Capitol Building Advisory Committee (08/17/2012)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

CAPITOL BUILDING ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Date:	08/17/2012	ATTENDANCE

Time:	09:36 AM to 11:15 AM	Eddins	X
		Green	X
Place:	SCR 354	Lee	A
		Markwell	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Nichols	X
	Senator Newell	Nunnally	E
		Patterson	E
This Report was prepared by		Sill	X
	Julia Jackson	Stephens	X
		Walter	X
		Contiguglia	X
		Newell	E
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Approval of Minutes Mr. Brown's Attic Annual Maintenance Application for Permanent Gift Capitol Gift Shop Update on Replica Liberty Bell		Pass Pass Pass Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only

09:37 AM -- Approval of Minutes

Ms. Georgianna Contiguglia, Vice-Chair, called the meeting to order. A quorum was present.


BILL:	Approval of Minutes
TIME:	09:37:40 AM
MOVED:	Green
MOTION:	Moved to approve the summary of the committee's July 18, 2012, meeting. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Nichols
		VOTE
	Eddins
	Green
	Lee	Absent
	Markwell
	Nichols
	Nunnally	Excused
	Patterson	Excused
	Sill
	Stephens
	Walter
	Contiguglia
	Newell	Excused

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 3 ABS: 1 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

09:38 AM -- Mr. Brown's Attic Annual Maintenance

Ms. Theresa Holst, Visitor Services Manager, told the committee about the history of Mr. Brown's Attic and the need for ongoing maintenance in the space. Committee members received a proposed budget request (Attachment A) prepared by Legislative Council Staff. Ms. Holst noted that in the past when maintenance needs have arisen, she has come before the committee each time. Ms. Kori Donaldson, Legislative Council Staff, added that some of the Visitor Services staff have completed a condition assessment of the items in Mr. Brown's Attic. Ms. Contiguglia expressed support for an ongoing maintenance budget and inquired about the committee's fund balance. Mr. Nichols, Ms. Contiguglia, and Ms. Holst discussed the capacity of Mr. Brown's Attic. Ms. Contiguglia made suggestions for the continued inventory and assessment of the items displayed in Mr. Brown's Attic. Ms. Sill and Ms. Holst discussed the condition of the items. Mr. Walter suggested that LED lighting might help with the heat problems in Mr. Brown's Attic. Committee discussion continued on the lighting. Mr. Walter and Ms. Holst agreed to meet to further discuss the possibility of using LED lighting. Ms. Contiguglia and Ms. Holst discussed air conditioning the space. Committee members suggested additional preservation methods.

09:48 AM

Mr. Nichols suggested that a schedule for life-cycle repairs and replacements be prepared in the future. Ms. Holst noted that committee members would be welcome to visit Mr. Brown's Attic at any time. Ms. Donaldson provided further detail about the budget proposal. Mr. Walter and Mr. Nichols suggested that an annual budget of $1,500, instead of the proposed $500, would better meet the maintenance needs. Representative Stephens and Mr. Walter discussed including lighting experimentation in that budget. Ms. Donaldson suggested that the budget be continuously appropriated, allowing funds to carry over from one fiscal year to the next, but revisited annually.


BILL:	Mr. Brown's Attic Annual Maintenance
TIME:	09:52:56 AM
MOVED:	Nichols
MOTION:	Moved to approve an operating and maintenance request for Mr. Brown's Attic, with an annual budget of $1,500 for maintenance and replacement of items in the attic inventory, on an as needed basis, with any unspent moneys carrying forward to the next fiscal year, and an annual report on the use of the moneys to be provided to the Capitol Building Advisory Committee. The motion passed on a vote of 8-0.
SECONDED:	Walter
		VOTE
	Eddins	Yes
	Green	Yes
	Lee	Absent
	Markwell	Yes
	Nichols	Yes
	Nunnally	Excused
	Patterson	Excused
	Sill	Yes
	Stephens	Yes
	Walter	Yes
	Contiguglia	Yes
	Newell	Excused

