$21 million Capitol restoration continues
LINCOLN (AP)-The web of
scaffolding that covers the state
Capitol is the most visible sign of a
tedious effort to help the limestone
skyscraper endure another century
of prairie winds, rain and snow.
Workers have been removing
the structured large stone blocks—
ranging in weight from 200 to
1,700 pounds — to confect, clean
and number each one.
"You bust a gut out lifting the
stones out,” said Mike Rindone,
Capitol architect and project man
ager.
Every stone, thousands upon
thousands of them, has been
assigned a number, and each was
cataloged in a giant database dur
ing a three-year study before the
renovation work began in 1998.
Every stone removed during
renovation is marked with a num
ber on its back.
But every stone in the 370
foot-tall building will not be
removed.
“Put that in capital letters,”
Rindone told the Lincoln Journal
Star. "WE ARE NOT TAKING
ALL THE STONE OFF THE
CAPITOL.”
That is the most widespread
misconception about the Capitol
restoration project, Rindone said.
Crews will remove the first
three layers of stone on every flow
in order to get to the floor beams
and to distribute the weight of the
building correctly, ending the seri
ous cracking of limestone.
The rest of the 14 layers of
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UPC Calendar of Events 1
Manic Mondays:
Every Monday Noon @ Broyhill Fountain Nebraska
Union Plaza. Escape from your manic Monday with
the University Program Council^ Manic Mondays!
July 10: Nude Recreation Week
July 17: TBA
July 24: Canada’s World Footbag (hacky sack) Championship
31: TBA
August 7: National Smile Week
Fountain Frolics:
Every Thursday, Noon @ Broyhill Fountain, Nebraska Union
Plaza. Enjoy live music, lunch, and the beautiful Nebraska
summer, every Thursday this summer! Hot Dogs, Chips, and
Pepsi for sale.
June 29: The Toasted Ponies
July 6: Pheromone Pholk
July 13: Baby Needs Shoes
July 20: Amy Williams
July 27: Nebraska Jazz Orchestra
August 3: Terri Jo Dahlquist and Molly Ruhlman
August 10: Nebraska Brass
Movies on the Green:
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limestone on each floor will be
repaired and tuck-pointed but will
remain in place.
A work crew of 25 men and
one woman, inching their way
down die outside of the Capitol in
die summer heat, is about 6'/2 years
away from completing the restora
tion.
They are right on schedule and
so far, on budget, for die $21 mil
lion, eight-year restoration project,
Rindone said.
The crew currently is disman
tling and rebuilding the four turrets
at the top of the tower, creating an
air space between the back of the
stone and the interior brick. That
space will be a path for die water so
that it won’t come into contact with
the brick, Rindone said
The water in the past has gone
through the brick and inside of the
building.
Since late October, the restora
tion crew has been moving down
the Capitol, floor by floor, (12,11,
10, ready to begin 9) correcting a
construction error that occurred
when the builders merged new
emerging steel skyscraper con
struction with old masonry con
struction.
Because expansion joints were
not cut entirely through the brick
and limestone exterior, the steel
skeleton cannot do its job of help
ing support each floor, explained
Rindone.
Without this support system,
the weight of story upon story of
limestone causes cracking, espe
dally at the bottom floors.
The solution is to remove three
layers of stone and insert neoprene
- a light and spongy joint filler -
and glue it to the bottom of the
beam and the shelf angle, thus cre
ating a soft joint that pierces both
stone and brick. Rindone said that
would transfer the weight of the
wall back to the building’s steel
frame.
The crew also is repairing
cracks with an epoxy injection sys
tem, a sort of limestone surgery
that uses syringe-like equipment
They are repointing the entire
building, grinding out the old mor
tar of every joint up to three-quar
ters of an inch deep and putting in
new mortar that can better with
stand the weather.
STATE NEWS
Revenue receipts higher
than expected
Following the national trend,
Nebraska’s economy boomed
last year, bringing in $77 million
more in tax revenues than
expected.
A report released Wednesday
by the Nebraska Department of
Revenue shows that for fiscal
year 1999-2000, which ended
June 30, the state took in $2.4
billion in net revenue from sales,
income and other miscellaneous
state taxes.
That is 3.3 percent, or $77.6
million, over the projected total
of $2.32 billion.
That is $55 million more than
the total the Economic
Forecasting and Advisory Board
predicted in February.
Gov. Mike Johanns warned at
a news conference Wednesday
that even though there is more
money to go around when the
new budget is written next year,
there won’t be enough to please
everyone.
By law the comparisons of
projected versus actual revenue
are based on estimates made by
the forecasting board in 1999.
The forecasting board will
meet again this fall, possibly to
revise its forecast for the coming
fiscal years.
According to the depart
ment’s report released
Wednesday:
■ Total gross receipts for the
fiscal year were $2.8 billion.
That is 3.5 percent above the pro
jected amount of $2.7 billion.
■ Total refunds for the fiscal
year were $491 million, which is
4.2 percent above the projected
amount
■ Sales and use net tax
receipts of $900 million were
$12.6 million, or 1.4 percent,
above projections.
■ individual income net tax
receipts of $ 1.18 billion were
$50.3 million, or 4.5 percent,
more than projected.
■ Corporate income tax net
receipts of $140 million were
$2.9 million, or 2.1 percent,
below projections.
■ Miscellaneous net tax
receipts of $183 million were
$17.5 million, or 10.6 percent,
greater than projected.
Representatives vote to cut
taxes for couples
Nebraska’s three Republican
Congressmen voted in the
majority Wednesday on a House
vote to cut taxes for millions of
married couples.
Reps. Bill Barrett, Doug
Bereuter and Lee Terry were
among the 220 Republicans that
backed the measure.
The 10-year, $182 billion bill
that would cut income taxes for
married couples, including those
who pay more than if they were
single, passed on a roll call vote
of269-169.
The Senate intends to take up
its 10-year, $248 billion version
of the bill later this week.
A “yes” vote is a vote to pass
the bill.
Voting yes were 48
Democrats, 220 Republicans and
1 independent.
Voting no were 158
Democrats, 0 Republicans and 1
independent
Murder charge filed
against Gordon woman
GORDON (AP)-A 36-year
old Gordon woman has been
charged with first-degree mur
der and use of a weapon to com
mit a felony in die stabbing death
of her live-in boyfriend.
Formal charges were filed
Tuesday against Ramona Lee
Running Bear, also known as
Ramona Little Moon, in the
death of Robert Running Bear
Sr.
Gordon police were called to
the woman’s home shortly after 2
a.m. Sunday and found Running
Bear with a fatal knife wound.
Hog producers to vote on
promotion program
WASHINGTON (AP) —
Hog producers will vote Sept.
19-21 on whether to keep paying
a fee that funds the "other white
meat” advertising campaign for
pork, the Department of
Agriculture said Wednesday.
Votes will be cast at local
offices of USDA’s Farm Service
Agency.
It will be the first referendum
on die pork program since it was
created 14 years ago.
Opponents of the program,
which pays for research as well
as advertising, say it has done lit
tle to stimulate pork consump
tion and mostly benefits meat
processors and laige, corporate
farms.
The Nebraska Pork
Producers Association said
Wednesday this process is an
opportunity to better inform
Nebraskans about the checkoff
programs in place, which have
worked in their behalf in the
areas df promotion, education
and research, said President Joy
Philippi of Bruning.
"It is also an opportunity to
dissolve misconceptions and
inaccuracies,” she said. "Simply
put, it is an opportunity to
become a stronger organization
for today and tomorrow.”
