 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
House Finally Gets Building to Call Home
Lansing State Journal, Chris Andrews, October 21, 1999 - When state Rep. Susan Tabor
looks out her new House Office Building window these days, she gets a splendid view
of the Capitol and, beyond it, her Eaton County district.
Taxpayers, state government and the city get a whole lot more from the new building,
which will be dedicated today.' The 14-story, 295,000-square- foot building at North
Capitol Avenue and Ottawa Street does more than transform the downtown skyline.
It should enhance
government efficiency, officials say, by bringing nearly all 110 House
members and about 600 staff members into a single building.
It also will end the costly tradition of office-hopping and provide a boost to Lansing's
tax rolls.
The $30 million-plus building is already changing how and where politicians and
lobbyists do business. And a new cafeteria- style restaurant open to the public - the
State Plate - is even changing where they eat.
``It's making the House of Representatives more government- friendly,'' said Tabor,
R-Delta Township, who has a 10th-floor office. ``Now, with term limits particularly,
no matter who your representative is, you will always find that person in the same
building in the same
office with the same phone number.''
Developers Gary Granger and Joel Ferguson will join state and local dignitaries to cut
ribbons today and Friday to open the building.
Public tours are available from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
Granger, who led the construction effort, built the structure in about 14 months. He said
the project is a model of cooperation between state and local government, the public and
private sectors, unions and management.
City inspectors issued temporary occupancy permits to help developers meet their
aggressive timetable. Unions pulled workers off other projects to get it done.
``Many, many people were watching this go together and saying, `Man, this will never
get together on time,''' Granger said. ``I consider it a miracle.''
It is the first new state building in Lansing since the Grand Tower was built in 1990.
The state will pay Granger and Ferguson $3.9 million in rent the first year, with 3.5
percent annual increases - with an option to buy the building for $1 after 25 years. The
state spent another $9.5 million for furniture - lawmakers scaled that back from $10
million after
controversy emerged on the bid procedure and price tag.
State officials say the rent, at $13.25 per square foot, is competitive with similar
downtown offices. House business manager Tim Bowlin said other office space
generally runs between $17 and $21 per square foot but includes taxes and utilities.
But Verne Wolfe, an Oldsmobile retiree from Lansing, said he thinks lawmakers have
gone overboard on themselves.
``The furniture is a big mistake. It will make it easier for them to take a nap,'' said
Wolfe, 83. ``I don't think any of these guys knows what a dollar means.''
The developers paid more than $10 million to buy the Board of Water & Light
headquarters and parking lot, the Davenport Building and Lansing circuit courts,
which were gutted to construct the imposing limestone-exterior building, just across
the street from the Capitol.
A seven-story bridge spans Ottawa Street to connect the north and south towers and
provide additional office space.
Because of that design - unique for Lansing - all House members' offices offer a view of
the Capitol. The stained glass windows on the east side of the bridge provide an
impressive view to motorists as they approach on Ottawa Street.
``It melds well with the Capitol,'' said state Rep. Terry Geiger, R-Lake Odessa, chair of
the House Appropriations Committee and legislative point person on the project. ``It's
new architec ture that blends with the old.''
All together now
The new arrangement of offices - assigning them by district number - will put an end to
the costly chain-reaction moves triggered by the old seniority system, when the retirement,
defeat or death of an entrenched incumbent could result in dozens of office changes.
Better offices were one of the perks of seniority. Constant relocations were one of the
major headaches.
``I moved five times in five years,'' said Rep. Laura Baird, D-Okemos.
House officials said office moves used to cost taxpayers $250,000 after every election.
Until they began moving in late August, House members were scattered in three buildings
and legislative staff were in five.
Many Democrats worked out of the worn-out Roosevelt Building, while Republicans
were in the refurbished Romney Building. A mixture of Republicans and Democrats
had offices in the Capitol.
Now all but six leaders, who remain in the Capitol, hang their hats in the House Office
Building. The leaders can use their new offices for additional staff or to hold meetings.
And all offices were created equally - down to the 750 square feet of space, their walnut
desks and views of the Capitol.
The new office arrangement has ended the clustering of Republican and Democratic
offices.
Every hallway is bipartisan.
Of course, bipartisan hallways can lead to partisan fears. To avoid eavesdropping, the
builders separated the offices with two sheets of drywall, metal framing and insulation,
followed by two more sheets of drywall.
``You could almost shoot a gun off in the next room and you wouldn't hear it,''
developer Granger said.
Center of power
The new House Office Building has also changed the political center of gravity in Lansing.
Until this fall, nearly all House committees, as well as most Senate ones, took place in the
Capitol. Fourth-floor conference rooms were filled during the debate of the day.
Now, the majority of House committees convene in the new, larger and more stately
committee and hearing rooms of the House Office Building.
While the change has reduced the number of standing- room-only meetings, it has
created a challenge for lobbyists and others trying to track multiple issues.
``I have to follow things on the Senate floor at the same time committees are going on
over here,'' said Richard Duranczyk of the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association. ``It's
virtually impossible to do that now. By the time you get down the elevator and over
to the Capitol,
it's too late.''
Duranczyk said that while he sometimes can get help from other association staff, he
often must set priorities about where he needs to be.
City impact
City officials say the building is an important symbol of city-state cooperation.
By agreeing to a 25-year lease, the state ensured that the building will be on the tax rolls.
Were it a state-owned building, it would be tax- exempt.' The city stands to collect at
least $800,000 a year more in property taxes, which it will use to pay for a share of the
$22
million city-county consolidated courts building.
What impact the building will have on downtown business activity remains to be seen.
Mayor David Hollister doesn't anticipate a significant boost, since the workers were
located in other offices downtown.
But Leanne Stites, executive director of the Principal Shopping District, said she believes
moving workers from the Roosevelt Building two blocks closer to stores and restaurants
on South Washington can only be viewed as a good sign.
``Everything has an impact. The downtown office worker is our basic customer,'' Stites
said. ``Any time the offices locate closer to the core business, the more business they get.''
