Design contract for Alaska State Capitol approved

The Legislative Council approved a contract last week with Juneau-based architectural firm Jensen Yorba Lott for design work on the restoration and retrofitting of the Capitol. The renovation would be a three-phase project expected to span four summers and cost millions.

Democratic Sen. Dennis Egan of Juneau successfully lobbied to add consideration of Capitol repairs to the agenda at a Legislative Council meeting in Anchorage, despite the objection of Wasilla Republican Sen. Linda Menard, the council’s chairwoman, the Juneau Empire reported Wednesday (http://is.gd/XsVvx7).

A cost estimate is being prepared and will be presented to lawmakers, Jensen Yorba Lott president Wayne Jensen said.

The cost of reconstruction will be in the millions, he said. The design contract alone is worth slightly more than $1 million.

The first phase of construction could start as soon as next summer.

The Capitol’s restoration should be a priority both for safety reasons and for historical preservation, Egan said.

“It’s the Capitol,” he said. “It’s a life safety issue. We have the governor’s office there. We have the entire Legislature there. And it’s an 80-year-old structure. It behooves us, whether the Legislature’s there or not, to preserve it.”

The executive director of the Legislative Affairs Agency, Pam Varni, agreed that work on the building is needed.

“We’ve had some pieces of the terra cotta (that) have fallen off the Capitol and some bricks that need repair, and it’s time for this work to be done,” Varni said.

The project will have two purposes, Jensen said. One is a seismic retrofit of the building. The other is a fix of the exterior to make the structure safer and more resilient, as well as to restore it to its original condition. Construction of the building began in 1929 and was completed in early 1931.

Some of the same materials might not be used, however. Porous stone that has not stood up well to Juneau’s marine climate may be replaced with similar-looking concrete, Jensen said.

One prominent building material — marble quarried on Prince of Wales Island — will stay.

“We definitely would restore those,” said Jensen. “We would keep those features. Even though they have some deterioration, we think we can restore those and maintain that, mainly because it’s Alaskan marble.”

Summers are being eyed for the work to keep from disrupting the legislative session, Jensen said.

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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com