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 terms of Section 63J-1-603(3)(a) Utah Code Annotated the legislature intends that appropriations provided for the Capitol Preservation Board in item 3 of Chapter 5 Laws of Utah 2011 not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2012. The use of any nonlapsing funds is limited to the following: Stewardship responsibilities for the Capitol Hill Complex; visitor services; inventory/collection management of historical state-owned items; and special operational needs necessary to keep the Capitol Hill Complex functioning.
Senate Bill 3, 2012 General Session - Item 123

Performance

The three primary functions of the Capitol Preservation Board (CPB) are visitor services, inventory and collections management, and stewardship of the capitol complex. With the completion of Capitol Restoration, the CPB has been able to increase focus on how to best serve the over 150,000 people expected to visit the Capitol this year. More than 50 active volunteer docents have been trained regarding the history, architecture and symbolism in the Capitol, as well as the government practices that take place within, through the CPB's Docent Training and Education program. These docents accompany visitors on a 45 minute guided tour on the hour, Monday through Friday and in the evenings by special request. Printed material is also available to those who prefer a self-guided tour.

Visitors are also welcome to enjoy a meal in the café and purchase a unique souvenir at the Utah Capitol Store. Both of these programs are operated through a partnership with Salt Lake Community College and offer invaluable real-life experience to students in the culinary arts and business programs respectively. These programs provide a wonderful service for visitors and employees and are completely self-supported with no funding from the Board.

With thousands of guests visiting the Capitol each year, some for tours and many for meetings and events, the Capitol Preservation Board recently improved and greatly enhanced the Capitol Event and Scheduling Program. To accomplish its main initiative of creating a simple and succinct scheduling process, Visitors Services continues to update its website with detailed information pertinent to scheduling procedures and meeting space on Capitol Hill. In 2012, the Capitol Preservation Board Office has scheduled over 3,600 events and meetings.

With a vast collection of historical objects, furnishings, artwork and exhibits, a detailed inventory process is required. The database that currently tracks over 9,100 pieces of the Board's collection helps insure that all registered pieces are in place and are up-to-date with proper cleaning and maintenance.

The Capitol Preservation Board manages the responsibilities, operation, activities, maintenance, preservation, restoration, and modification of the Capitol Hill Complex, Capitol Hill facilities, and Capitol Hill Grounds, which includes long range master planning. The master plan is a living document updated to maintain accuracy and relevance with the most recent evaluations for the current year. The goal is to maintain a 20-year forward view of the Capitol Hill Complex and focus on the needs which the master plan identifies. The Capitol Preservation Board has worked to develop maintenance standards that have been implemented in order to extend the life of all materials and furnishings in the buildings. This master plan also serves as a guiding force when issues arise for the Board to discuss and act upon.

Funding Detail

For more detail about a particular source of finance or organizational unit, click a linked entry in the left column of the table(s) below.

Table 1: Operating and Capital Budget Including Expendable Funds and Accounts