It’s Broke, Should we fix it?

One of the jobs ahead of us this session will be trying to decide how to address the ever worsening problem of our crumbling State Capitol. Oklahoma has many icons that color our history. Many of those icons are people, like Will Rogers. They live on in our history books and in tales told to children and adults alike. The list of famous Oklahomans is long and colorful. On the other hand, some of the icons that help tell our story are buildings. These buildings are still in use every day and no less important to our state and our history. One such building is the State Capitol.

Ground was broken for our Capitol on July 20th 1914 on land donated by William F. Harn and John T. Culbertson at what is now the intersection of 23rd and Lincoln. The building was completed on June 30th 1917. Of course it was not really complete and would not be until the year 2002 when the crown jewel was dedicated, which of course, was the dome. House Bill 2827 was passed in 1998 The Oklahoma Centennial Act which formed the Oklahoma Centennial Commemoration Commission. This commission was charged with the dome project. I will never forget my first official function as a newly elected member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives; it was November 16th 2002 on a very cold night. The Dome Dedication was an unbelievable celebration marking the completion of the final chapter in our Capitols construction. I have to tell you it’s hard not to be in awe of this magnificent lady every time I pull into the parking lot. The dome is adorned on the very top with a 22’ foot tall bronze statue created by then Senator Enoch Kelly Haney. The Guardian stands ever vigilant and is breath taking sight to view from I-235 as you head north in the sunrise. It is a grand building and absolutely one of the most important symbols of Oklahoma. It is chocked full of art work and if those walls could talk? She is ours, as Oklahomans and she is having issues. If you visit the Capitol and park south you will see yellow barricades that prevent you from entering through what was once the Grand entry way. The problem I’m told is that some of the concrete is crumbling and is not safe. It is a shame to see her suffer, but what to do?

The issue at hand is this. “Is it important enough to make repairs’? “What will it cost”? And of course the really hard question, “How will we pay for it”? Many folks say we should use bonds. It amounts to making a loan to do the needed repairs. There are some in our legislature who think borrowing is not a good idea. Some think it is no big deal. I have to think it’s a lot like your house. If the roof is bad, at what point do you start to do irreparable harm to the main structure if you don’t do the work? I’m sure not an architect or an engineer. I’m probably not the one to ask that question, but I do know that we better get it on our minds because it seems to not be getting any better. I have tried to listen to some folks who seem to be good business men. One is Rep. Guy Liebmann. Guy is a very savvy gentleman when it comes to money. He was in the Ice business in OKC for many years and almost every ice machine you saw out side stores in the metro area bore his name. Guy says that you must do maintenance when it is needed and right now, money is cheap. Meaning that, interest rates are at all time lows. In his opinion, there is now time like the present to get this repair work started. I tend to think he is right. I don’t know all the numbers, but I do think that we need to start addressing the problem soon. I don’t know if we are past the point of no return. I’m facing the same kind of things at my house. And the ever present question of “If we don’t fix it now, how much will it cost later”? I sure don’t profess to know all the answers, but it is our question, all of ours. After all, it is not just my Capitol; it belongs to all of us. As always, I’m interested in what you think. In the meantime, watch out for falling concrete.

If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov

And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:

Never act until you have clearly answered the question, “What happens if I do nothing”? Robert Brault.