Changing Seasons

Spring 2018 is bringing many changes to the Nebraska State Capitol. We are fairly confident it won’t snow again, so we’ve opened the main north entrance on second floor. This means the promenade deck will be open for evening strolls, no jogging or bicycling please. The Promenade Deck is open sunrise to sunset. The Peregrine falcon pair residing at the Capitol seem to have abandoned the nest box for a different location on the tower. Keep watching the area near the gold dome to glimpse the pair. They seem to be favoring the area just beneath the Thunderbird mosaics on the south side. The much anticipated Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Replacement Project is under way. The design phase has been completed, the bid phase is in progress and the 18- month construction phase is anticipated to begin in June. Several agencies have already vacated the Capitol to make room for the occupants in the southwest quadrant to relocate inside the Capitol once the construction phase begins. Accountability and Disclosure and the Ombudsman’s Office have relocated to Centre Terrace at 1225 L Street. The Secretary of State’s Elections and Business Service Divisions have moved to the 1200 block of N Street. The Capitol’s dining room is closed in anticipation of the first phase of the HVAC Replacement Project. The Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired will open a lunchroom in Room #1301 on May 7, 2018 and offer a diverse menu provided by Hy-Vee. Work continues in the courtyards. Now that the fountains they championed are in place, the Former Legislators have again taken a leadership role in the project. Under their guidance, a private fundraising effort to complete the original courtyard landscape plan developed by Capitol landscape architect Ernst Herminghaus is underway. Once the funds are raised, hedges, flowering annuals and ornamental shrubbery will be planted. For more information contact campaign organizer Susan Larson Rodenburg at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Finally, school tour season is in full swing. Hundreds of fourth graders are touring the Capitol in this last month of school. Visitors are welcome to join the students on the public tours.  Please call the tour office at (402)471-0448 to check on the schedule. School groups are generally scheduled earlier in the day; it may be possible to find an afternoon time when a more adult oriented tour will be offered. Weekend tours are recommended for those wishing to avoid the students.