in february 2008 , we issued $ 300.0 million of 8.375% ( 8.375 % ) series o cumulative redeemable preferred shares . the indentures ( and related supplemental indentures ) governing our outstanding series of notes also require us to comply with financial ratios and other covenants regarding our operations . we were in compliance with all such covenants as of december 31 , 2007 . sale of real estate assets we utilize sales of real estate assets as an additional source of liquidity . we pursue opportunities to sell real estate assets at favorable prices to capture value created by us as well as to improve the overall quality of our portfolio by recycling sale proceeds into new properties with greater value creation opportunities . uses of liquidity our principal uses of liquidity include the following : 2022 property investments ; 2022 recurring leasing/capital costs ; 2022 dividends and distributions to shareholders and unitholders ; 2022 long-term debt maturities ; and 2022 other contractual obligations property investments we evaluate development and acquisition opportunities based upon market outlook , supply and long-term growth potential . recurring expenditures one of our principal uses of our liquidity is to fund the recurring leasing/capital expenditures of our real estate investments . the following is a summary of our recurring capital expenditures for the years ended december 31 , 2007 , 2006 and 2005 , respectively ( in thousands ) : .

Table:
 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
recurring tenant improvements | $ 45296 | $ 41895 | $ 60633
recurring leasing costs | 32238 | 32983 | 33175
building improvements | 8402 | 8122 | 15232
totals | $ 85936 | $ 83000 | $ 109040
dividends and distributions in order to qualify as a reit for federal income tax purposes , we must currently distribute at least 90% ( 90 % ) of our taxable income to shareholders .
we paid dividends per share of $ 1.91 , $ 1.89 and $ 1.87 for the years ended december 31 , 2007 , 2006 and 2005 , respectively .
we also paid a one-time special dividend of $ 1.05 per share in 2005 as a result of the significant gain realized from an industrial portfolio sale .
we expect to continue to distribute taxable earnings to meet the requirements to maintain our reit status .
however , distributions are declared at the discretion of our board of directors and are subject to actual cash available for distribution , our financial condition , capital requirements and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant .
debt maturities debt outstanding at december 31 , 2007 totaled $ 4.3 billion with a weighted average interest rate of 5.74% ( 5.74 % ) maturing at various dates through 2028 .
we had $ 3.2 billion of unsecured notes , $ 546.1 million outstanding on our unsecured lines of credit and $ 524.4 million of secured debt outstanding at december 31 , 2007 .
scheduled principal amortization and maturities of such debt totaled $ 249.8 million for the year ended december 31 , 2007 and $ 146.4 million of secured debt was transferred to unconsolidated subsidiaries in connection with the contribution of properties in 2007. .

Question: what was the percent of the growth in the recurring tenant improvements from 2006 to 2007
Answer: 8.1%
Calculation: subtract(45296, 41895), divide(#0, 41895)