YES: 8 NO: 0 EXC: 3 ABS: 1 FINAL ACTION: PASS

09:58 AM -- Application for Permanent Gift

Ms. Debbie Haskins, Office of Legislative Legal Services, and Ms. Sona Hedeshian, President of the Armenians of Colorado, introduced themselves to the committee. Committee members received a memo prepared by Ms. Haskins (Attachment B) regarding the application for a gift of an Armenian khachkar to be placed in the Armenian Garden on the Capitol grounds. Ms. Haskins reminded the committee of their previous discussion on the gift and summarized her memo on the subject. She noted that nothing can prevent the state from being sued, but she explained that a secular purpose for the memorial could be provided, making its display defensible. She suggested that an explanatory sign or interpretive plaque could help describe the monument's secular purpose. Ms. Hedeshian noted that her organization understands the issues and would be willing to install a plaque explaining the cultural symbolism of the khachkar.

10:04 AM

Representative Stephens and Ms. Hedeshian discussed the existing plaque in the garden. Representative Stephens expressed concern regarding the exact location of the khachkar within the Armenian Garden, as well as the khachkar's dimensions. Mr. Nichols clarified the need to design the garden appropriately. Committee discussion continued regarding the size of the proposed khachkar and the locations on the Capitol grounds most appropriate for larger sculptures. Representative Stephens proposed that the khachkar could be displayed when the legislature hears its Armenian Genocide resolution, rather than be located permanently in the Armenian Garden.

10:14 AM

Ms. Donaldson reminded the committee of its guidelines regarding the acceptance of gifts. Representative Stephens and Ms. Contiguglia continued to discuss alternative means of displaying the memorial. Ms. Hedeshian noted that the existing USS Colorado memorial, located near the Armenian Garden, is taller than the existing Armenian genocide plaque. Mr. Walter, Ms. Haskins, and Ms. Hedeshian clarified the size and design of the khachkar.

10:20 AM

Mr. Simon Maghakyan, Mr. Rafael Saakyan, and Ms. Kim Christanian, from the Armenians of Colorado, came to the table and introduced themselves. Mr. Maghakyan noted that khachkars are supposed to be slightly taller than humans, but that the monument could be modified in size if necessary. He added that maintaining the upright position would be very important, since the khachkar is a gravestone. Mr. Saakyan explained that the location will depend on drainage in the area, but he suggested that the khachkar could be placed against the wall of the Capitol building. Ms. Sill noted that there would also be security issues in the ultimate design of the garden. Mr. Nichols and committee members discussed the location of the monument, and Mr. Nichols noted that any location would set a precedent for future monuments.

10:26 AM

Ms. Donaldson clarified the guidelines for the location of memorials, and she noted that the committee could accept the gift but continue to discuss specifics. She reminded the committee that the gift would also have to be accepted by the Capital Development Committee, and the General Assembly by way of resolution. Ms. Hedeshian explained that the renovation of the Armenian Garden would be completed separately by spring of 2013, and that the khachkar would be installed later but should be part of the plan for the garden. Mr. Walter proposed accepting the gift with options for placement and size of the monument itself.

10:31 AM

Ms. Contiguglia clarified with Ms. Hedeshian and Mr. Saakyan their plans for the design of the garden. Ms. Hedeshian noted that the Armenian community can fund the transportation and installation of the khachkar, as well as the design of the garden. She added that if necessary, the restoration of the garden could be funded by the Armenian community as well. Ms. Contiguglia noted that there might be legal issues with the use of state funds for the redesign of the garden. Ms. Hedeshian requested further guidance on this funding. The committee discussed the ongoing maintenance of the garden.


