State officials say they will authorize preliminary design work for repairs to Oklahoma's nearly century-old state Capitol before millions of dollars in bond money authorized by the Legislature becomes available.
John Estus, spokesman for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, said Monday that authorities are discussing using a few hundred thousand dollars in available construction funds to pay for an investigation of the building's exterior to determine what repairs are needed. The information would be required before the state requested bids on the project.
The Legislature has authorized a $120 million bond issue to renovate the Capitol, but Estus says that money won't be available until October.
Barricades were erected in 2011 to prevent pedestrians from approaching the south side of the building, where chunks of limestone have fallen.
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