FRANKFORT, Ky. — As Kentucky faces a budget crisis connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of dollars are being spent on repairs to the Capitol. Wednesday, WHAS11’s Political Editor Chris Williams learned the extent of the project, which is expected to cost more than $40 million in tax dollars.
The plan is to fix areas of the roof, update wiring and bring the 110-year-old building up to code. They will also address 200 windows which are in different stages of disrepair.
“I'm almost positive that we'll find other things that we just did not know about. It's very typical when you have something this large and a building this old that you discover stuff,” Sam Ruth, commissioner of Department for Facilities and Support Services, said.
Of $43 million identified, only about $22 million is promised. Officials admit they will have to come back for the rest.
Calls for another project were brought on when the governor was hung in effigy on Capitol grounds earlier this year. A fence around the Kentucky Governor’s Mansion is expected to be put up.
Representative John Blanton asked if Kentucky companies would be guaranteed those jobs.
"We need to put as many of our citizens back to work as possible to try to begin to recover from this situation that quite frankly is very dire, and I want to make sure that Kentuckians are the ones that are benefiting from it.”
Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary Holly Johnson said the state would follow law in awarding bids, and state taxpayers may not end up paying for the fence.
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