The Tolbert Report

I posted about a month ago on a potential building project that the state legislature is considering for their legislative office space. The building known as the Big Mac building, which is directly adjacent to the state capital, has some space that has opened up and some of the legislators have their eyes on it. This in itself does not sound so bad until you get into the details.

The major sticking point is a proposed tunnel that will connect the Big Mac building to the capitol saving legislators and their staff about one hundred steps door to door in the weather and at a price tag of around $1.8 million. House Speaker Robbie Wills takes to his blog over the weekend to defend this as a necessary and even ”visionary” endeavor. Wills writes…

The employees to be relocated to Big Mac are currently scattered all over the capitol complex, many in dank corners of the capitol basement in unsafe, inadequate space. The new space will become the heart of the legislative staff function, including two committee meeting rooms and office space for 100+ employees. (There will be no offices for legislators in Big Mac) The plan includes a scaled-down, bare-bones 100-foot partially-underground connection from the 5th floor of Big Mac to the basement of the Capitol at a cost of $1.8 million. The Building Authority architect – ABA is an executive branch agency – recommended this direct connection for three reasons: practicality, accessibility and security.

Wills goes on to compare the opposition to the tunnel (which includes Gov. Beebe) to the opposition lead by the racist pro-lynching Governor Jeff Davis a hundred years ago to building the new state capital. I am not exactly the biggest Beebe fan in the state but to compare him Davis because he is against building a tunnel to nowhere during an economic downturn is a bit of a stretch to me.

In Wills defense, he has been somewhat lighthearted lately on his blog even posting this video below from fellow blogger Rett Hatcher that compares himself to Hitler. I, being the level headed blogger that I am, shyed away from this one but now that Wills posted it I guess it is now fair game.

Still, I think perhaps Wills might be wise to listen to the advice of fellow Democrat Rep. Gregg Reep who suggested to me just providing umbrellas for the short trip between buildings and save the taxpayers $1.8 million.

UPDATE - Gov. Beebe’s spokeman tells the Tolbert Report, “The governor is against the construction of a tunnel between the State Capitol and Big Mac and will not release any funding for it. The renovation and updating of Big Mac itself has been in the works for many years, and the governor will release funding for work on Big Mac once the final cost is determined.” 

So it looks like the tunnel to nowhere is going nowhere.