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May 14, 2009

Protecting Alabama's 1851 Capitol Building

"I am astonished!" That was the reaction today from the Alabama Historical Commission's Senior Architectural Historian, Bob Gamble, when I told him that the Legislature wants a proposed new statehouse building to connect to the historic state capitol building, to be a "wing" of that building. The legislation allowing all this is Senate Bill 550, and it is still pending in the Senate. The legislation creates a building authority, and gives that body the power "to extend and connect buildings to the State Capitol" and to close several streets in the area. Senator Roger Bedford is the sponsor.

Gamble had been out of town, and my conversation with him was the first word he's had about the potential connection of a new structure to the 1851 Capitol building. Gamble has reason to be concerned. He worked on the 1980's renovation of the Capitol Building, a project that resulted in the Legislature moving into their current building "temporarily", till the restoration was finished. When the restoration project was done, everyone seemed to realize it would not be suitable for modern legislative meetings, so they stayed in the old office building that they now want to replace. Gamble says it was bad enough when the rear extension was added to the historic structure in 1992. That project was already a done-deal when he arrived in Montgomery, so he learned to live with it. But Gable is a preservationist, and is anxious to hear more about just what legislators have in mind for what may be the state's most historic structure. The only public opposition I've heard till now is financial. Newspapers have editorialized against spending money on a new Statehouse during this terrible recession. Now there may be another argument forming against the construction, if it calls for the new building to actually connect to the Capitol. A "wacko" idea, says Gamble. Fortunately for Mr. Gamble, the bill was introduced in a year with no money, with state elections approaching, and with the 2009 Regular Session running out of time. And those factors may be enough to sink it, despite complaints about the flooding in the Statehouse last week.

[UPDATE: (Friday 5/15/09) HB802, the companion bill, had already been approved by the House. Today is the last day of the session, a rare Friday conclusion, and with the budgets already approved, there's a lot of hanky-panky that can occur. Watch this space]

[UPDATE: AT 1:15PM, HB 802 was amended and is under disussion in the Senate, with Senator Trip Pittman (R- Baldwin County) opposing the measure. The bill been put aside for the moment but is far from dead.]

[UPDATE: (Friday 5/15/09) The Seate adjourned "sine die" at 3:15 this afternoon, ending the 2009 Regular Session. I never heard SB550/HB802 come up for a final vote, but honestly I was away from the computer for a while this afternoon. If you know the status, would you point me in that direction? Thanks.]

[UPDATE: The legislation was never voted on, so the issue is dead till either a special session or next January.]

3 comments:

  1. Where has Mr. Gable been? This has been in the newspapers for many weeks.

    Too many Montgomery government buildings are out of scale with their sites--for example, the Dept. of Education building.

    Adding on to the Capitol building will make an unweildy monster. (But maybe that is symbolic of the state Legislature!)

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  2. Roger Bedford is an embarrassment to the state of Alabama.

    I was going to opine that he was also stupid!

    But I declined.

    Instead, I will remind the people that he was indicted on December 22, 2001, in Marion County (his home territory) on extortion charges.

    He was accused of dangling and refusing to deliver a two million dollar state grant check specifically earmarked for an agricultural center in Marion county, unless the county commissioners bought 33 acres of land from his good ol' buddy Dennis "Blue" Harbor for an astronomically inflated price.

    Charges were dropped after only one commissioner of the five that originally complained, testified.

    Bedford was also one of four legislators whom failed to file campaign contributions. A judge dismissed those charges. Later, he jaunted to the Paris, France Airshow on Alabama taxpayers' $25,000.00 expense, along with lobbyists Jeff and Deb Miller. He returned $3,395.00 - the portion he claimed he used - to the state treasury.

    Oh, gee! Thanks, Roger!

    Though I'm not certain, it's alleged he may have visited his canine mother in the dog pound while he was there. Paris is also reputed to be notorious as the dog poop capital of the world. He probably felt right at home.

    Roger-dodger, whom is also dubbed the undisputed "King" of Alabama pork, also robbed the Children First fund to divert money to Marion county.

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