+ Are the employees in the west wing of the Herschler Building safe?

Yes. The employees are safe. The ongoing work is often loud and disruptive, but it does not present a danger to employees. Any work that presents even a remote danger will occur after work hours. Conditions in Herschler west are continuously monitored to ensure employees remain safe.

+ Is the air in the building safe?

Yes. The air is safe. Air quality monitoring is occurring on an ongoing basis to ensure the air remains safe. All readings to date have been well within allowable limits.

+ Why was water leaking through the temporary external walls?

Water penetrated the wall during a rainstorm. The contractor patched the openings and repaired the damage. The Wyoming Department of Administration and Information’s General Services Division (GSD) provided clean-up. Once the demolition on the atrium side of the west wing is complete, the temporary wall will be fully sealed to create a continuous airtight and watertight system.

+ Why does the west wing shake during the demolition process?

Major demolition is occurring in the atrium and east wing. Vibration from that demolition is carried through the structure and is felt in the west wing. While sometimes disruptive, the vibrations are not dangerous to employees. Major demolition should be complete by late November.

+ Are there cracks forming in the stairwells?

There is a crack in an area of floor in the northwest stairwell, but it is unknown if the crack was pre-existing. There are no other apparent signs of building cracking. GSD is performing daily building inspections and extra monitoring at this location.

+ Why are employees staying in the West Wing during demolition?

While the disruption to employees is unfortunate, it is expensive to lease and remodel space to house employees temporarily.

+ Will work occur at night or on weekends?

Yes. Removal of large, critical elements will occur during non-work hours. Herschler west occupants will be notified when these activities occur.

+ Will the two individual building towers remain solid and fit for occupancy?

Yes. The two independent office wings will remain solid and fit. The two wings were always designed as separate stand-alone buildings. The atrium was never a structural element for either of the wings.

+ How much longer will the demolition process continue?

The contractor estimates that the disruption to employees in the west wing will decrease once the atrium is removed, which is anticipated to be complete by the end of November.

+ What is the process to notify employees when disruptive demolition work will occur?

Regular weekly updates are provided by JE Dunn, the Contractor, to the Construction Management Department (CMD) to disseminate to employees.</br

+ Who do I contact if I have questions or concerns?

Please contact GSD’s 24/7 service request phone number at (307) 777-7767. GSD receives these calls and coordinates directly with JE Dunn and CMD, as necessary. You can also contact your designated project point of contact in your agency if you prefer.

+ Why isn’t the addition planned for the north side of the building being constructed?

The addition was $30 million over budget and did not provide efficient square footage.

+ Why are 17 feet of office space being added on the south side of the existing wings?

Adding 17 feet to the south side of each wing allowed for 56,000 square feet of useable space to be added to Herschler on existing foundations. This design keeps the project in budget and is a more cost-effective solution to providing additional square footage, rather than constructing a new building on the north side of the property.

+ Is the foundation built in 1983 to accommodate a third office tower being removed?

No, this foundation will remain.

+ Why is the atrium being removed during an economic downturn?

Removing the atrium and expanding Herschler to the south was a more cost-effective solution to the Herschler Building’s problems than leaving the atrium in place.

+ When was the Herschler Building atrium reroofed?

The roof and skylight panels were replaced in 2011 at the cost of $1.1 million. The roof contract was for about $396,000, and the skylight contract was for about $694,000. The roof will be retained.

+ How long ago was B63 remodeled? Will it still serve as a meeting room?

B63 is being eliminated and replaced with a 300 seat auditorium, four conference rooms, a student learning center, a visitor center and a media room – all located at the north end of the Capitol Extension in the area near B63’s previous location.

+ Is the large auditorium being built in the parking garage?

No. The auditorium is being built in the footprint of the atrium.

+ Will part of the underground parking structure be removed?

No. The parking structure will remain intact. 52 of the existing parking spaces will be used to expand the Capitol Extension. 153 parking spaces have been gained at the new Pioneer parking lot.

+ How many state employees are being relocated from the Capitol?

Of the 135 employees in the Capitol prior to construction, 80 will return. The remainder will be located in Herschler. 18 employees of the Governor’s Office will move from Herschler to the Capitol.

+ How many staff will move from the Capitol to the Herschler Building?

The following will relocate to the Herschler: 28 staff from the Secretary of State’s Office, 23 staff from the Auditor’s Office; and 15 staff from the Treasurer’s Office will relocate to Herschler. An additional ten staff of the Treasurer’s office will relocate from a separate building to Herschler. 20 legislative chairmen and ten legislative session staff will relocate to Herschler. The Wyoming Department of Education will relocate from Hathaway to Herschler.

+ Why will staff move from the Capitol to the Herschler Building?

Renovation of the Capitol resulted in a significant reduction in useable space in the building. New restrooms, new elevators, new smoke evacuation systems, new fire exits, new mechanical chases and larger public meeting rooms all contributed to the displacement of Capitol occupants to Herschler.

+ How much Herschler space will be occupied by the Legislature and why?

As with executive branch space, legislative branch space was lost in the Capitol due to the renovation. The Legislature will occupy a portion of the first floor of Herschler west to accommodate these lost functions in the Capitol. Part of this space will be offices and cubicles for committee chairmen and staff. The remainder is three conference rooms and a break room that will be available for executive branch use when the Legislature is not in session.

+ How much of the construction and added space is specifically for legislators?

Virtually all of the changes in the Capitol are driven by life-safety needs or expanded public access. In the Capitol extension, virtually all of the space will be dedicated to expanded public access and meeting rooms available to both the legislative and executive branches. The only space dedicated exclusively to legislators are the committee chairmen’s offices and session staff cubicles in Herschler west.

+ Did legislators gain a significant amount of dedicated space, including individual year-round offices and dedicated parking?

No. Committee chairmen and session staff lost their dedicated rooms within the Capitol. All public meeting space in the Capitol and the Capitol Extension will be available for both legislative and executive branch uses. Committee chairmen and staff displaced from the Capitol will relocate to Herschler west.

+ Will most legislative meetings be held in Cheyenne when the building is complete?

The Legislature will continue to hold meetings during the interim throughout the state and at the Capitol, as has been the tradition of the body to encourage citizen participation in the legislative process. When those meetings occur in Cheyenne, much greater public access will now be possible.

+ Will the new meeting rooms be permanently assigned to the Legislature?

No. The Legislature will still need to use a number of the meeting rooms during the session, but those rooms will be available to the executive branch and public at all times when not in active use by the Legislature.

+ Was the metal given to the contractor to sell?

The State of Wyoming identified materials for salvage in advance of demolition. The contractor has the right to salvage the remainder of the demolition materials. This is standard practice for demolition contracts. If these rights were not included, demolition bids would come in higher.

+ How many contracts have been awarded to Wyoming contractors?

Since signing the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) in July 2016, JE Dunn Construction, the construction manager at risk (CMAR), has been soliciting bids from Wyoming, regional and national subcontractors for all phases of the work. As of December 20, 2016, contractors residing in Wyoming have received 43 percent of the value of the subcontracts associated with the Wyoming Capitol Square Project. The dollar value of subcontracts awarded to Wyoming contractors totals $66 million out of the total $154 million awarded to subcontractors at this point. If contracts requiring expertise in historic restoration specialty trades are removed, then 54 percent of the value of the subcontracts have gone to contractors residing in Wyoming.