4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016
Brown signs bill to pay for Capitol renovations
the end of the legislative ses-
sion in early March. “My
staff read it and said, ‘I’m a
woman, I’m not coming back
in this capitol at night’ ... And
it was alarming. They actually
demonstrated how you can get
into this building. You would
not believe how easy it is to
get into this building.”
However, Courtney said
he would not release the state
police report on Capitol secu-
rity problems. “Go ahead and
ask for a public record,” Court-
ney said. “But you’re not get-
ting the report. Because I don’t
want this falling into the hands
of some really bad people who
can use it ...”
By HILLARY BORRUD
Capital Bureau
SALEM — The Oregon
Capitol is on track to receive
a $50 million renovation after
Gov. Kate Brown signed leg-
islation Tuesday to pay for
much of the project by issu-
ing bonds.
The project is a win for
Senate President Peter Court-
ney, D-Salem, who tried
unsuccessfully last year to
gain passage of a $337 mil-
lion overhaul of the Depres-
sion-era building that would
have included a seismic ret-
ro¿t to help it withstand an
earthquake.
The scaled-down version
approved by lawmakers ear-
lier this month would not
protect the Capitol against
an earthquake, although ele-
ments of the project would
lay the foundation for a future
seismic retro¿t.
Relatively little of the proj-
ect cost is related to the secu-
rity upgrades Courtney cited
as a top priority, after pro-
testers who wanted a higher
minimum wage caused at
ruckus at the Capitol in Feb-
ruary. During a press con-
ference earlier this month,
Courtney described the Cap-
itol as a dangerous place for
women and children due to
structural problems and a lack
of security.
Spending authority and
$30 million in bonds for
the project were included in
two bills that the Legislature
passed in the waning days of
the session early this month.
The state already sank
$23.8 million into the Capi-
tol renovation project in order
to plan the initial larger proj-
ect, legislative administrator
Kevin Hayden said in an inter-
view earlier this month. The
Legislature did not release a
detailed spending plan until
Feb. 29, the day before the
state House voted on the leg-
islation to partially pay for it.
It was not clear where law-
makers will get the additional
$20 million to cover the proj-
ect cost.
Two new vaults
The latest plan calls for the
Schools in need
Paris Achen/Pamplin Media Group
The governor has signed a bill that provides for the sale of $50 million in bonds to pay for renovations to the Oregon
State Capitol.
‘They actually demonstrated how you can get
into this building. You would not believe how easy
it is to get into this building.’
Peter Courtney
Senate president
state to build two new vaults
under the Capitol to house
electrical and mechanical
equipment, including a new
boiler to replace a system that
failed in the fall.
The vaults account for a
third of the project cost and
could house seismic retro¿t
systems if lawmakers decide
to move ahead with that
plan in the future. A legisla-
tive document describes each
vault as “a cornerstone for the
future seismic base isolation
of the Capitol.”
Other large-ticket items in
the project range from add-
ing two entrances accessi-
ble to people who use walk-
ers or wheelchairs — only
one entrance is currently
accessible — to replacing
leaky skylights and caulking
around all of the marble on
the exterior of the building.
Hayden said the state dis-
covered the extent of leaks
in the existing caulking and
sealant around the marble
three years ago, when work-
ers pressure washed the
building.
There is also $4.9 million
identi¿ed for miscellaneous
“building system moderniza-
tion” work that would suppos-
edly be selected from the ear-
lier renovation plan.
Architects hired by the
state estimated it would cost
just $143,000 to move the
Oregon State Police of¿ce
from the basement to the ¿rst
Àoor of the Capitol, a change
that Courtney has described
as a top priority to improve
security.
Hayden said other work,
such as remodeling entrances
and moving certain state
of¿ces, will free up space if
the state decides to imple-
ment metal detectors and bag
searches in the future. “But
there isn’t a plan to do that
immediately,” Hayden said.
Security fears
Courtney said the Oregon
State Police recently com-
pleted a report that revealed it
would be simple for intruders
to gain access to the building
after hours, when the doors are
closed to people without secu-
rity badges. Courtney said the
potential for outsiders to gain
access to the Capitol was espe-
cially worrying for women.
“This report, my wife read
this and said, ‘I’m not going
back in the Capitol again,’”
Courtney said during a press
conference with reporters at
The only vocal opponent of
the renovation plan this year
was Senate Minority Leader
Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day,
who wanted to scale the proj-
ect back to add only one acces-
sible entrance and move the
state police of¿ce.
Ferrioli said it would be bet-
ter for the state to increase the
amount of bond revenue avail-
able to retro¿t public school
buildings for earthquakes.
“Colleagues, you heard
earlier in this session the $175
million that was allocated to
school seismic upgrades is far
oversubscribed because the
need is much greater than peo-
ple anticipated,” Ferrioli said
during a Senate Àoor speech.
“So colleagues, dollars are
needed. There is a wait list.
Children are at risk.”
Courtney also said he was
concerned about the safety of
school children, speci¿cally
the bus loads of children who
visit the Capitol.
“This building is in deplor-
able condition,” Courtney told
reporters. “It’s a safety threat.
It’s a health threat. It’s a secu-
rity threat to people that come
here, that work here, that visit
here, and particularly to the
children. And we’re not step-
ping up.”
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO
Media Group and Pamplin
Media Group.
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