OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Workers are erecting scaffolding outside the Oklahoma Capitol as they begin trial repairs on the exterior of the nearly 100-year-old building.
The work getting underway on Monday includes grinding out mortar from between stone joints, addressing window repairs, and testing different methods for treating stains on the building's limestone and granite facade.
Meanwhile, teams of architects and engineers are going room by room inside the Capitol and meeting with officials from some of the 20 different state agencies housed inside the building.
The Legislature last year approved a $120 million bond issue to begin repairs to the building that was built between 1914 and 1917. But State Capitol Project Manager Trait Thompson says it's a "virtual certainty" the final estimate for repairs will far exceed that amount.