A legislative panel favors it
A legislative committee studying the future of the Alabama Statehouse agrees the leaking structure should be abandoned by the Legislature and a new building constructed. What they don't agree about is the location — near the current site or, in a dramatic leap, at the far end of Dexter Avenue, creating a National Mall-type environment like Washington. "The question is whether we build it behind the Capitol or in downtown Montgomery," Senate President Pro Tem Hinton Mitchem, D-Albertville, said.
An architect's study said renovating the 45-year-old Statehouse would cost more than erecting a new building. The architect's study also pointed out design flaws that no one considered during construction in 1963 but that are now major problems in these security-conscious times.
"It's pretty substandard," said House Minority Leader Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, who serves on the Legislative Building Authority and supports a new Statehouse. The committee is looking at building a 220,000-square-foot Statehouse and parking deck for about $170 million.
At Thursday's meeting, a majority of the members said they were leaning toward the downtown proposal, but they didn't take a vote. That's because there is more negotiating to do over financing before making a decision — possibly by next month. The state pension program, the Retirement Systems of Alabama, has offered to provide financing for the Capitol wing idea, while the city of Montgomery and Montgomery County are offering to finance the downtown proposal. In both cases, the Legislature would have to repay the money.
