As Future Capitol Work Is Debated, Interior Repairs Move Ahead
Capitol repairs: See how $5 million of taxpayer money was spent on renovations; larger projects await
By DYLAN GOFORTH World Staff Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY - The draperies cost more than $2,500 per window. The ornate light fixtures were donated. And most of the vinyl chairs in the new Senate Assembly Room cost $645 each.
Oklahoma’s state Capitol is crumbling, but some of it, including legislators’ offices, has been renovated with more than $5 million of taxpayer money.
Those renovations and how to fund them a $160 million bond issue is moving through the Legislature have lawmakers facing a delicate balance. They must rehabilitate an aging structure that serves as more than just a place of government business: It is an often-visited museum of sorts.
But they must not spend taxpayer dollars excessively. To do so would be to risk consequences at election time.