Capitol Has $1.5 Million Leak-Repair Bill on Way

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Every Sunday, “Back in the Day” looks at an article that ran on this date in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The items are verbatim, so don’t blame us today for yesteryear’s bad grammar.

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The State Capitol is leaking — both topside and below decks.

And it’s going to cost taxpayers probably about $1.5 million.

Last year, after water leaked into the governor’s office on the top floor of the Capitol, some repairs were undertaken.

But it is still leaking in the governor’s office and there’s a leak from the Capitol’s reflecting pool as well, according to Hideo Murakami, state comptroller.

Murakami said it cost about $70,000 last year to patch up holes in the Capitol roof. It was all the money the state had available at the time for the job, and it is difficult to find holes while just doing a repatching job, he said.

The $1.5 million in repair money is part of the Department of Accounting and General Services’ $45.6 million biennial budget reviewed yesterday by the Senate Government Operations Committee.

Murakami told the committee that cutbacks in the lighting and air conditioning are being implemented to save on electricity costs and that water sprinkling by converting from automatic to manual has saved on water costs.

He told a reporter that he estimates the state has saved about $50,000 in electricity costs, but the figure does not include other energy savings.

Sen. Duke T. Kawasaki, D-5th Dist. (West Hono-lulu), committee chairman, said the Capitol “shows terrible planning,” noting that legislative offices and conference rooms often are fully air conditioned while not in use.

Also in DAG’s construction budget is $124,000 for construction and $20,000 for equipment for the controversial Vineyard Street garage, a 500-stall parking facility for public and state employees.

The project, which will cost about $54.5 million, will be located just mauka of the Capitol complex and the Liliuokalani Building, where a number of renters are living in houses. The residents have formed a group to protest eviction from the proposed garage site.