CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Preliminary work is scheduled to begin Monday on a $3 million construction project to improve security on the grounds of the state capitol.
Crews with Charleston-based Wiseman Construction will begin setting up this week with the bulk of the work scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 17, according to state Military Affairs and Public Safety spokesman Larry Messina.
“The contractor is confident that they can send crews to both project areas on campus–the new bus turnaround near the Culture Center and the security upgrades around the Governor’s Mansion,” Messina said.
The turnaround work will take out two existing parking lots with the goal of getting school buses, which bring thousands of schoolchildren to the state capitol complex each year, off of busy Greenbrier Street for drop-off and pick-up, Messina said.
“The public should be aware that starting Aug. 17 they won’t be able to park in that lot just north of the Culture Center but there will be other spaces allocated. Some folks who work at the legislature will have new spaces assigned to them,” he said.
The security work at the Governor’s Mansion includes a new bench wall that will bump out into Kanawha Blvd. with a wrought-iron fence installed around the mansion.
Wiseman has a 120-day contract. Messina said it’s a plus the contractor plans to work on both projects simultaneously.
“The fact that they are starting each phase at the same time makes us more confident that this will be completed by early-December at the very latest,” Messina said.