Capitol makeover scaled back

BOISE – Renovation work on Idaho’s century-old Capitol is running millions of dollars over budget, forcing officials to scale back embellishments to save cash.

Originally, construction on the Capitol restoration was pegged at $65 million.

But bids from contractors came back at $82 million, state construction officials told legislative budget writers Wednesday.

As a result, the commission overseeing the work has settled on a compromise of about $73 million, a combination of dipping into a $12 million reserve fund meant to cover cost overruns and finding savings elsewhere.

State construction manager Jan Frew said the state wants to have as nice a Capitol as possible but changes were needed to keep costs for the entire project, including two wings to add 50,000 square feet, at $120 million.

“We’ve been working very hard to keep things within the budget,” Frew said.

Among the measures undertaken, the state saved $200,000 by reducing the amount of fiberglass reinforcement in the Capitol dome to protect against earthquakes. Upon closer scrutiny, workers found the dome already had steel bands for that purpose.

Trimming proposed marble wainscoting in some stairwells back to merely marble bases above the floor will save $400,000.

Another $1 million will be saved by not using rare red brass for ornamental handrails in the stairways that link the basement to the Capitol’s fourth floor and the public viewing galleries for the House and Senate.

Another big cost was restoring and repairing woodwork and doors, work that’s now due to be finished by December 2009, just days before the start of the 2010 Legislature.

Original plans called for reusing nearly all of the old materials, but officials have decided that’s too expensive. Only the original doors for historically significant locations such as the entrance to the governor’s office or legislative chambers will be used once the building is complete. Frew said that’s likely to save hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Lawmakers on the budget panel appeared satisfied with the alterations.

“The choices you’ve made sound really reasonable, in terms of being frugal and preserving the building,” said Rep. Margaret Henbest, D-Boise.

Still, they wanted to know if state historians have any plans for the materials that won’t be put back into the building.

Not yet, Frew said. But state officials are working on ideas, including a possible auction where history buffs could acquire a brass doorknob or some other decoration.

“They will have a lot of salvage material left over, including many doors,” Frew said. “Rest assured, they won’t go to the dump.”