Oregon lawmakers worry Capitol vulnerable to a quake
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In its time, Oregon has lost two Capitol buildings, both to fires, and engineers say the current building could fall in an earthquake of less than 8.0 magnitude.
The fix: putting shock absorbers beneath the Capitol. The cost: more than $100 million for seismic work, part an estimated $300 million to carry out a master plan for the structure.
The problem: Coming up with that much money.
"It could be an earthquake of less than 8.0 (magnitude) that could bring this building down," said Skip Stanaway, a retired architect who has advised the Legislature and helped to write a master plan for the building. "We want to make sure the building won't collapse."
The 2009 report said a severe earthquake could have dire consequences: "It is anticipated that loss of life would occur and the building would not be salvageable."
During legislative sessions, when the Capitol is at its most crowded, the staff size can reach 700, and visitors can number in the thousands.
The Capitol rotunda was damaged in the 1993 Scotts Mills earthquake, which was magnitude 5.6. The rotunda was closed more than two years for reinforcement work.
The Salem Statesman Journal reports the Legislature has named a committee to figure out how to carry out and pay for the earthquake protection and other work.
A former legislator, Gary Wilhelms of Tigard, chairs the committee. If lawmakers move ahead, the work is likely to be done in phases and might be paid for by issuing bonds, he said.
"It is not a case of whether the work should be done," he said. "It is a question of convincing enough people that it should be done."
Oregon's first two Capitols burned in 1855, during territorial days, and in 1935.
The current Capitol has two components. The 1938 core cost $2.5 million, mostly New Deal money from the Public Works Administration. In the 1970s, two legislative office wings were added, at a cost of $12.5 million.
The master plan's most expensive item is "base isolation," essentially putting shock absorbers under each of the components to allow them to resist an earthquake. An alternative of reinforcing the Capitol was deemed impractical. It would have consumed much of the building's usable space.
Other proposed work would upgrade heating, ventilation cooling, electrical and data systems. Public hearing rooms would be added on a new concourse level, access improved for people with disabilities, and the House and Senate chambers upgraded.
The current usable space of 174,250 square feet would be increased: 8,500 square feet for hearing rooms and 10,300 square feet for offices and support space.
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Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
