WHEREAS, Olympia has been the capital of the State of Washington
(and previously the Territory of Washington) since l853; and
WHEREAS, In 1928, after having served in several temporary
buildings, Washington State lawmakers, the Governor, other state
officials, and employees moved to the new Legislative Building; and
WHEREAS, The Legislative Building, designed by the architectural
firm of Wilder and White in New York, is on the National Register of
Historic Places, has the fourth-largest masonry dome in the world, is
acclaimed as one of the "Ten Great Domes of the World," and is among
the most beautiful capitol buildings in the nation; and
WHEREAS, The beautiful and inspiring Legislative Building has
always provided an impressive sense of history and serves as a
prominent symbol of our deeply held democratic values; and
WHEREAS, The 6.8-magnitude Nisqually Earthquake, which occurred at
10:54 a.m. on Wednesday, February 28, 2001, in the middle of the
legislative session and the business day, caused millions of dollars in
damage to the Legislative Building, forcing immediate evacuation, major
repairs, and expedition of major planned renovations; and
WHEREAS, The rehabilitation and repair project was massive in
scope, costing $120 million raised mostly from sale of timber on state
trust lands, which were provided to the state at statehood for capitol
building purposes; and
WHEREAS, The project required 400,000 pounds of marble and Italian
stone; 10,000 bags of plaster; 300 miles of new wiring, conduit, pipe,
and cable; 140 tons of new ductwork; 60 tons of steel rebar - carried
by hand up the Dome's 266 spiral stairs; and the removal of 3,300 tons
of dirt; and
WHEREAS, The project was masterfully implemented by skilled
architects, artisans, and engineers, who preserved the historic values
with creative, one-of-a-kind solutions such that many of the most
exacting, artful, masterful, and labor-intensive repairs are those
least noticeable; and
WHEREAS, The project was exceptionally well-managed as a "labor of
love" by the Department of General Administration, the contractors, and
approximately 2,100 employees, such that Phase I earthquake repairs
were completed on time and under budget, an exemplary safety record of
only 60 hours of time loss injuries during the 820,000 total hours
worked, and 85 percent of construction waste was recycled - some for
Habitat for Humanity homes; and
WHEREAS, All citizens of the state, present and future, will
benefit from improved safety, infrastructure, earthquake protection,
modern communication, access, healthier air quality, energy
conservation, and new public spaces for visitors;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate
give high praise and thanks to the approximately 2,100 people whose
vision, creativity, dedication, and meticulous, skilled, and
expeditious work makes this historic project a proud success for the
people of the State of Washington, including the following:
The Washington State Department of General Administration, with
special appreciation to the Project Management Team, the Architect of
Record, and SRG Partnership of Seattle;
Other architects and engineers: Einhorn/Yaffee/Prescott of Albany,
New York; Barnett (Bud) Schorr of Seattle; Swenson Say Faget of
Seattle; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates of Seattle; and Artifacts
Inc. of Tacoma;
M.A. Mortenson Company of Bellevue, the general contractor;
Other contractors: EC Company of Auburn, McKinstry Company of
Seattle, Pioneer Masonry Restoration Company of Seattle, D.L.
Henricksen of Tacoma, Western Tile and Masonry of Seattle, and Master
Millwork of Tacoma; and
Wilkeson Quarry in Pierce County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be
immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to all of the
companies and agencies involved in the restoration project.