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ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE
Forty-eighth Legislature – First Regular Session
Minutes of Interim Meeting
House Hearing Room 3 – 9:30 A.M.
Chairman Burns called the meeting to order at 9:44 a.m. and attendance was noted by the secretary.
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Honorable Brenda Burns, Chair |
Representative Jack Brown |
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Senator Jake Flake |
Representative John Nelson |
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Mike Braun |
Lynne Smith |
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Kevin DeMenna |
Honorable Tom Smith |
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John Driggs |
GladysAnn Wells |
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Jim Garrison |
Anne Woosley |
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Steve Gervais |
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Senator Victor Soltero |
Don Keuth |
Welcome and Introductions
Chairman Burns welcomed the committee members who, she stated, represent a wealth of experience in the area of the Capitol Mall and in the Charge given to this Committee by the President and the Speaker. She asked each member to introduce him or herself:
· Steve Gervais works with the Phoenix Community Alliance and the Arizona State University (ASU) College of Design with regards to the Capitol Mall district and redevelopment of the Capitol Mall, including the Capitol facilities.
· Tom Smith is a past Legislator and current chairman the Legislative Governmental Mall Commission.
· Lynne Smith is Assistant Director of the General Services Division of the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA), which is in charge of facilities and construction for most of the state buildings.
· GladysAnn Wells is Arizona State Librarian and Director of Library and Archives, and the State Capitol Museum falls under her jurisdiction.
· Anne Woosley is Executive Director of the Arizona Historical Society.
· Jack Brown is a member of the Arizona House of Representatives.
· Jake Flake is a member of the Arizona Senate and the Governmental Mall Commission.
· Jim Garrison is Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer who is tasked with the Centennial Plan and Legacy projects.
· John Driggs is a member of the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission, which is charged with the Centennial objectives.
· Mike Braun is Executive Director of the Arizona Legislative Council, which is responsible for the operation, control and renovation of the old Capitol Building and the two additions to the old Capitol Building.
· Brenda Burns is former President of the Arizona Senate and chairman of this committee, and has great pride in the Capitol as a place for Arizona citizens and visitors to see and she understands the need for better functioning space for Arizona’s elected officials.
Chairman Burns asked Bill Boyd to introduce the staff members:
Carolyn Atwater, Mark Bogart, and Jane Dooley from the House, and Justin Weaver and himself from the Senate.
Review Task Force "Charge"
Chairman Burns stated that she plans to lay a foundation of the questions that must be answered in order to respond to the Charge that the President and the Speaker have given the committee. She explained that the speakers today will provide background and features of the Old Capitol. She expressed her intention to have two more meetings before Session starts, and stated that she would like to have floor plan proposals and ideas at the next meeting. She welcomed any suggestions from the members. She handed out copies of the current Old Capitol floor plan (Attachment 1) for the committee members’ perusal.
Senator Smith asked if the group would develop a timeline; Chairman Burns replied that that is an excellent suggestion and that the committee would have the opportunity to make recommendations about that in subsequent meetings.
Discussion of the viability of using the historic Arizona Capitol building for legislative and government functions and associated costs.
Tom Knapp, AIA, Founding Partner TRK Architecture and Facility Management Inc., addressed the committee to discuss recent renovations to the Capitol and architectural issues. He explained that he had been working on projects here since 1990, and described the 1997 renovation which ran through 2001. He introduced Tom Wilson and Dave Norton, who worked with him. Mr. Knapp described the significant improvements of that renovation to the fire alarm and suppression systems and to the mechanical and electrical systems.
All improvements were designed to address the needs of the museum, but which also enhance the viability of the building should the committee decide to return the Capitol to legislative and governmental uses. Mr. Knapp stated that his group has done a code evaluation and put together some suggested uses and preliminary budgets to address this possibility. He stressed that the committee must reach consensus on potential uses, not the specific uses which the architects will identify in meetings with the users.
Chairman Burns asked if another elevator would be needed in the old Capitol; Mr. Knapp replied that one could be added but that it would be small and might not be a top priority. He described the existing elevators, particularly the one in the hallway beyond the old Capitol.
Mr. Gervais commented that the wide stairwells could accommodate a new elevator shaft, and asked for Mr. Knapp’s confirmation that the facilities can indeed be adapted to Legislative functions. Mr. Knapp replied that they can.
Mr. DeMenna stated his opinion that a critical issue is the integrity of the old Capitol and the buildings which were not designed for the current high level of use.
Mr. Knapp explained that in his view the building is well-constructed and well-designed to withstand the governmental uses.
Chairman Burns described her concerns about moving people around in the Capitol if Legislative meetings and hearings were taking place; Mr. Knapp clarified that code requirements count only the exit capacity of the stairs, not the elevators.
Ms. Wells reminded the committee of the many school groups that tour the building and that now are kept well apart from each other due to exit requirements. She explained that she is very careful about the number of these tours and always has many more requests than the Capitol and its current staff can accommodate.
Senator Flake commented that he liked the idea of using the old Capitol for office space for the Legislature, but that the degree of traffic will be determined by the decision of what to do with the current House and Senate buildings, whether to renovate or rebuild.
Chairman Burns asked the capacity of the rooms; Mr. Knapp stated that the second or third floor rooms could have no more than 49 per room, but that perhaps the Gift Shop and Parlor could be moved upstairs and the first floor areas then used for higher capacity with ease of exits.
Mr. DeMenna asked if there would be a competitive procurement process to assess the charges and costs; Chairman Burns replied that that goes beyond the charge of this committee at this time.
