The latest estimated price tag for repairing the state Capitol’s gold dome is a sobering 42 percent higher than the original estimate.
Perhaps as troubling as the escalating tab is the fight that is sure to ensue over how to pay for it.
But pay for it, Colorado must.
And that ultimately may mean looking to the State Historical Fund for more resources, which troubles preservation advocates who want to spend that money on other projects.
As state officials address this issue, we hope they will be sensitive to the mission and ongoing projects being undertaken by the historical fund. However, that can’t mean the dome restoration project goes unfunded. No other structure captures the essence of Colorado’s history like it.
And there is no more appropriate source of funding than the State Historical Fund, which may end up being the only alternative. Given the pressures on the state’s general fund, it’s hard to imagine any extra cash there.
However, we still have hopes for the private fundraising effort. In January, former U.S. Sen. Hank Brown kicked off the campaign to solicit $8 million in donations for the project.
James Hare, executive director of Colorado Preservation Inc., declined to say how much has been raised, but others put the number at $20,000. If true, that means the effort is off to a slow start.
There is pressure for the fundraising effort to be successful.
Last year, lawmakers passed a compromise funding bill that takes $4 million from the historical fund for the first year of work, and looks to private fundraising for $4 million in each of two subsequent years. However, if fundraising falls short, the historical fund would pick up the slack.
We’re told there are efforts under way to craft new legislation that would authorize a larger up-front chunk of money — perhaps $7 million — to come from the historical fund. That’s because the $12 million estimate ballooned when consultants discovered problems beyond the dome’s rusting cast iron frame.
An analysis done last year by the state Legislative Council shows there is enough money in the fund to cover the additional cost, but it would leave the fund with scarce resources for its typical grant-funded projects. Governments around the state look to the fund to repair historic courthouses and town halls, among other things.
This is sure to be a contentious matter, and we agree the historical fund shouldn’t be the first stop for money to repair just any old building. But this isn’t that. The Capitol dome is in serious disrepair, and those who value Colorado history should support using historical fund money to save it if necessary.
