND JUNCTION — Mesa State College’s Wubben Hall & Science Center could see a facelift sooner than school officials had expected.

Wubben is 13th on a list of 13 college construction projects that could receive state funding this year thanks to federal mineral lease dollars, it was announced Wednesday.

The school projects, totaling almost $200 million, include renovations to science halls around the state. Wubben is seeking $16.6 million to add 41,231 square feet of science classrooms, prep rooms and laboratories.

A portion of that amount could be funded in the 2008-2009 state budget if the Colorado Commission on Higher Education approves the list at their meeting Friday in Denver. The list would also need approval from the state’s joint budget committee, the House and Senate, and Gov. Bill Ritter.

Money from certificates of participation backed by federal mineral lease money would fund the projects. The state collects federal mineral lease dollars when mineral extraction and energy activities take place on federal land in Colorado.

Federal mineral lease revenue allows the certificates to be issued in a manner similar to bonds.

The projects are separate from a list of capital construction projects that would receive money from the state’s Capital Development Committee. The CDC list includes $18.4 million for Mesa State’s Saunders Fieldhouse renovation project.

Wubben Hall was built in 1961 and connected to a new science center in 1997.

Reach Emily Anderson at eanderson@gjfreepress.com.