DID YOU KNOW
Capitol’s pricey hood
The Capitol dome is covered with 24-karat gold leaf, although that hasn’t always been the case.
The dome was originally sheathed in copper when the Capitol was build in the 1890s, which tarnished to a dull green due to weather.
It was covered with 200 ounces of gold, at a cost of about $4,000, in 1908.
It has been restored on three occasions since then: in the summer of 1950 at a cost of $25,000; in 1980 for $190,000; and in 1991 (following serious hail storms) for $233,200.
Craftsmen who have worked on the job have signed their names and the dates they were there on an iron support beam inside the dome.
Source: “The Pride of Our People, The Colorado State Capitol,” Colorado General Assembly 1992.
Senate GOP stops the presses
Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany knows how to make an e-mail stand out in an overloaded in-box.
On Monday, McElhany, R-Colorado Springs, sent a note declaring his “last press release ever.”
But no, he wasn’t handing the Democrats another seat. He was simply announcing a move into the 21st century with a website, www.coloradosenatenews.com, that replaces most of the press releases the GOP Senate distributes to broadcast and print media within the Capitol and throughout Colorado.
“We know that reporters and editors can get overwhelmed – and sometimes underwhelmed – by all the material we e-mail and hand deliver to them,” McElhany said in the release. “This new effort will basically offer one-stop shopping.”
– Jeri Clausing
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