Capitol layout not friendly to public

I took a tour of the state Capitol building this past week, and the $200 million-plus remodeling is progressing nicely.

On schedule, the earthquake-proofing/remodeling should be finished in time for the 2008 Legislature to meet in its old chambers for its 45-day session starting next January.

The Capital Preservation Board and its architects and the various construction and restoration firms doing the work should be proud.

I've only seen a few other states' capitol buildings, but from what I have seen, Utah's Capitol building is one of the largest and most imposing of any. It is a real public treasure, and hopefully many Utah residents will take the opportunity next year to visit the building after it's reopened.

All the praise aside, however, there are concerns about the remodeling.

The main one for me is how the remodeling of the building will treat regular citizens who come up to the Legislature for hearings and — hopefully — meetings with lawmakers.

I've mentioned this before, but a tour of the building — with most of the walls up and general layout complete — brings home my concerns.

In short: The 104 part-time legislators will be able to duck any number of constituents and members of the media through private back hallways and elevators.

The remodeled Capitol will allow:

— Most legislators to move between their new offices in the Capitol or East or West buildings into their chambers or into several public hearing rooms without having to walk in a public hallway.

— Legislators will take private elevators — one for the House, another for the Senate — behind closed doors to meet with their staffs and move to different floors.

— Each of the 104 legislators will now have private offices — most also behind closed doors — and so won't have to sit at their chamber desks to do much of their work. Public galleries are usually open during times when lawmakers are not in session on the floors, so citizens can see their legislator on the floor and send in a note for them to come out and talk to them. With legislators off the chamber floor unless called into formal session, that opportunity is lost.