State Capitol Repairs Moving Forward

Repair work planned on Oklahoma Capitol
By TIM TALLEY, Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Authorities preparing for the renovation of Oklahoma’s nearly century-old state Capitol plan to authorize preliminary design work before millions of dollars in bond money authorized by the Legislature becomes available, officials said Monday.

John Estus, spokesman for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, said authorities may tap a construction fund that contains about $700,000 to pay for an investigation of the building’s exterior to determine what repairs are immediately needed to areas where chunks of limestone and mortar have fallen from the building’s facade.

“You can walk around the perimeter of this building any day and find pieces,” Estus said. “We’ve had pieces as small as a BB to as large as a football fall from this building.”

Since 2011, barricades have cordoned off the south side of the Capitol to prevent pedestrians from approaching areas where chunks of limestone have fallen. Visitors are forced to walk beneath scaffolding topped with plywood to reach an entranceway on the building’s southeast corner.

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