CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Uh-oh. Now they’ve done it.
Now the Grizzly Bear is going to be really mad.
A women’s restroom off the upper rotunda at the state Capitol began leaking over the weekend in the midst of a renovation project that was criticized a few weeks ago by the governor.
And what’s right underneath that restroom?
The Governor’s Press Conference Room, where the administration often hosts public meetings and press conferences.
The result was a dirty brown splashmark across the ceiling of that room, along with damp carpet. Early this week, furniture had all been moved to one side, and dryers had been brought in to bring down the dampness in the room.
Statehouse personnel discovered the leak with the same dawning horror that a homeowner might notice a trickle of water that winds up requiring some serious repairs.
“The bathroom project has gone along perfectly. The two in the West Wing are finished. This is the very last one that we started demo on. We were here until about 5 o’clock on Friday, and everything seemed OK and then we came in on Sunday and you could see what appeared to be a little bit of water in that bathroom,” said Lee Cassis, assistant clerk for the state Senate.
“Then the legislative IT folks in the basement first reported water in their offices. That’s how we were alerted. Then we got General Services. They had their Sunday crew here. That’s how we found out. Obviously between there and the basement is the Governor’s Conference Room.”
The project kicked off in the middle of the summer as the state Senate began renovation of eight restrooms throughout their offices in the Capitol’s main building and West Wing. The goal is to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities act while also maintaining the historic character of the Capitol.
Five of the restrooms are public, and three are semi-private, although they are used by staff and by members of the public who may be attending meetings.
That work is part of a larger project that would have meant restoring 34 restrooms and related spaces such as janitor’s closets at the Capitol at an overall estimated price of $9.364 million.
This particular part of the project is estimated to cost $860,000.
The contractor for the project has been cooperative in correcting the leak and its damage, said Diane Holley-Brown, spokeswoman for the Department of Administration, which includes the General Services division.
“It is my understanding that BBL Carlton has been cooperative by arranging for Serv Pro to come Sunday night,” Brown stated in an email in response to questions about the leak.
“They have also replaced some sheet rock at basement level (Legislative Computer Operations), and are waiting for the plaster and carpet to dry before making repairs in the Governor’s Conference Room.”
Governor Justice, who has sometimes humorously described himself as a grizzly bear, took aim at the Senate’s bathroom remodeling project over the summer, describing it as expensive and out of line with priorities.
“Based on how poorly the Legislature did this past year, the taxpayers shouldn’t pay them for a new outhouse— much less a new luxury bathroom,” Justice stated. “We’ve got schools with bathrooms that don’t work and these politicians want the taxpayers to pay for gold-plated toilets? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Justice continued, “I’m new to the political process, but is this what they mean by ‘live within your means’? If the facilities are so bad for our lawmakers, I’m happy to get them an outhouse delivered to the Capitol grounds.”
The administration’s initial reaction to the leak that affected the Governor’s Conference Room wasn’t actually too incendiary. The governor’s spokesman, Butch Antolini, merely referred questions to Holley-Brown.
The Governor’s Conference Room — which was traditionally called The Governor’s Press Conference Room, home to actual press conferences — was actually subject to its own relatively recent upgrades.
In 2008, during the Manchin administration, the room received new carpet, draperies, a sound system and electrical and heating-and-cooling upgrades, as well as custom leather chairs embossed with official state logos.
The initial assessment of the current damage is that the electronics, wood table and leather chairs, which have all been pushed to one end, will be OK. The carpet is said to be soggy but salvageable.
Cassis said maintenance workers believe the Governor’s Conference Room will be back in shape in relatively short order. And the governor could have a press conference on one end of the room if he wants to.
“The latest report I got was that the carpet’s fine, all the furniture in the governor’s conference room is fine; none of it was ruined,” Cassis said Tuesday afternoon.
“They’re going to wait several weeks to make sure all the water’s out of the ceiling before they address the plaster — to make sure it’s completely dry before they fix it and patch it and paint it again.”
A big factor in the leak, Cassis surmised, is the age of the Capitol and its pipes.
“What we found out in there is we’re dealing with original pipes. It is old,” Cassis said. “We’re getting in there and it’s very old. They did not puncture a pipe. But from the demolition we think that something was probably close to leaking anyway, and just all the drilling and the hammering and something wiggled it loose. Just that little bit, and it just started coming out.”
The leak is believed to have started Friday after work was completed for the day, which gave it all weekend until it was discovered Sunday morning.
It might not even have been discovered Sunday except for the timing of monthly legislative interim meetings that were set for this past Sunday afternoon.
“Nobody likes working Sundays, but good thing we did this time because that saved us a day,” Cassis said.
Meanwhile, Cassis said that, overall, the restroom renovations are coming along well.
“Everything’s been going on just great, and I would encourage you to go over to the West Wing if you haven’t already. The women’s bathroom over there and the men’s bathroom are done,” Cassis said.