Article Title: State House Expansion May Begin in 2003

Edition: August 2001
Category: General Interest
Author: Travis Morrison
Article:

An expansion to the State House is in the planning stages and construction could start in 2003.

But just how tight is the current State House now?

"It's a log jam." Says Senator Vincent Illuzzi, (Republican from Essex-Orleans)

Illuzzi explains that over the past 20 years, increases in the number of staff and State House visitors have caused a space crunch that has made an expansion ever more practical.

Despite this growth in activity surrounding the legislature, Illuzzi said, it is "the only agency that hasn't seen an increase in space in the last 15 years." The Legislature's website reports that the most recent addition to the state house was built in 1987; before that, the last addition came in 1900.

Participation a Goal

Thomas Torti, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services, noted a particular need for larger meeting rooms for committees.

Torti said that in the recent past, public hearings held at the State House have not been able to accommodate the number of people in attendance. "If they can't fit," Torti said, "they can't participate. The expansion will foster participation." Currently, the legislature must make use of less-than-prime areas such as the state house cafeteria for overflow seating and larger events.

The addition will also feature enlarged committee rooms, bill rooms, copy rooms, and other rooms aimed at giving the legislature, its staff, and support offices such as the Legislative Council and Joint Fiscal Office more and better space. Illuzzi states that a distance learning or Vermont Interactive Television site may also be included.

The State House expansion project was initiated through the 2001 Capital Construction bill, in which $400,000 has been appropriated "to undertake planning and design of an addition to the state house." The bill also calls for a special committee to oversee and direct the process; committee membership is comprised of Torti; Illuzzi and Senator Richard Mazza, (Democrat from Grand Isle) Chair and Vice-Chair of the Senate Institutions Committee, respectively; Representative Robert Wood, (Republican from Brandon) and Representative Steve Larrabee, (Republican from Danville) Chair and Vice-Chair of the House Institutions Committee.

Wood reports that addition or modification to the State House has been discussed for years, with conceptual plans developed by the Department of Buildings and General Services.

This time around a number of different expansion proposals are being solicited from different architectural firms, and it is has not been determined whether the expansion will take the form of an addition, a separate building and annex, or where specifically these features might be located. Outside of the general recommendations for larger meeting and committee rooms, the architectural firms submitting designs have been given considerable freedom.

"We're telling the design firms to be as creative as possible," Torti said, citing an effort to generate a mix of options and the best ideas. He also notes that the various architectural firms have been screened, and all are experienced with prominent and historic buildings.

"It's not going to be any ugly building," Torti assured.

After the preliminary designs have been submitted, the special committee will pick a firm to contract with.

The Pricetag

Though these early plans have yet to be developed, Wood said that a 30,000 square foot addition and a 5 to 8 million dollar price tag are figures that have been discussed. Wood said that while significant, the planned expansion is "not a huge project … not to the extent of what's going on (in other capitols) around the country." He also mentioned the potential for an annex to 1 Baldwin Street -- the large 3-story house known as "the Pink Lady" in state house vernacular -- which currently houses the Joint Fiscal Office. However, Wood is quick to caution that the final plans will depend upon the committee's final selection from the proposals submitted; the ballpark figures offered are "not cast in granite. Who knows what they (the architects) might come up with."

Bigger Government?

With plans for the State House expansion following a history of increasing legislative professionalization, some might be inclined to wonder if the legislature is planning this addition in preparation for a larger staff, longer sessions, or a general increase in the size of state government.

Wood states that no such motivations exist. "We're a citizen legislature," he said. Echoing Torti's statement about the need for larger meeting rooms, Wood said that the purpose of the expansion is "just to get some committee room space where the public can get in." Representative Wood said that no additional state house staff or security are set to be hired in conjunction with the addition.

When asked whether any private land would be acquired as part of this project, thereby affecting the property tax revenue of the city of Montpelier, Torti stated that the expansion would have no such impact.

Torti predicts that a preliminary plan from one of the design firms will be chosen by January, funding for the project will be acquired by next year.

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