Title: An act relating to stewardship of state capitol public and historic facilities.

Brief Description: Concerning historic public facilities.

Sponsors: House Committee on Capital Budget (originally sponsored by Representatives Lantz, Skinner, Hunt, Moeller and Upthegrove).

Brief History: Passed House: 3/15/05, 96-0.

Committee Activity: Ways & Means: 3/31/05, 4/1/05 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.Signed by Senators Prentice, Chair; Doumit, Vice Chair; Fraser, Vice Chair; Zarelli, Ranking Minority Member; Fairley, Hewitt, Kohl-Welles, Parlette, Pridemore, Rasmussen, Regala, Rockefeller, Schoesler and Thibaudeau.

Staff: Paula Faas (786-7449)

Background: The Department of General Administration (GA) owns and manages numerous public and historic facilities in Thurston County. These include: the state capitol grounds, the Visitors Center, the Governor's Mansion, and the public spaces in the Legislative, O'Brien, Cherberg, Pritchard, and Temple of Justice buildings.

The state capitol grounds include the main capitol campus, Sylvester Park, Heritage Park, Marathon Park, Centennial Park, Capitol Lake, the Interpretive Center, Deschutes Parkway, and the landscape, memorials, artworks, fountains, streets, sidewalks, and lighting in each of these areas.

Additionally, the GA retains stewardship responsibilities for interior furnishings and finishes at the state capitol, and historic stone exteriors of buildings such as the Insurance, Dolliver, and old capitol buildings. The GA rents these buildings to state agencies.

The directors of the GA and the Office of Financial Management determine and establish rates to fund the operation of non-assigned public spaces in Thurston County. Statute does not address which buildings, grounds, or other elements fall into the "non-assigned public spaces" category. The GA interprets the law to include the public and historic facilities of the state capitol, and takes the lead in planning for and directing the care and maintenance of these places.

Summary of Amended Bill: Defines public and historic facilities to include: (1) the east, west, and north capitol campus grounds; Sylvester Park; Heritage Park; Marathon Park; Centennial Park; the Deschutes River Basin, commonly known as Capitol Lake; the Interpretive Center; Deschutes Parkway; and the landscape, memorials, artwork, fountains, streets, sidewalks, lighting, and infrastructure in each of these areas; and also includes (2) the public spaces and the historic interior and exterior features of the Visitors Center; the Governor's Mansion; the Legislative Building; the O'Brien Building; the Cherberg Building; the Newhouse building; the Pritchard Building; the Temple of Justice; the Insurance Building; the Dolliver Building; the Capitol Court; and the old capitol buildings, including the historic state-owned furnishings and works of art commissioned for, or original to, these buildings.

The GA is responsible for the stewardship, preservation, operation, and maintenance of the public and historic facilities of the state capitol, subject to the policy direction of the State Capitol Committee and Legislative Buildings Committee as created in SHB 1301. Directs the GA to apply the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's standards for the treatment of historic properties.

Funding for the current and future maintenance and operational needs of the public and historic facilities will be authorized in the operating budget from the General Administration Services Account. Funding for development and preservation needs will be authorized in the capital budget from the Capitol Building Construction Account to the extent that revenue is available, or the State Building Construction Account.

Authorizes the GA to seek grants, gifts, or donations to support the stewardship of public and historic facilities. The GA may purchase historic state capitol furnishings and artifacts or sell historic state capitol furnishings and artifacts designated as state surplus by the Capitol Furnishings Preservation Committee.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill: Language is added clarifying that the aquatic lands in the Capitol Lake area are to be managed by the Department of Natural Resources; the Department of General Administration are to manage the remaining areas

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: It is important to preserve and protect public and historic facilities of the state capitol for future generations. This bill defines and specifies the standard of care for these facilities and properties. These properties, unlike the regular rental properties managed by the GA, have no rental stream covering the cost of use. Any historic preservation project receiving federal dollars must use the U.S. Secretary of the Interior standards for historic preservation. These are the industry standard for maintenance.

Other: The language of this bill does not clarify whether Capitol Lake is managed by the Department of General Administration or the Department of Natural Resources.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: PRO: Representative Lantz, Prime Sponsor; Mary Thompson, Washington State Trust for Historic Preservation; Gerry Tays, Washington State Parks; Marygrace Jennings, Department of General Administration. OTHER: Loren Stern, Department of Natural Resources.