Paul Scott, P.E., S.E., Partner Caruso Turley Scott, Inc. Consulting Structural Engineers, addressed the committee to discuss structural issues. He stated that his initial assessment is that the old Capitol was built very well. He added that if there will not be changes to the façade, the interior changes - mechanical, plumbing, and electrical - can be challenging but not impossible. He reiterated that the current design is very sound and very sensible.
Mr. Gervais distributed his Capitol Mall Centennial Plan (Attachment 2) and asked about the possibility of using the original Capitol building as the connector between new Legislative buildings to the north and south. Mr. Scott replied that this could be done successfully and often is done, citing the example of the Orpheum Theater being blended into the Phoenix City Hall building.
Representative Nelson asked about using stone overlay to control costs; Mr. Scott replied that the technique is used all the time. Representative Nelson stated his opinion that the project should be tied to the 1913 footprint.
Chairman Burns asked Ms. Smith to explain the inspection report (Attachment 3) on the Capitol and Legislative buildings. Ms. Smith explained that this is an ADOA standard inspection report and that the coding ranges from 0 (replace now) to 4 (routine maintenance). She noted that the Capitol Museum received a rating of 2.25, which means that the building is in reasonable condition but needs some work. Chairman Burns noted that the Legislative buildings received lower ratings than the older Capitol building.
Mr. DeMenna asked about more detailed information; Chairman Burns stated that is available upon request from the committee members.
Mr. DeMenna asked if a life-cycle analysis status would be determined; Mr. Brown stated his opinion that first the committee must decide where it’s going before it decides how to get there. He added that the committee does not need to worry about analyzing the current House and Senate buildings, that that should be left to staff and ADOA. Senator Smith stated that he concurs.
Senator Flake added his agreement but added that if the committee’s charge is to decide upon the old Capitol without regard to the House and the Senate, then perhaps the charge is too narrow. He stated his belief that all the buildings are inseparable.
Chairman Burns stated that she would request from the President and the Speaker an expansion of the charge and added that knowing the current condition of the buildings will help with the decision - if too much work is required, then the decision will be to erect new buildings. Ms. Smith explained that ADOA is securing an in-depth condition assessment for the buildings on the Capitol Mall to identify how to maintain each building.
Wellington Reiter, Dean, ASU College of Design, addressed the committee to provide a detailed explanation of the information in Attachment 2, which was developed by ASU faculty and students.
Chairman Burns thanked Dean Reiter and reiterated that, at this time, discussion of the Legislative buildings is outside the charge of this committee.
Discussion of how to retain the features of the current museum uses of the Capitol in any renovations.
GladysAnn Wells, Director Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, thanked the committee for its concern for the Capitol and for the longevity of the building. She explained that the state’s Centennial has focused attention on the Capitol building which, in 1974, was added to the National Registry of Historic Places. She presented an overview of the Capitol Museum (Attachments 4) and cited statistics:
Ms. Wells explained that exhibits are funded not by the state’s General Fund but by a variety of sources:
Discussion ensued about the various activities in the Capitol Museum. Ms. Smith explained that ADOA and the Governor’s office organize the Christmas programs in the Executive Tower area.
Chairman Burns asked Ms. Wells to provide month-by-month visitation numbers.
Chairman Burns distributed Attachment 6, the layout and square footage of the Senate.
Consider suggesting such renovations as part of the statewide Centennial Legacy Project
Jim Garrison, Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer, explained that his task is to be technical advisor to state agencies and federal agencies all around the state on proper management of historical properties. He stated that he helps determine if a building should be restored or rehabilitated for modern functions and mixed uses.
Mr. Garrison reminded the committee that four years ago the first legislation came through to begin preparation for the Arizona Centennial in 2012. He explained that recent plans focus on the Centennial Legacy Projects and what should be done state-wide.
He stated that work on the Capitol Building qualifies because a Legacy Project must have the following:
1. portray an accurate piece of state history
2. be accessible to a great number of people
3. be a collaboration
4. be an enduring product
5. have an educational component
6. have a means of implementation
Mr. Garrison explained that funding is a stumbling block as $2.5 million will be released as matching Legislative funding only after $5 million is raised as non-state money. Discussion ensued on this topic. Mr. Garrison stated that raising the non-state money without the identification of a specific project has been difficult up to now and he would like the Capitol project to be linked with celebrating the Centennial to overcome that hurdle.
Mr. Driggs distributed packets of informational and resource materials for the Task Force members to study and use. He stated that the Centennial needs a focal point and that this should be the Capitol building; he added that any costs should be borne by the private sector. Mr. Driggs distributed a copy of Minutes from a March 27, 1974 meeting on the Restoration of the State Capitol (Attachment 7) which identified the uses of the Capitol to be “museum, visitor center and State offices”.
Discussion and development of important questions and fact finding
Chairman Burns thanked the committee for its work today and identified the following topics for the next meeting:
Chairman Burns identified two possible future meeting times:
Public Testimony
Person recognized by the Chair who did not wish to speak:
Terry Houghland
Donna Reiner, representing herself, urged the committee to preserve the Museum. She stated that she used to work at museums and she believes that children like to see how things used to be. She expressed her pride in Arizona and in the Capitol buildings.
Without objection, the meeting adjourned at 11:51 p.m.
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Jane Dooley, Committee Secretary
November 28, 2007
(Original minutes, attachments and audio on file in the Office of the Chief Clerk; video archives available at http://www.azleg.gov/)
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CAPITOL TASK FORCE
2
November 28, 2007
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