At a Sept. 5 meeting of the Riverton State Office Task Force, Prospect Design Studios and partner Anderson Mason Dale reported that the state’s newly acquired former US Energy Building is structurally sound but needs targeted repairs and accessibility upgrades before it can reliably host consolidated state agency functions.

Danny Wick, principal at Prospect Studio, told the task force the firm and its consultants completed a walk‑through after the state closed on the property and are finishing Level 1 (reconnaissance) work. “The bones of this building are in great shape,” Wick said, while noting several service systems and site conditions that must be addressed.

The design team’s preliminary findings, based on existing agency program lists provided by the Legislative Service Office (LSO) and the Department of A and I, include these key points: the site has drainage and stormwater issues that have degraded parking and sidewalks; soil near the building appears moist and could be irrigation‑related; primary first‑floor ramps lack handrails and there is not a clear ADA egress route to the public way; mechanical systems (air handlers, boilers) and portions of electrical and telecom infrastructure need replacement or remediation; and some mature trees around the south entry appear in poor health. The team estimated the current program totals about 15,242 net square feet (including an external storage request of roughly 1,200 sq. ft.) and said the building can accommodate the listed needs with about 300 sq. ft. of surplus space.

John Graham of Anderson Mason Dale said Level 2 (feasibility and conceptual design) will explore spatial options, circulation and code corrections, including adding accessible single‑use restrooms on each floor and correcting egress. “Level 1 validates that the program fits and identifies critical repairs; Level 2 will tell us how to renovate and adapt the building to serve agency functions,” Graham said.

On the site, the designers noted a retention pond and a shallower area that holds water. Representative Nicholas, who said he had previously worked in the building, urged the team to consider lining or reconfiguring irrigation channels to reduce flooding and recommended consolidating separated parking areas rather than creating multiple small lots.

The team proposed a tiered funding approach: a Tier 1 package focused on critical infrastructure (roughly aligned with an existing $2.5 million appropriation), a Tier 2 package that aligns with an $8.5 million placeholder discussed at a recent State Building Commission meeting for a more comprehensive renovation, and a longer‑term master‑plan option to guide development of the roughly 14‑acre site. Designers also flagged the need for more geotechnical and seasonal groundwater monitoring in the low‑lying areas before committing to heavy site work.

Designers and staff said mechanical/infrastructure replacements and repairs (boilers, air handlers, handrails, elevator/egress fixes, power/telecom remediation) are needed to make the building reliably habitable; many elements are expected to be typical life‑cycle replacements for a 40‑year‑old facility. They recommended the task force prioritize Level 1 items that improve safety and accessibility while the team prepares Level 2 options.

Next steps: designers are targeting a final Level 1 report to the task force on Oct. 4 to inform a State Building Commission briefing on Oct. 9; Level 2 outcomes are expected in time for the Joint Appropriations Committee review in the week of Dec. 9. The task force asked staff and the design team to provide comparative cost estimates for (a) vacating the building for renovation and (b) renovating it while partially occupied, and to refine geotechnical and hydrological assessments for the south site zones.