Buildings and General Services seeks $8 million for major maintenance; outlines $8.9M State House masonry plan

The Senate Economic Committee on Institutions heard an overview April 16 of Section 2 of the governor's recommended capital budget, covering the Agency of Administration's Buildings and General Services (BGS). For the record, Gerald Lejuez, director for design and construction for Buildings and General Services, told the committee the department is requesting $8,000,000 in cash for the major maintenance program and described several building-specific projects, permit-driven stormwater work and facility upgrades.

The money requested for major maintenance is an annual appropriation used to address repairs and replacements across state-owned buildings, Lejuez said. He described the portfolio as including office and operational facilities, labs, courthouses and the State House, and said roughly a quarter of those buildings operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (primarily correctional and certain health facilities). Lejuez said BGS generally treats work above about $750,000 as a separate line item rather than routing it through the major maintenance bucket.

Why it matters: Lejuez said major maintenance supports basic building safety and continuity of services across state operations, and that deferred work can lead to larger future costs. The committee was asked to consider the requested cash appropriation and a suite of project priorities that the agency manages and sequences.

Most important details

- Major maintenance process and funding: Lejuez described a twice-yearly review of work orders, a priority rating system (priority 1'3) and a triage between planned, unplanned and emergency work. Larger projects are scheduled as line items; smaller or routine repairs are handled at the maintenance level. He said emergency repairs under about $10,000 can be handled directly; larger emergency work is typically followed up with a contract.

- Staffing: Lejuez said BGS assigns projects to roughly a dozen project managers (he cited 12 positions) and that several positions were vacant and being filled.

- Contingency and emergency funds: Lejuez said the agency maintains contingency funds for shortfalls in capital projects and that contingency use is capped at $100,000 per project without higher approval; larger reallocations can be pursued through the secretary or an emergency fund.

Stormwater permitting and site work

Lejuez described a set of sites subject to the state's three-acre stormwater permitting rule and said BGS has obtained permits for several sites and is seeking others. He said eight sites are in the current permitting effort; three sites were ready to go out to bid for construction this summer, while five remained in the permitting pipeline. If permit conditions change to require additional properties to be treated, BGS would evaluate and add them to a new list and estimate costs. Once a permit is in hand, Lejuez said, the agency typically has up to five years to complete the required work.

State House masonry and masonry drying plan

David Sheets (identified in testimony as the State House finishes lead) and Lejuez described recurring moisture problems in the State House granite and mortar. The presentation said BGS and contractors determined that trapped moisture in joints and behind granite was contributing to deterioration. BGS plans an initial round of "sacrificial" repointing designed to draw moisture from the masonry, paired with roof and gutter repairs and window work to address water intrusion and allow masonry to dry before final repointing. Lejuez provided an order-of-magnitude construction estimate of about $8,900,000 to begin that work, while noting the full extent will be clearer after further investigation.

Selected building projects and upgrades

- 120 State Street: Lejuez said interior renovation planning is moving forward. The building still has original steam radiators; BGS plans to convert to a hot-water system and add centralized air conditioning (likely a rooftop chiller), which will require removal of ceilings and electrical upgrades. The conversion would eliminate seasonal window units and is expected to include energy-efficiency upgrades.

- Middlesex cottage building (Vermont State Archives area): BGS plans to replace the upper roof (the agency described the lower roof as previously funded). The project also received a small reallocation: about $58,027 was moved into the project to fund an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to prevent brief power blips from interrupting archival systems.

- Waterbury State Office: BGS said slate roofs that were renewed after Tropical Storm Irene are again deteriorating; the agency proposed wholesale slate replacement and said work would start in the summer. BGS said it would coordinate with historic-preservation review because the building is on the historic register.

- Parking garages and 108 Cherry Street issues: BGS presented photos and described a recurring sewer intrusion problem at 108 Cherry Street, where combined sewer/storm flows can enter the basement slab; the planned fix is to run new piping from the building to a city manhole to eliminate the intrusion. BGS also described ongoing repairs and a longer-range rehabilitation plan for other state parking garages, including a multi-deck garage with temporary shoring and a planned multi-million-dollar rehabilitation at 32 Cherry Street that must be staged around courthouse operations.

- Police academy firing range: BGS described options to protect the range from weather (for example, adding a roof or awning). Enclosing the range would raise ventilation and lead-containment challenges; as an interim approach, a weather cover would reduce snow and ice entry while avoiding major hazardous-waste ventilation upgrades.

Arts in state buildings

Lejuez said the Vermont Arts Council administers an annual line item (the agency requested $75,000 a year) to place public art in capital projects. BGS and the Arts Council coordinate on suitable projects, solicit artists and use a panel selection process; finished works may be interior or exterior depending on site access.

What the committee asked and next steps

Committee members asked how the major maintenance appropriation compares with prior biennia and whether the $8,000,000 request is sufficient; Lejuez replied the level is consistent with recent bienniums but warned tariffs and deferred maintenance could drive future requests. The House adjusted the major-maintenance cash amount from the administration request to $7,120,000, he said; BGS did not object to the House change.

No formal votes were recorded in the hearing excerpt. Committee discussion closed the BGS presentation and the chair moved on to other business.

Ending

Committee consideration of Section 2 will continue as part of the broader capital budget review. Lejuez told the panel BGS will refine estimates as permitting proceeds and design work advances; several projects noted in the presentation were scheduled to bid this summer or to move into detailed design once funds and permits are secured.