No armed guards at every corner.

No long lines of Capitol visitors waiting to get through magnetometers at security checks. No guards waiting to pat down a randomly selected visitor.

Yes, security at the state Capitol will be stronger after the 4-year restoration of the building is complete. But reconstruction authorities say they hope visitors won't notice a thing.

"The building will appear as it did when it was originally built, so a lot of what we are doing is hiding things," said David Hart, executive director of the Capitol Preservation Board. "The Capitol grounds will be safer when we are done."

Hart declined to reveal too many details of the Capitol's security plan, fearing that releasing the information could compromise the efforts under way.

But he did say this much — someone will be watching your every move at the Capitol.

Tiny cameras will be installed throughout the building, with the video feeding into a central control room.

But this isn't Utah's version of "Big Brother." Officials at the Capitol want to keep security tight without having an overwhelming presence on the grounds.

"When you come to the Capitol, we don't want you to feel like you are in a police state," said Wade Brewer, who recently left his post at the Dignitary Protection Office to work as a public information officer for the Utah Highway Patrol.

Hart said after the $200 million renovation project is completed, the entire perimeter of the Capitol will look different.

Prime parking spots near the front steps of the Capitol will be gone. Hart said that removes the threat of possible car bombs. Instead, cars will be diverted to new parking lots, including one built on the east side of the Capitol grounds.

Employees will use key cards to monitor access to the buildings. Also, some doors will lock at automated times, but some doors will remain unlocked throughout the day and night. Hart said the Capitol is a public building, owned by the taxpayers.

"We don't ever want to get into a situation where we lock down the building completely and not allow the public into the building," Hart said. "That would be the wrong direction.

"Our goal is to try to leave it as open as we can and allow the public to come in, really, at will."

The alarm system will also be upgraded before the renovation is completed.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com