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Department of Administration urges bonding for facility preservation, CAPRA and capital complex security
Summary
Commissioner Tamar Grunvall of the Department of Administration briefed the committee on the state's deferred maintenance backlog, the governor's requests to fund CAPRA emergency repairs, capital asset preservation and security upgrades on the Capitol complex, and a proposal to create an account for renewable energy and EV fleet investments.
Tamar Grunvall, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Administration, told the Capital Investment Committee Feb. 27 that the state owns more than 4,800 buildings totaling about 34 million square feet with a replacement value of more than $11.2 billion and an estimated deferred‑maintenance backlog of about $2.2 billion.
"I want to highlight the importance of asset preservation and taking care of what we have," Grunvall said, summarizing the agency’s rationale for prioritizing capital asset preservation and replacement account (CAPRA) funding in any bonding package.
Grunvall told the committee the governor’s proposal would direct a significant portion of bonding authority to agency asset preservation projects, and would replenish CAPRA, which pays for emergency repairs and hazardous‑materials abatement. She said CAPRA had paid for flood damage and roof, water main and sewer replacements in 2024 and warned that limited CAPRA funds could be quickly depleted by additional emergency events, forcing agencies to divert operating dollars or reduce services.
The Department of Administration also asked for additional resources to implement selected security upgrades identified by the Advisory Committee on Capital Area Security (ACAS) in a 2014 physical security study and updated in 2022. Grunvall said roughly half of the Capitol complex population and building square footage still lacks recommended security improvements, and noted earlier appropriations enabled installation of turnstiles and a security kiosk in the Administration Building.
Finally, Grunvall described a budget‑neutral policy proposal to establish a State Building Renewable Energy Storage and Electric Vehicle Account to allow the state to apply for and accept federal rebates for renewable energy projects and electric vehicle fleet purchases on behalf of state agencies.
Committee members asked about vacant buildings and facility condition assessments. Assistant Commissioner Wayne Waslowski explained agencies track vacant buildings through the enterprise real property system and perform standard facility condition assessments that rate individual building systems, which roll up into an overall building rating. The commissioners said the assessments are done at least every two to three years for most facilities.
