Price tag of Capitol walkway in millions

By Michael Wickline

Posted: August 4, 2009 at 7:32 a.m.

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LITTLE ROCK — An architect told lawmakers Monday it would cost up to $3.5 million to build a pedestrian tunnel-skybridge between the state Capitol and a building west of the Capitol.

Gary Dean, a partner of Williams & Dean Associated Architects, said preliminary estimates are that a pedestrian tunnel alone from the state Capitol and the Multi-Agency Complex would cost between about $2.8 million to $3 million. A tunnel-skybridge would be about $3.3 million to $3.5 million, he said.

Dean provided the estimates to the Legislature's Joint Committee on Legislative Facilities amid a briefing by state officials about plans to renovate the State Library space on the fifth floor in the Multi-Agency Complex so the space can be used by legislators and their staff for their own business.

In May, the Legislative Council's executive subcommittee approved a motion, proposed by House Speaker Robbie Wills, D-Conway, to contact the Arkansas Building Authority for an estimate of the cost to construct a tunnel between the buildings, according to a copy of the subcommittee's minutes.

There is already a tunnel between the buildings, but it's not a pedestrian tunnel - it's musty, narrow and has pipes running through it.

A few lawmakers signaled their interest in pursing the idea of constructing a pedestrian tunnel, but no decisions were made Monday.

"It would be really cool to do that," said Rep. Gregg Reep, D-Warren. "I hope we can figure something out."

Rep. Eddie Cooper, D-Mel-bourne, said later that a tunnel would allow staff members to transport materials between the buildings and protect the public from inclement weather.

Afterward, Sen. Steve Faris, D-Central, said, "It is a good idea to explore because at some point we are going to have a way to get the goods and services from one point to the other. There is either going to have to be a tunnel or some type of cover to walk or something to cover, whether it be underground or aboveground, whatever they come up with."

The interest in the library's space is tied in a way to the state's decision to exercise an option to purchase the old Dillard's headquarters at 900 West Capitol Ave. by June 30 for $18.5 million.

Anne Laidlaw, director of the Building Authority, said the plan is to move the library to the old Dillard's building in December to free up its space in the Multi-Agency Complex.

The Arkansas Development Finance Authority, Economic Development Commission, Science and Technology Authority, and a small office for the Administrative Office of the Courts probably also will move into the old Dillard's building in February, she said.

"There have been no final decisions made [for using the library's Multi-Agency Complex space], but it's thought that any use of the space should be the priority of legislators," Faris said.

"We have been playing a shell game for space here in the Capitol for years," with some legislative staff members in unsafe conditions in the basement of the Capitol and most representatives having no office space, he said.

Laidlaw said more than half of the library's Multi-Agency Complex space is available for office use, and there is meeting space that could accommodate a meeting of two of the Legislature's larger bodies, the Legislative Council or the Joint Budget Committee, and a meeting of a smaller legislative committee.

She said about $6.5 million worth of improvements are planned for the fifth floor of the Multi-Agency Complex. The renovation would take about a year, she said.

Cooper praised the work of state officials on the project.

"We have an opportunity here at a very reasonable price to solve a problem that's been going on for 40-something years," he said. "We look forward to the progress after the [State Library] is moved out of the building."

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7, 12 on 08/04/2009

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