$250M recommendation for Oregon Capitol upgrade
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Shoring up the 75-year-old Oregon Capitol to withstand earthquakes and updating electrical, plumbing and ventilation systems would cost about $250 million.
The Capitol Master Plan Advisory Committee recommended the improvements Monday, and a full report will be delivered next month to the Legislative Administration Committee.
The Statesman Journal reports that if lawmakers decide to approve the work, funding would require bond issues. Construction would take three or four years.
The Capitol was built in 1938 after fires destroyed previous buildings in 1935 and 1855. Office wings were added in 1977.
The Capitol was damaged in a 1993 earthquake that forced the closure of the rotunda for more than two years.
Information from: Statesman Journal
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
If Kitzhaber hadn't tossed the Gillnet fleet off the river,  there might be a few dollars paid in taxes to support schools, police and other small businesses. Now he might be able to get a few rolls of toilet paper.
I think $250 mil is a bit much. They are only in session a few days a year. Why don't we use that money for something we need. Like more state patrol officers, or paving some roads, or perhaps for mental health care. It would go a long way...
 @Owt_Raged You forgot schools.....
You have to realize that budgeted amounts include money given straight to PERS.
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250 million; works out to about 50 million for the actual work, 200 million to PERS
Seriously, they meet for a few months every two years.
Can't they rent some hotel meeting rooms?
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Don't get me wrong, I love Oregon's Capitol building,
but $250M can do a lot of good elsewhere.
When the government starts doing a good job, then they can get money to upgrade their office building.
How many times are they going to do earthquake upgrades on the capital?????
While homeless veterans & families linger in absolute poverty in Oregon's horrifying prison-like shelters...and no way out.
A quick web search of "Oregon State Capital building upgrades" shows that many ,if not all,of these improvements have already been made.After the Scotts Mills earthquake on March 25,1993,seismic upgrades were done to repair damage and strengthen the main building and extensive wiring and lighting upgrades were done to the main Capital wings in 2002. Â
The Government should learn to operate on a budget like the rest of us. When my house needed a new roof I had to save for it. My house needs painted and I'm saving for it. I'm pretty sure I can't put a bond measure out there to get the help I need. More Government nonsense. Not enough that they are all underworked and overpaid they need new toilets too. B.S.
Give 'em a couple big tents.
Maybe they could just build a new building for $250 million?
@portlandborn83 I bet they could build it for a lot cheaper than $250M!!! What do they need, solid gold toilet fixtures. I just can't believe they'd even suggest something on this order of magnitude of cost in these times. Get a clue - quit wasting our tax payer dollars on your favored contractors.
At this point in time, this is not affordable. There are more important priorities in the state that are necessary now, not if, when, or ever, an earthquake hits. Concentrate on the here and now, and worry about the Big One when there is extra money lying around. But that will never happen. It is not the building, but those conducting legislative activity inside that is important, and they can conduct business anywhere! Â
At $250 million I presume the "upgrade" includes replacement of 100% of the delapidated legislators with true statesmen/stateswomen?Â
 @I812 Couldn't have said it better myself.
@I812Â Â BRAVO!
I don't see how this is a priority right now, boy how brain dead can these legislators be?Â
The money is needed in other places forget the capital building!
That's way too much money, find a better solution.
 @James Gnau For that price to me seems cheaper to build a whole new building somewhere else. That's a lot for "upgrades".
Fix the schools first.
@katufanman  The schools would have plenty of money if the school system would get rid of the wasteful spending and make teachers pay for more of their healthcare and pension like the private sector has to do. Â
 @wondering That's B.S. You probably think a teacher's day ends when the kids go home and that they are overpaid and that they should be paid less because they only work 9 months a year. Do you have kids in school? Probably not.
 @wondering That is just total crap.
Perhaps if they made the buildings more modest, the upgrades wouldn't be so expensive.
So if a big earthquake hits, the building may collapse. And that's not good because_______?
@AmiM Only problem is on any given weekday school kids are in there on field trips so inocent lives may be lost. Otherwise I agree!
@AmiM Your key words are "if" and "may"......there are plenty of buildings, like schools, that would harm people "if" a quake hit.
is this something our money should really be going towards?? not the education programs or something more positive? seems a little ridiculous with the state of our economy in oregon and all the mandatory budget cuts going around. i think it is time to start cutting the governments budget and pay in oregon!
@JRE Just seems like they are approving the renovations of a building where THEY spend a lot of time, worried about their OWN safety while ignoring the safety and well being of the public at large, or worse yet, children in schools.
 @JRE I would love to see someone crate a ballot measure  to make it so that until basic needs are provided for, education, police, fire, transportation they cannot spend money on any other projects.  Better yet make it so elected officials will only receive minimum wage until basic needs are accounted for and the budget is balanced.  Bet we wouldn't see so much waste on pet projects then.
If they decide instead to tear the building down, I'd be more than happy to buy them a sledgehammer.
May I have 0.05% of that to upgrade my house?