The Arkansas State Capitol building. (Wikipedia photo)
An Arkansas legislative panel signed off on a proposed Bureau of Legislative Research contract with a Little Rock builder in late August for the construction of an underground "secured walkway" between the state Capitol building and the Multi-Agency Complex just to the west.
The contract with Kinco Constructors is valued at $3.87 million, bureau Director Marty Garrity told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The secured walkway project will connect the state Capitol's basement to the Multi-Agency Complex — known as Big MAC to many in Little Rock — via an underground tunnel with stairs and elevators at both ends.
Legislative Council Co-Chairman Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, R-Hermitage, told lawmakers the underground project will be done in conjunction with the secretary of state's air-conditioning room project for the north end of the state Capitol.
"The date of completion will be prior to January of 2025," he said. "By the time we go into the regular session [in 2025] all construction will be done."
After the Policy-Making Subcommittee meeting, Wardlaw added that "if we are going to dig the hole [in the roadway between the state Capitol and Multi-Agency Complex for air conditioning equipment for the north end of the state Capitol], I am going to agree with [House Speaker Matthew Shepherd] here. It makes perfect sense to lay in the secured walkway at the same time the hole is dug, and that's what we are doing."
"And we have to fix the air conditioners on the [north end of the state Capitol]," he added.
Wardlaw also noted that security concerns and creating easier access for legislative staff between the state Capitol and Big MAC complex were what drove the construction.
Long Discussed, Tunnel Gets Governor's Approval
In 2009, a proposed $1.8 million, 100-ft. pedestrian tunnel that would connect the Capitol and the Complex was halted after then-Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe expressed opposition to the project. The total cost of that effort, including new entryways, was projected at $2.8 million. The Legislative Council signed off on the plan, but Beebe said it was unnecessary, particularly given that year's U.S. poor economy.
Alexa Henning, a spokesperson of current Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said in a written statement the General Assembly "is an independent branch of government, and if legislators feel this is a needed upgrade to our Capitol that uses taxpayer dollars responsibly, then they have the ability to move these improvements forward."
Wardlaw said the cost of the project will be paid over two fiscal years from funds originally appropriated in 2009.
A utility tunnel already runs between the buildings, but according to the Little Rock newspaper, it is old, musty, narrow and has pipes running through it, making it unfit for a pedestrian passageway, the secretary of state's office said.
In 2009, architect Gary Dean said a possible "link" between the two buildings had been discussed since the 1970s when the Multi-Agency Complex was built.
Upgraded Mechanical Room Also Needed at Capitol
In a related action on Aug. 30, the Legislative Council granted Republican Secretary of State John Thurston's request for spending authority of up to $4.5 million for the costs associated with architectural design, construction, and renovations of the state Capitol's mechanical room.
By bundling the two multimillion-dollar projects together, "we definitely anticipate the savings to fall within that range" of $500,000 to $1 million, said Chris Powell, a spokesperson of Thurston's office.
"Our office will contract with [Witsell Evans Rasco] and Kinco for this project, the same architects and construction company that will be used for the secured walkway," he explained. "This is something that we are currently working with them to complete."
Powell added that the construction of the mechanical room is projected to be a 12- to 14-month project.
"The start date is as soon as we can get the contract signed [and] the anticipated end date is late 2024," he said.
Building the mechanical room would clear the way for the installation of new air-handling system equipment for the north end of the state Capitol. The room will be positioned between the Capitol and the Big MAC.
Powell told the Democratic-Gazette that the air-handling equipment will not be purchased until after the mechanical room is completed.
Two months ago, Mat Pitsch, governmental affairs director for the secretary of state, told Arkansas lawmakers that his office completed the installation of the equipment for a new "air handling system" in 2002 for the southern half of the state Capitol after one of his predecessors had described the system as being wholly inadequate, expensive to maintain and unable to provide heating and cooling at an adequate level.
But he said the installation of the air handling system equipment for the northern portion of the Capitol building planned for 2005 "never got done."
Other Governmental Office Space to Be Created
Shepherd told the Little Rock news outlet that the state House of Representatives also has turned over office space in the Capitol building to the state Capitol Police for more room to operate.
In addition, some of the House offices in the basement have been converted for use by the Capitol Police, according to House spokesperson Cecillea Pond-Mayo.
She added that prior to the 2025 regular session, the Arkansas House plans to place 61 offices for its members on the fourth floor of the Big MAC building in space formerly used by the state Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.
Meanwhile, Powell said work began in mid-August on a 50-space parking lot on the northwest corner of the state Capitol grounds, expected to be complete during the week of Sept. 25.
"Parking has always been an issue at the Capitol," he noted. "Additional reserved spots at this new location will allow for more public parking for visitors closer to the [building].
Thurston's department is paying for the cost of the parking lot project, estimated at $100,000, Powell said. The lot is a joint effort between the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), with the secretary of state's office providing the material and ARDOT supplying the labor and equipment.
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