The dome that sits atop our state Capitol — Colorado’s most recognizable landmark and the seat of government — has fallen into disrepair. Its condition, like a leaky roof on a family’s house, is unacceptable. The price tag for repair: $11.6 million.
In fact, the cast iron structure that the gold dome sits on top of has deteriorated so badly that the state architect has put nets around it to catch falling chunks. The windows on the lower decking have dry rot. The cast iron columns have rusted and rivets are failing.
Spot-treating problem areas of the dome has been used as a substitute for complete repair far too long. It’s the people’s house, and it’s shameful this problem has persisted so long.
In order to accomplish the renovation, I am proposing Senate Bill 192, which will utilize $12 million of gambling taxes over three years. When Colorado voters approved this tax, they directed a portion of it go to historic preservation. This is where the money for SB 192 comes from. Under current law, the state transfers this money to a non-profit that then uses it to make grants to various private and public historic preservation projects around the state. It also funds a series of historic education programs.
Under SB 192, the state’s non-profit partner would still have over $5 million per year to use for its grant-making program. And the dome, the state’s most important historic preservation project, could be taken off of the top of Colorado Preservation Inc.’s most endangered places list.
The Capitol is a state asset, and it should be repaired using the resources the people of Colorado have already provided to the state specifically for historic preservation purposes.
Some suggest fixing the dome is the obligation of private companies, foundations and even schoolchildren. If a bill allowing the state to embark on a statewide fundraising drive passes, it is these entities that will be solicited. Going down this road doesn’t just raise perceived (or even real) problems about which corporate interests are “buying government.”
The fundraising route also creates a lumbering state program that requires significant legislative and bureaucratic attention. It drives up the overall cost of the project as professional fundraisers are employed, raising the specter of corporate advertising on or near the dome.
We don’t need this in a day and age when people are rightly questioning the motives of government. Choosing not to use public monies already available for such purposes means the legislature will continue pouring money into historic preservation projects around the state. Why should the state collect tax revenues and spend them on privately owned projects while leaving the people’s house in such a miserable condition, especially when lawmakers have at their fingertips the resources needed to fix the dome right now?
We can fund the dome project and still provide our non-profit partner significant monies for its grant program. And, best of all, this plan will not require a single cut to safety net programs, bridge repair, education, snow plowing, law enforcement or any critical government function.
State Sen. Mike Kopp is a Republican from Littleton.
