No more Christmas trees inside Capitol rotunda

No, Virginia, there isn't a Christmas tree at the state Capitol.

And there likely won't be ever again, at least not inside the Capitol rotunda.

When the State Capitol Building closed earlier this year for an earthquake retrofitting project that isn't scheduled to be completed until 2008, officials warned there wasn't going to be any place to put up a Christmas tree.

A 30-foot-tall, freshly cut pine traditionally displayed in the rotunda throughout the holiday season won't fit into the small public spaces in the other office buildings located on the Capitol grounds.

But don't expect to see the trees return when the state Capitol reopens.

"It's just a huge fire concern," said Allyson Gamble, spokeswoman for the Utah State Capitol Preservation Board that's overseeing the retrofitting project. "I really think we will be looking at an outdoor tree."

One of the trees still standing by the Capitol may be designated as the state Christmas tree and decorated annually, she said. Not only will doing that solve any fire safety problems, it will also help save the building from the damage caused by dragging in trees.

Gov. Olene Walker is a little disappointed there won't be a Christmas tree during her last weeks in office. "She did very much look forward to Christmas tree lightings she was able to be a part of," her spokesman, Justin Smart, said.

Not having a state Christmas tree isn't stopping the Capitol Preservation Board from selling a 2004 Christmas ornament, however. The ornament is being sold to raise money for education programs and maintaining the Capitol furnishings.

It depicts the Capitol dome, but unlike the first in the series unveiled last year, it won't hang on the state Christmas tree. The ornament sells for $16 and is available at www.utahstatecapitol.utah.gov.

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