Group: Executive Appropriations Committee

Agency: Capitol Preservation Board

Function

The Capitol Preservation Board (CPB) manages all functions associated with Capitol Hill facilities and grounds including: maintenance, furnishings, occupancy, public usage, and long range master planning.

The Capitol Preservation Board manages the day-to-day operations of the Capitol building, the East and West buildings, the State Office Building, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, the Travel Council Building, and the White Chapel. Grounds maintenance and facility management are provided through a contract with the State Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM).

The Capitol Preservation Board oversaw the restoration of the State Capitol which was completed January 2008. Since then, CPB has been focused on serving visitors by providing web-based scheduling, trained docents, communications and parking information. CPB also organizes special events through the year.

Statutory Authority

The following statutes govern operation of the board:

UCA 63C-9-201 establishes the 11-member board, comprised of:

• The governor or the lieutenant governor
• The president of the Senate or a designee
• The speaker of the House of Representatives or a designee
• The state treasurer
• The state attorney general
• Two members of the Senate appointed by the president, one from each party
• Two members of the House appointed by the speaker, one from each party
• The chief justice of the Supreme Court or a designee
• The state historic preservation officer

UCA 63C-9-301 gives the board power to exercise complete jurisdiction over Capitol Hill facilities and grounds, except that control of the legislative area is reserved to the Legislature.

UCA 63C-9-301 also requires the board to:

• Preserve, maintain, and restore the capitol hill complex, facilities, grounds, and their contents
• Submit annual budget requests to the Governor and Legislature
• Approve the executive director's work plans and master plans
• Approve all changes to buildings and grounds
• In consultation with other relevant agencies, identify and inventory all significant contents of the buildings and all state-owned items of historical significance that were at one time in the buildings
• Keep archives relating to the construction and content of the buildings and grounds
• Make rules to administer Capitol Hill
• Adopt procurement procedures substantially equal to the Utah Procurement Code, though it is exempt from the code

UCA 63C-9-402 lists the duties of the executive director, some of which are to:

• Develop a twenty-year master plan concerning the maintenance, preservation, restoration, and modification of the Capitol Hill facilities and grounds
• Develop a furnishings plan for the placement and care of objects under the care of the Board
• Prepare and recommend an annual budget
• Prepare an annual detailed report accounting for all funds received and disbursed by the Board during the previous fiscal year
• Develop a program to locate and acquire state-owned items of historical significance that were at one time in the buildings
• Approve all art and exhibits placed on Capitol Hill
• Develop and manage a visitor services program for Capitol Hill with duties that include conducting tours, managing a gift shop, and providing communication services

UCA 63C-9-602 requires any state-owned item identified by the board as historically significant and that was at one time located on Capitol Hill to be transferred to the inventory of the board within sixty days.

UCA 63C-9-702 creates an eleven-member Art Placement Subcommittee of the board to oversee the content and placement of each piece of art.

Intent Language

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code the Legislature intends that appropriations provided for the Capitol Preservation Board in Item 31 of Chapter 396 Laws of Utah 2009 not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2010. The use of any nonlapsing funds is limited to the following: the operation of the gift shop; visitor services; art and other maintenance and repairs of Capitol Hill; special upkeep of historic items; special operational needs necessary to keep Capitol Hill functioning.

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code the Legislature intends that funds donated to the Capitol Preservation Board for the construction of a monument commemorating the 2002 Winter Olympics shall not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2010.

Performance

In 2010, the Visitor Services Programs operated by the Capitol Preservation Board focused on education, public service, training and special events serving the government user and Utah citizens. More than 100,000 visitors have visited the Capitol Hill Complex throughout the year and many have been guided through the Capitol building by one of 70 volunteer docents who have donated more than 2,800 hours. (Speaker of the House Elect Rebecca D. Lockhart serves as a volunteer docent to the Capitol.) The Capitol complex was visited by more than 20,000 students in 2010 and all were hosted by the Visitor Services Program.

The Board has targeted community involvement with a number of programs and activities including:

• The 6th Annual Capitol Discovery Day, attended by more than 5,000 children and families to the Capitol Hill Complex for an expanded week long celebration of the U.S. Constitution.
• The 2nd Annual 'Movie Under the Stars' program, which partnered with the Utah Film Commission drawing more than 10,000 attendees.
• Visitor Services implemented a new Student Educational Program this year in partnership with the Board of Education. This effort has reached out to hundreds of schools throughout Utah, raising student awareness about civics, government, architecture, art and history at each grade level.

The Capitol Event and Scheduling program was updated at the end of 2009 to assist government and public entities with their event scheduling, organization, set-up design and equipment rentals. The program developed a customer service plan, web pages with calendars that are updated nightly, new user friendly applications and maps devoted to help with events at the Capitol. In 2010 the Capitol Hill Complex has hosted over 2,500 events and meetings. During the 2010 Legislative General Session, free speech events drew over 1,500 visitors. The Rotunda's usage for scheduled photographers exceeds over 275 appointments for the year.

The Board reviewed the budget and identified a problem with subsidization of the food services program. There were several options researched and the Capitol Preservation Board decided to pursue a cost-saving solution by partnering with an accredited college Culinary Arts Program, thus creating an educational student program to provide food service to Capitol Hill Complex by turning the café into a formal Culinary Arts Program for students. The opportunity of having students provide food services for the Capitol Hill Complex is resulting in a unique and educational 'real world' dining experience for both provider and consumer. This program is self-supported with no funding from the Board.

Funding Detail