The House Corrections & Institutions committee questioned state officials Tuesday about underused office space at the rebuilt Waterbury complex and directed staff to help arrange a site tour of leased floors at the National Life building to assess opportunities to consolidate functions.

The committee’s interest followed a field visit last week in which members found broad swaths of empty space at Waterbury. Wanda Manoli, commissioner of Buildings and General Services, told the committee that BGS is collecting badge data, conducting site visits and reviewing telework policies to understand current utilization and to inform possible reuse or consolidation of space.

Committee members said the issue matters because the state owns costly facilities that were sized for higher on‑site staffing levels before widespread teleworking and other changes. Representative Kevin (committee member) asked, “How can we get more from less?” and pressed for metrics that link staff productivity and program needs to office footprints. Manoli said, “Data leads, data helps lead the conversation,” and described BGS’s work to overlay telework patterns on existing square‑footage standards.

At the hearing, Manoli summarized the Waterbury campus history and capacity: before the 2011–2014 rebuild the broader campus housed more than 1,000 employees; the main rebuilt building now has an approximate seating capacity of about 750 and additional functions occupy adjacent facilities including a forensics lab and state police space. She described variable usage by day and by program and said some leased buildings in Montpelier also require review.

Manoli told the committee that BGS will not complete its statewide analysis in two weeks but is developing an approach that combines design standards, badge data, audits and telework policies to set practical utilization targets. She said departments currently manage telework arrangements at the supervisor level and noted that telework requirements differ by program: some positions (for example, custodial and maintenance staff) require on‑site presence, while some public‑facing or field programs have different schedules.

The committee discussed pending legislation (referred to by members as H50) that would direct further study of vacant or underutilized space; members suggested H50 could include language asking the administration to project future full‑time equivalent (FTE) needs. Manoli noted that the legislature sets statutory FTE limits and that those numbers are a starting point for long‑range space projections.

Committee members asked BGS to coordinate a short field trip to review leased floors at National Life where several state agencies currently occupy space, and staff said access will require property‑management coordination and badge access. Eric (property management staff) was named as the usual point of contact; staff acknowledged he is on vacation and that someone from his team will likely escort the committee on the tour. Committee scheduling discussion identified departing the Capitol by about 9:00 a.m. to allow time for the visit before legislators return to floor sessions at 1:00 p.m.

No formal motions or votes were taken during the discussion. Committee members agreed to continue the conversation in a future session once BGS has more of the utilization data.

Next steps: BGS will continue collecting and analyzing site visits and badge data; committee staff will work with BGS property management to schedule the National Life lease‑space tour; the committee plans to revisit the topic in upcoming hearings.