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 2 Laws of Utah 2010 not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2011. 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; and construction of a monument commemorating the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Performance

In 2011, 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 150,000 visitors have visited the Capitol Hill Complex throughout the year and many have been guided through the Capitol building by one of 60 volunteer docents. The Capitol complex was visited by more than 50,000 students in 2011 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 3nd 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 2,650 events and meetings. During the 2011 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 food services program continues to be extremely successful with the partnership of Salt Lake Community College. With their accredited college Culinary Arts Program, the educational student program provides 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 has resulted 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.

The Utah Capitol Store program began its student run operation with Salt Lake Community College July 1, 2011. The educational student program provides an opportunity for the business school students to work with their professors in sales, retail merchandising, marketing, graphics, computers and business planning. This program is self-supported with no funding from the Board.

The Capitol Preservation Board has developed a schedule for review and maintenance needed to maintain the exhibits, artwork and statuary in an appropriate manner. Artwork cleaning and care are scheduled, as needed, to maintain the art in excellent condition. This program manages the Capitol Collection. In 2008, there were 910 pieces in the collection registration system. In 2010, there were 958 in the registration system. During 2011, the registration system was used at a higher level, staff collected data on Capitol furniture, artifacts, objects, historic furnishing and art work. There are 9,115 items that have been updated and catalogued.

Funding Detail