The Associated Press
Inspectors, including the chief architect for the Department of General Administration, Dwayne Harkness (center), examine on Saturday the Capitol dome's affected columns nearest to the cracked buttress on the right.

The Associated Press
Lt. Gov. Brad Owen reaches for his gavel Saturday in Senate Hearing Room 4.

Tony Overman/The Olympian Tony Overman/The Olympian Tony Overman/The Olympian Tony Overman/The Olympian Tony Overman/The Olympian Tony Overman/The Olympian
Tricia Krantz, a Washington state trooper cadet, cordons off the sidewalks around the Temple of Justice on Saturday afternoon on the Capitol Campus after structural inspectors discovered more severe damage than originally thought. The discovery of additional damage prompted officials on Saturday to expand the safety zone around the Capitol.

Capitol damage mounts

8 columns shift, but dome not threatened

PATRICK CONDON, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- About 20 workers were evacuated from the Legislative Building on Saturday morning after engineers raised new concerns that the columns ringing the Capitol Dome were in danger of crashing to the ground.

By late afternoon, state General Administration officials were downplaying the threat, but did say eight of the 16 columns shifted out of alignment as a result of last week's earthquake.

"This will have to be addressed at some point, but we don't see it as a show-stopper," said Andy Stepelton, senior property manager for GA.

GA officials still don't know when the Legislative Building might be ready for regular use. "We just can't say yet," GA spokesman Jim Erskine said.

Saturday's discovery was that the eight columns were "out of plumb," meaning that pieces of the columns had shifted anywhere from a quarter-inch to three inches, Stepleton said.

The 50-foot-high columns weigh about 10,000 pounds each and are anchored by nothing but gravity, Stepelton said. Engineers who have been assessing damage at the Capitol feared the columns could topple.

"If they fell, they would have most likely gone right into the building below, potentially into either the House or the Senate chamber," Stepelton said.

The initial finding that the columns were out of plumb came from visual assessments, Stepelton said.

But a more thorough assessment of the bases of six of the columns found they were still sound and posed no danger of toppling, he said.

Dome secure

Even if a column did fall, Stepelton said, the Capitol dome still would be secure. "The columns aren't holding up the dome," he said.

Engineers will complete the full assessment of the remaining 10 columns, and workers won't be let back into the building until that's complete, Stepelton said.

Before reopening the building to workers and the public, Stepelton said the main task is securing the piece of decorative shell that has split off slightly from the dome.

The discovery about the columns, while prompting an initial scare, is not too serious, Stepelton said.

It will need to be fixed eventually, but can be part of a long-term rehabilitation project and not the immediate patchwork under way now.

"It reaffirmed that our primary concern is for safety," Stepelton said. "Anytime we come across something that could pose a danger, we'll take the appropriate action."

With the reopening of the Legislative Building still up in the air, legislative leaders will meet today to discuss options, including the possibility of relocating the House and Senate chambers.

"It doesn't look like there's any way we're going to get in there right away," said Greg Lane, spokesman for the House Republican Caucus. "Right now, we're trying to come up with any plan that will allow us to meet for session."

Patrick Condon covers state government and politics for the Olympian. He can be reached at 753-1688.

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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