Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Asset Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Administration urges major investment in asset preservation, emergency repair fund
Summary
Department of Administration told the Capital Investment Committee that Minnesota faces billions in deferred maintenance on state buildings and urged lawmakers to fund the capital asset preservation account, security upgrades for the Capitol complex and a new renewable energy account to leverage federal grants.
Tamar Grunvall, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Administration, told the House Capital Investment Committee on Feb. 27 that the state’s inventory of buildings needs increased capital funding to prevent failures and reduce long‑term costs.
Grunvall said Administration manages 4,800 state buildings totaling more than 34,000,000 square feet with a replacement value she gave as about $11.2 billion. She reported an estimated deferred‑maintenance backlog of approximately $2.2 billion and said the governor’s bonding proposal prioritizes asset preservation and increases funding for the capital asset preservation and replacement account, known as CAPRA.
The nut graf: Admin argued that investing in routine preservation saves money over time and reduces safety risks, and that CAPRA is needed to pay for emergency repairs and hazardous‑materials abatement when agencies discover urgent problems.
In her presentation, Grunvall described three specific priorities in the governor’s request: increased CAPRA funding for emergency repairs; resources to implement additional safety upgrades on the Capitol Complex identified by the advisory committee on capital area security (ACAS) and in the 2014 physical security study (updated in 2022); and a budget‑neutral policy to create a state building renewable energy, storage and electric vehicle account to allow Admin to accept federal cash rebates and better leverage federal energy funds.
Grunvall said CAPRA has been used for flood response and for roof, water‑main and sewer replacements; she noted a listing of roughly $8 million in 2024 emergency repairs appears in the CAPRA report and warned that the account is nearly depleted. She also said about $10 million appropriated in 2018 helped install turnstiles and a security kiosk in the Administration Building but that “considerable vulnerabilities remain” across the Capitol Complex.
Committee members asked for clarifications about vacant buildings and condition ratings. Assistant Commissioner Wayne Waslowski described the enterprise real property system and said agencies complete facility condition assessments on a systems basis (roofing, mechanical, plumbing, etc.), which roll up to an overall building rating. Waslowski said vacant buildings are tracked and often are the poorest‑rated facilities and may be slated for demolition.
The Administration conceded it could provide a more descriptive breakdown of the condition categories and offered to supply that detail to the committee. Grunvall closed by asking lawmakers to include asset‑preservation and CAPRA funding in any bonding bill and said Admin is prepared to answer follow‑up questions.
Ending: Members were encouraged to take detailed questions offline; no bill votes on this presentation were recorded at the hearing.
