Sen. Rest looks to snag $3 million for Capitol restoration
Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, rallied support in a Senate committee today (March 25) for $3 million for Capitol restoration funding.
Capitol restoration doesn’t really have any constituency group pushing it, Rest told senators.
“So we need to be aggressive in advocating for the building,” she said.
Rest is one of the most vocal advocates in the Legislature for fixing and restoring the 100-year-old State Capitol building, a state treasure which receives a quarter of a million visitors a year and is the site of some 600 meetings annually.
Anyone strolling through the majestic building can’t help but notice peeling paint and signs of water damage on the interior.
But outside on the gleaming stone surface, carvings are starting to lose their graceful forms and the dome itself has leaked from the day first erected.
Because careful architectural records were not kept a century ago, planners today don’t actually know the layout of the drain system within the dome — the dome is actually composed of three layers.
Twenty-two structural columns within the dome are showing signs of water damage, said the expert.
Rest hopes to tap into a funding bucket from the outdoors and the arts amendment to finance her $3 million proposal.
Senators at the hearing indicated the desire to have all the members of the Senate located within the Capitol. Currently, the Senate Republican Caucus offices are located in the nearby State Office Building.
Would that be considered in addition to or a substitute of any mantainence fund that should have taken care of such problems?
The reason I ask is the way the The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment was worded when we, the people of Minnesota voted on it.
The dedicated money under this section must supplement traditional sources of funding for these purposes and may not be used as a substitute.