Ask Matt Mead about the plan to renovate the State Capitol.
His mind goes first to those who made the decision to build it in the first
place. Wyoming wasn’t even a state when
they sat down and made plans, appropriated the money, and started the
construction.
Over the next three decades, they added the east and west
wings and the House and Senate chambers. That was optimism. That was vision.
No more so than what it took Governor Mead and the
leadership of the legislature to move ahead with the current renovation. The
timing is never especially good to spend 300 million dollars on a project, but
the time has come for a major renovation of the Wyoming State Capitol.
The project has its critics. Maureen Bader, the Canadian
paid with Texas dollars to write columns critical of Wyoming for the Liberty
Group calls the plans “palatial.” She predicts, “dreams of palaces (will) turn into nightmares.”
I
predict The Liberty Group is wrong.
It’s
true. A project of this size and scope will always experience stumbles getting
off the ground. The end result, however, will be a Capitol Complex that will
serve this state well for the next several decades and make its citizens as
proud today as were those who built the original structure 150 years ago.
As
the Governor pointed out during a recent conversation he and I had in his
office, he has nothing to gain. By the time the Capitol reopens, he’ll no
longer be Governor and most of today’s legislators will likewise be gone. It’s
not about them. It’s about modernizing and creating a place where the people’s
business can be done effectively in the 21st century.
Governor
Mead meets visitors from Wyoming and around the nation in the rotunda. They are
often nonplussed about the lack of access to restrooms and an elevator that may
not make it to its final destination. They don’t know the half of it. The
building is a firetrap. How fortunate we are that a fire has not broken out in
the historic structure. The building is ill equipped for fire-suppression,
putting not only people at risk but also the historic treasures the building
houses.
It’s
been a long while since significant upgrades were accomplished in the Capitol. The most recent was
completed in 1980. That project included stripping and staining the woodwork,
painting walls to match original designs and colors, replacing wooden floor
beams with steel, and modernizing the wiring, heating, plumbing and air
conditioning.
That
was thirty-five years ago. Today, the building has grown increasingly
inadequate to fulfill its fundamental purposes. It lacks the basic wiring and
other facilities necessary to employ current technology. Hearing rooms are
generally too small to accommodate members of the public seeking to hear and be
heard when the legislature meets. The technological improvements available that
would permit people from around the state to participate in their government
without traveling long distances are not available. Neither is the security
infrastructure demanded of modern buildings in these times.
All
of those problems and more exist across the Capitol Plaza in the Herschler
Building. It was built in 1981. No major renovation has been undertaken since,
though the building has become more and more dysfunctional.
Noteworthy
is that the Herschler Building cost $27.3 million when built in 1981. Today, the
same building would cost $94.2 million. That speaks to what the much-needed
renovation of the Capitol Complex would cost if there were further delays.
This complex
multi-year project, which began recently, will repair the two buildings while
making necessary health, safety, security and electrical upgrades.
These
problems have been ignored for decades. Finally Wyoming has the political
leadership willing to take the heat and get the job done.
The Wyoming
Legislature set aside funds for this project for 15 years. The planning has
been thoughtful. The project is underway.
Our own homes are
remodeled now and then to maintain their value and appearance. The peoples’
house deserves no less.
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