CHARLESTON, W.Va – Months after state Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby informed the legislature that the West Virginia Culture Center on the state capitol grounds was in a concerning state of disrepair, progress is being made toward solving short-term problems and making long-term plans.
Ruby told lawmakers last year that numerous renovations, including a new roof, needed to be made, and some of those are starting to move forward.
“The biggest and most urgent need is the roof. The design has been done on that roof, and it has been approved by the Capitol Building Commission, and it is getting ready to go out to bid,” she said in an interim committee meeting this week.
Additional improvements are moving beyond their planning stages and toward execution. A temporary fix for protecting the buildings’ windows will be implemented soon while a permanent solution is developed.
“The contractor was on site and is getting ready to start on that project of putting a film in to protect those windows in the interim until we get a full plan moving,” Ruby said.
The legislature allocated money for improvements to the state Culture Center during the regular session earlier this year, and more projects are developing out of that decision. Work on the building’s electrical system is set to be funded through that process.
“We’re also working on putting together some specs for some electrical work. You probably remember from the tour; that’s kind of the most urgent thing behind the roof that needs to be addressed so that work will be coming out of the money that you all appropriated for immediate issues,” Ruby said.
The short-term improvements are just one part of Ruby’s plan to restore the building to its former status. State government is already taking steps toward developing more long-range solutions.
“I’ve been working really closely with the consulting firm who’s helping us with that, looking at the building as a whole and the different uses of that building—how to get the most out of the funding that we have and how to really reduce that plan down,” Ruby said.
After reporting issues with the roof last year, Ruby informed lawmakers in February that the Culture Center required more significant renovations moving forward.