Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Legislative management details Capitol complex work: elevator repairs, exterior restoration and Old State House windows among top projects
Loading...
Summary
The Joint Committee on Legislative Management told the bonding subcommittee the next major capital project for the Capitol complex is an exterior restoration likely to require two to three years of scaffolding, and several near‑term repairs — including a generator replacement and Old State House window work — are planned.
The Joint Committee on Legislative Management (OLM) told the General Obligation Bonding Subcommittee that the Capitol complex has major capital projects ahead, with a multi‑year exterior restoration of the State Capitol identified as the next large undertaking.
Jim Tamburro, executive director of the Joint Committee on Legislative Management, said the Capitol exterior renovation is expected to require scaffolding around the building for approximately two to three years and will include internal restoration work. He said the project would likely go out to bid later this year.
Nut graf: OLM also reviewed recent work — notably elevator modernization — and described several near‑term needs: roof and skylight repairs, replacement of a temporary generator with a higher‑capacity unit, remediation of lead and glazing issues at the Old State House, and upgrades to drinking fountains to ADA‑compliant bottle‑filling stations.
Notable items described to the committee
- Elevators and transportation systems: OLM received committee praise for progress on elevator modernization; Otis is the current elevator maintainer.
- Capitol exterior restoration: Tamburro said the exterior restoration is OLM’s next major capital project and could require scaffolding for two to three years. The capital restoration program has approximately $70.9 million available toward the projected cost but rising construction costs remain a concern.
- Old State House: OLM described deteriorated brownstone and windows; plans include acquiring salvaged brownstone from other projects and remediating lead in window caulking and paint. OLM plans to bid window work by the end of the fiscal year and is exploring installing UV‑blocking glass to protect historic furniture.
- Generator replacement: OLM staff said a temporary generator is currently in place after a failure; they plan to use operating funds to replace the generator and will issue a bid for a new unit and upgraded controls.
- LCO drafting system and other unallocated balances: The committee reviewed an unspent $2,000,000 authorization for the Legislative Commissioners’ Office drafting system (LCO) and said OLM is exploring in‑house solutions possibly developed with ITS. OLM said a vendor procurement attempt about 18 months ago did not meet LCO’s needs.
- Drinking fountains: OLM said it is replacing old drinking fountains with ADA‑compliant bottle‑filling stations and expects work to be completed by the end of the summer.
Ending: OLM offered to follow up on timelines; lawmakers and OLM staff agreed the Capitol complex work is proceeding and will require continued coordination among OPM, DAS and other stakeholders.
