CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby told lawmakers Thursday that there could be millions of dollars in deferred maintenance needed at the West Virginia Culture Center.
Ruby, who also is in charge of the state Department of Culture & History, told members of the House Finance Committee this week she has repeatedly found issues at the center that require her to return to the Legislature for funding.
She referenced last year, when she had to request funding to repair the center’s roof after it began leaking during rainstorms.
Ruby also said she believes regular maintenance has been neglected since the center was taken out from under the purview of the General Services Division.
“It seems to me after that happened, there was very little routine maintenance done on the building, there wasn’t a regular schedule of things, for example, you probably remember this from last year, that roof, were on year 32 on a 20 year roof, so those regular things that we need to be monitoring, weren’t being monitored to the level that I want to see them monitored,” she said.
She also outlined other issues facing the center, including problems with the HVAC system, major electrical issues, a lack of humidity control in the archives and museum, limited hot water, plywood covering some windows, and cosmetic concerns such as cracked marble.
Ruby said the department is currently requesting $10 million but has hired an outside consultant to conduct a full building assessment.
“To come in and say what is everything that needs to be replaced in the building, so that we can come back to you with one big number, and we can divide that up over a number of years, and responsibly figure out how do we bring this building back to the status that it deserves,” she said.
She said they expect to have more information next week.
Ruby also said they want to ensure they have a fully detailed plan for the center, as well as for other facilities that may need work in the future.
“We’re really trying to get a full detailed plan, and the same thing will have to done with our other facilities, I’m finding similar things at our other facilities, but this is certainly the most pressing for this year,” she said.