LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A popular room in Arkansas’ Capitol will temporarily close starting this summer for a renovation financed with a $1.2 million state grant.
Work on the Old Supreme Court Chamber is expected to begin July 1 after workers cover the carpet and assemble scaffolding, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council awarded $1.2 million to the Senate last month. The council awards funds for acquisition, management and stewardship of state-owned lands or the preservation of state-owned historic sites or structures. The Senate requested $1.4 million.
People were interested in these podcasts
“Most applications do not receive full funding,” said Melissa Whitfield, spokeswoman for the Department of Arkansas Heritage. “Based on the funding, which for this year was $22.671 million, the council determined that the Senate could do their project with $1.2 million.”
The Senate will also use the funds to renovate three legislative committee rooms at a cost of about $660,000. The project with those rooms began last month and is expected to be finished by September or October.
“We spend a lot of money keeping the Capitol kind of looking fresh, and I don’t have any problem with it,” said Democratic Sen. Larry Teague, co-chairman of the Joint Budget Committee.
Cornwell said the aim is to finish work on the chamber by mid-November.
“What is going to last so long is the painting,” she said. “It is time-consuming to take the paint off without destroying the plaster.”
The chamber is one of the most-visited rooms in the Capitol in Little Rock, receiving thousands of visitors each year, Cornwell said. The Supreme Court relocated in 1958 to the Justice Building southwest of the Capitol.
___
Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.