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Details hit on Statehouse renovation

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Illinois

With everything else going on - sky-high electric bills, huge gasoline prices, talk of tax hikes and legislative pay raises, etc. - this story, entitled “Nothing but the best — on taxpayers’ tab,” will undoubtedly be the talk of the town…

A $38,000 clock. Four-hundred-dollar doorknobs. Redecorated bathrooms for state legislators and staff — more than $444,000.

Those are among the hidden costs of a multimillion-dollar makeover of the Illinois House and Senate with opulent showpieces re-creating the look of the chambers in the late 1800s. […]

A Madigan aide said planners set out in painstaking detail to re-create the original look of the chambers. Historic renovation is inherently expensive, the aide said, and this work should last decades. […]

“I can’t think of a worst possible, frickin’ time for them to be doing this,” said Jay Stewart, the Better Government Association’s executive director. “Pay raises for us, gridlock for everyone else. And, by the way, we’ll have really nice bathrooms.”

Other expenses include automated window shades in the House that cost $15,128, a custom-made brass clock in the Senate that cost $38,582 and 27 custom-made doorknobs bearing the state seal that cost $405 each.

Even so, I am a bit surprised at the Sun-Times’ online reader “poll,” which found that not even 60 percent of respondents thought the expenditures were a waste…

As of 5 p.m. Sunday, a total of 35,762 votes were cast in an online survey that asked if the project was “a fitting tribute to history or a government waste.”

Nearly 60 percent of those who voted declared it a waste. The rest who voted indicated that the price is right.

Considering the way the article was written and the type of people who participate in online surveys of this nature (normally, only the angry ones might be expected to register their opinions), I’d expect that number to be way higher.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 21, 07 @ 9:09 am

Comments

Now Rich, what do you think all those House staffers were doing all weekend? I’m sure they were told to get online and vote accordingly by the powers that be. (Senate doesn’t care because Emil has no shame so his staffers got the weekend off.) Wonder how come they didn’t mention the cost of that big sky light in the House?

Comment by Anon Monday, May 21, 07 @ 9:39 am
And they want to raise our TAXES.

Comment by One of countless examples Monday, May 21, 07 @ 10:16 am
comment from the ST article, “The towels are
produced ‘in house’ at no cost, Brown said.”

apparently Steve Brown thinks the work is done
by magic elves or robots that fell from the sky.

unless Steve thinks someone else pays for things.
oh, that’s right, the taxpayers!

arrogance!

Comment by amy Monday, May 21, 07 @ 10:41 am
The other story is look how bad the Capitol looks. These guys who have to fill up space in these papers have nothing else better to do then dream up a story. I wonder if they already have the “Luxurious New Offices for Legislators” story written for when they tear down that asbestos filled SOB and replace it with something acceptable.

Comment by Kid Vegas Monday, May 21, 07 @ 10:53 am
Can it be true that Dope on a Rope, Jay Stewart, doubled the cost of the BGA fundraiser and got the same $$$…Check the 990s…We need more comments from him.

Comment by Reddbyrd Monday, May 21, 07 @ 11:12 am
“Rank-and-file lawmakers approved $28 million for the renovation. So far, $20.2 million has been spent.” It’s possible (however unlikely) that the thing will come in under budget.

That being said, it’s well worth the expense. The chambers were awful and not fitting of a large state. Everything was falling apart, it was hot and full of asbestos and the carpet, well you’ve all seen that hideous blue carpet in the House.

I’ve been on the floor of both chambers now and they are a thousand times better. Mapes told me that Iowa’s capitol is the twin to ours. Do you really want Iowa to have a better-looking Capitol than ours? I didn’t think so.

Comment by Bomber91 Monday, May 21, 07 @ 12:22 pm
The emporer got new clothes so why not also the emporer’s house.

Comment by i d Monday, May 21, 07 @ 1:21 pm
What happened to all the old stuff? Did it get pitched into the dumpster or is it all in a CMS warehouse waiting for a sale? If it got dumped, hope some construction guy is getting a great basement.

Comment by zatoichi Monday, May 21, 07 @ 1:29 pm
This is for meeting rooms that only get used really the last two weeks in May if we are lucky or not so lucky.
It is time to adopt an unicameral system,cut the number of state elected executives, and limit the time they really have to pass a budget. Maybe lets pass a constitutional amendment you go into overtime session we take away part of your pay both for general assembly and the gov.
Blago and Ryan have made a mess of this state government. Jones appears in it for himself and family, heck with the public.
It is time for the Springfield bunch to read Profiles in Courage and act like leaders.

Comment by decaturboy Monday, May 21, 07 @ 3:04 pm
The SunTimes poll was misleading at best and phony as hell at worst. The fine print said voters could vote MORE than once. At midafternoon Sunday the Price About Right was two-thirds and Too High was one’third. My guess is the article writer had his/her story already written/slanted and simply pushed the “Vote” button until the numbers supported the story. Major BS for a “newspaper” !

Comment by A Citizen Monday, May 21, 07 @ 5:09 pm
Just when would a good time be to do this work? Has there ever been a time when we are simply flush with money to do it?

Where has all of the pride gone?

Nice job done I saw it first hand

Comment by Come On Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 2:21 am
While the costs for this building are expensive - they are consistent with the high costs of construction in Illinois. It always amazes me when I read about people being surprised about the costs of construction - not only in Springfield but also in Chicago…and you all wonder why its so expensive to buy a home…..

Comment by Taylor Street Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 10:59 am
FYI: Comment In Print

The following is my original letter to the Sun-Times about this article, which was mildly edited (edits shown bracketed) and printed in today’s edition as “Unfair comparison”, p. 24:

Apples to Apples, Please

Your Sunday front page article [was outrageously irresponsible. It] boldfaced Illinois State Capitol renovation costs with no comparisons to other capitols or similar feature public buildings. Yes, one could get a lockset at Lowe’s for $40 instead of $400. How does that compare with oversize bronze seal doorknobs for other states? You did not include an evaluation from any architect, let alone one with historic preservation experience. Illinois finally has an Architect of the Capitol to care for it, one who previously worked on Jefferson’s Virginia [State] Capitol (where they [also] have [budget issues and] far higher preservation costs). He and President Jones and Speaker Madigan are right to focus on long term durability and quality for our State Capitol – or are the new editors at the Sun-Times telling us that Illinois is somehow less deserving of quality, of doing it right the first time?

Eric Davis [is an] Oak Park Township Trustee [and a Licensed Architect who specializes in public buildings.]

Comment by Eric Davis Tuesday, May 22, 07 @ 12:59 pm