November 3, 2000

Capitol Mall Master Plan

When an assessment was last done to evaluate the use and future needs of the State's properties surrounding the Capitol Building, Idaho's population was recorded at 713,015, the Hell's Canyon dam was just completed a year earlier, and annual Legislative Sessions were held for the first time.

The year was 1969, and Idaho citizens were asked to support a study known as the Idaho State Capitol Plan, produced by a consortium of leading architectural firms, which established the framework for the Capitol Mall complex, as it exists today.

Now, 30 years later, and at the direction of the Legislature and the Governor, the State Permanent Building Fund Advisory Council has adopted a new Capitol Mall Master Plan. It is an ambitious undertaking and will chart a course of both short and long term action to aid government leaders in decisions about the state's facilities, space utilization, and capital improvements to meet the needs of Idaho State government into the 21st Century.

In addition to being a strategic planning document, the Plan also establishes a facility database, which will serve as an assessment and tracking tool to assist users in decision-making about facilities, space utilization, and capital improvements.

Because of today's technology, the database will efficiently centralize facility and user agency information previously attained at a multitude of locations. The database will be easy to modify and update, and over time, will become a valuable and integral part of a Statewide Facilities Management Planning strategy supporting both the Capitol Mall Master Plan and the Idaho Capitol Commission renovation effort.

The assessment of current conditions and future needs of 16 state-owned buildings and grounds, and the development of a modernized facility database as outlined in the Plan, will enable Idaho citizens and their state government to be good stewards of the state's real property assets.

In addition to maintaining state-owned buildings throughout the Capitol Mall, the State of Idaho and the Department of Administration currently lease a total of 1.8 million square feet of office space statewide at a cost of approximately $17.9 million annually in other locations. A number of agencies lease offices in Boise and throughout Ada County because of convenience to citizens. In some cases agencies that are currently leasing believe their operations could be more efficient or cost effective if relocated to the Mall.

When Ada County announced its plans to move to a new facility, the State made a common-sense decision to purchase the structure adjacent to the Capitol Building. Built by the WPA in 1939, the acquisition of the Ada Courthouse Building provided the State an opportunity to meet its near-term space needs.

The remodeling, renovation, and expansion of the Court House, as designed by the State's Planners, Leatham-Krohn-Van Ocker Architects, will include the addition of four stories with a full basement on the facility's north side, and a much-improved State Street fa‡ade. Work will not begin until January of 2002.

These short-term actions, and the Plan's mid and long-range activities, will be made available soon on the State's official web site at accessidaho.org. Preliminary meetings have been held with local government leaders, elected officials, and legislators. Future public programs will be held, and we welcome your comments.

For the thousands of yearly Statehouse visitors, and to the approximate 2,100 state employees who occupy the many offices here, the Capitol Mall is more than an accumulation of buildings, offices, and parking lots.

The Statehouse and its surrounding complex of buildings, link us to Idaho's rich political and historical heritage and its role in the establishment of our country. It is the place set aside where state government is accessible to the public and where citizens and policymakers put democracy to work.

By continuing to wisely utilize taxpayers' dollars and through implementation of the Capitol Mall Master Plan over the next several years, we can ensure the continued viability of the State of Idaho's administrative and cultural center.

Pam Ahrens is Director of the Idaho Department of Administration.