BILL:	Application for Permanent Gift
TIME:	10:35:46 AM
MOVED:	Walter
MOTION:	Moved to approve and forward to the Capital Development Committee the proposed donation of a replica Armenian khachkar from the Armenians of Colorado, with continued oversight by the Capitol Building Advisory Committee concerning the final size and location of the khachkar, and final review of the language on any descriptive plaque accompanying the khachkar. The motion passed on a vote of 8-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Eddins	Yes
	Green	Yes
	Lee	Absent
	Markwell	Yes
	Nichols	Yes
	Nunnally	Excused
	Patterson	Excused
	Sill	Yes
	Stephens	Yes
	Walter	Yes
	Contiguglia	Yes
	Newell	Excused

YES: 8 NO: 0 EXC: 3 ABS: 1 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:38 AM

Mr. Nichols suggested that committee members view the existing Armenian Garden. Ms. Hedeshian agreed to return to the committee with any proposals from her organization for the design of the restored Armenian Garden.

10:39 AM -- Capitol Gift Shop

Mr. Nichols explained that at its last meeting, the committee discussed having History Colorado operate a gift shop in the Capitol. He noted that History Colorado already has a contract with a vendor to operate the gift shop at the History Colorado Center, and he suggested that extending the scope of that contract to the Capitol would not be appropriate. He added that the History Colorado Center is no longer part of the Capitol Complex. He offered that History Colorado would be happy to provide consultation and expertise on any plans for a Capitol gift shop. Representative Stephens noted that this expertise would be beneficial, and that these contract issues would not limit the committee in creating a Capitol gift shop. Representative Stephens distributed a packet of information about a proposed gift shop (Attachment C) to the committee, and she provided updates about legislative leadership's ongoing discussions regarding space usage in the Capitol.

10:45 AM

Representative Stephens discussed gift shops in other state capitols. She suggested that the committee look at the space in the entire basement area, and she described additional context for space needs and traffic flow. She further discussed reverted moneys that may be available for this process. She noted that it would take time for space decisions to be made, so the gift shop would not move forward immediately. Ms. Haskins discussed a memorandum she prepared (Attachment D) regarding the legal limitations on operating a gift shop on state grounds. She noted that the new operators of the Capitol cafeteria are also selling small souvenir items. She suggested that a statutory exemption from the state's Business Enterprise Program would be desirable.

10:55 AM

Ms. Sill and Mr. Nichols discussed the possibility of displaying items also for sale at the History Colorado gift shop. Ms. Contiguglia clarified that the committee would wait to see the design of a proposed gift shop before making any decisions. Ms. Haskins clarified that legislation would need to be presented during the legislative session.

10:58 AM -- Update on Replica Liberty Bell

Ms. Sue Johnson, Daughters of the American Revolution, updated the committee about the restoration of the replica Liberty Bell located in Lincoln Park. She gave committee members a draft treatment proposal (Attachment E) for the restoration of the bell, from conservator Jonathan Taggart. She discussed how the restoration treatment proposed for the bell would interact with the proposed historic designation of Denver's Civic Center. Ms. Contiguglia discussed the bell's role in attaining the historic designation. Ms. Johnson discussed the challenge of stabilizing the bell's yoke. She noted that the new conservator also saw problems with the bell's bearing system, which were not previously identified.

11:05 AM

Ms. Johnson noted that this treatment proposal would likely not be sufficiently detailed for a grant application. Ms. Contiguglia and Mr. Walter discussed the need to make a better determination about the condition of the yoke. Ms. Sill and Ms. Contiguglia discussed the need to preserve the wooden yoke and its impact on the historic significance of the Liberty Bell replica. Ms. Contiguglia suggested that Ms. Johnson follow up with the State Historical Fund regarding the condition of the wooden yoke and the ability to preserve it in the future. Ms. Johnson noted other limitations to the proposed treatments.

11:13 AM

Ms. Johnson agreed to proceed by speaking with the building's architect and returning to the committee for approval when it is time to take a wood sample from the yoke.

11:15 AM

Ms. Donaldson told the committee about topics of discussion for the October meeting.

11:15 AM

The committee adjourned.