Capitol job still on track

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POCATELLO -- Idaho's budget woes have not delayed a three-year project to fully restore the state Capitol building in Boise, an architect involved in the project told Rotarians during a Thursday luncheon at Red Lion Hotel.

Jan Frew, a Pocatello native and executive project manager for the Capitol restoration project, showed members of the Pocatello Rotary Club a slideshow detailing progress on the project.

The state began seeking funds for the $120 million restoration a decade ago, and work is scheduled to be complete in 2010.

Frew said in 2006 state lawmakers authorized the project's planning body to enter into an agreement with the Idaho State Building Authority, which has financed the restoration with bonds that the Legislature reimburses with cigarette tax funding. She said the Building Authority sells the bonds to private investors.

"At this time, we have not been given any holdbacks on the project," Frew said. "But every day, we find new things (during the restoration that could create additional costs)."

During her presentation, Frew explained why the state sought to restore the Capitol building and showed photos depicting a number of structural deficiencies that builders are working to fix. Some of those deficiencies included peeling paint and cracked marble on the Capitol building's pillars.

"Some of the things we looked for when designing the project was to make sure it was safe," Frew said, adding that the building is about 100 years old.

Aside from deficiencies, though, the project will also add two 25,000-square-foot underground wings on both sides of the Capitol and makes a number of design changes inside the building. New committee hearing rooms with larger audience capacity will be added in both wings.

Frew said historic rooms, such as the legislative chambers and the attorney general's suite, were the only units not undergoing design changes.

By Yann Ranaivo

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