The Recreation, Wellness and Events Center might cost $17 million more than initially planned, but students will not pay for the difference, according to some committee members in charge of the massive project.

The facility will cost between $85-90 million, up from the projected $73 million, said Vice President of Facilities Management Ron Richardson, but that figure can change depending on outside donations, which are hoped to raise $25 million and currently stand at around $10 million.

The final cost will also depend on negotiations with architects that might begin next week, said University Union Director Leslie Davis, who sits on the RWEC planning committee.

Davis said the student fee increase, that will pay $50 million in bonds to help fund the structure, would not change. As a result, a $15 million gap remains if President Alexander Gonzalez reaches his goal of raising $25 million.

The combined efforts of Gonzalez and the students would equal nearly $2 million more than the initial estimated cost of $73 million.

That $15 million will have to be fund raised or contracted, possibly by the means of naming rights, Davis said.

CSUS Foundation Director Matt Altier said that the president still aims at raising $25 million, and depending on the final price, the fund-raising aim will change accordingly.

Concurring with Altier was Frank Whitlatch, in public affairs, who said that as far as he knew, the president was sticking with his fund-raising goal of $25 million. But he did say it was possible that the president would need to raise more money.

The committee expects to make “a serious recommendation” by the week’s end for an architect to be in charge of the RWEC’s construction and hopes to make its final selection by the end of this month, weeks earlier than expected, Davis said.

“We’re going to pick who we really want, then go sit down and negotiate to see if an agreement (on the price) can be made,” Davis said. “If not our number one choice, then our number two.”

In a closed meeting, six architect finalists had two hours each on Thursday and Friday to present their qualifications and visions for the RWEC.

Richardson said that “none of the scope has changed, we just want to select the best architect,” about the recreation center plans that still include a large 6,000 to 8,000 seat arena, bowling alley, wellness center and indoor running track.

Davis said that the meetings went well and that “we have a solid lead on highly-qualified architects.”

The meeting with the architects did not concern costs, rather qualifications, Richardson said. “We want to look at what to expect and see that the plans are similar to those we want for this campus,” Richardson said.

“All they are doing is making presentations, and then the committee will make its choice and present it to the president,” Davis said.

Richardson said that the presentations were only open to the committee members that include himself, Davis, Altier, Athletic Director Terry Wanless, Vice President of Finance Susan Green, Student Health Center Director Joyce Harris and student Josh McGee.

The six firms are Ellerbecket; Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum; Stafford King, a local firm that worked on the expansion of University Union; Harnish, Morgan and Causey; DLR; and Cannon, which recently built UC Davis’ Activities and Recreation Center.

The design and construction range of all the architects includes a wide array of projects, from entire universities, like Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum’s $3.5 billion King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, to local civic projects like the Hiram Johnson high school community swimming pool, constructed by Stafford King.