FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Contact: Nanci Gonder, 573-751-0290

First Lady Commends Senate Action to Bring Repairs to Missouri Governor's Mansion

JEFFERSON CITY - First Lady Melanie Blunt today commended the Missouri Senate for unanimously voting to pass a supplemental bill that will provide funding for much-needed repairs at the Missouri Governor's Mansion among other funding priorities.

"The Missouri Governor's Mansion is the people's home and an important part of our state's history, and I thank the Missouri Senate for its overwhelming support for repairing and restoring this beautiful home," Mrs. Blunt said. "Matt and I have been privileged to call the Missouri Governor's Mansion home for the last three years, and we have enjoyed living in the Mansion and sharing it with the thousands of Missourians who have visited us here. With these much-needed repairs, we can make the people's home safer and more beautiful for Missourians."

Mrs. Blunt is committed to leaving the Missouri Governor's Mansion better than she found it, and she encouraged the Missouri General Assembly to follow Gov. Blunt's recommendation to appropriate $3 million to support renovation efforts at the Governor's Mansion. The money is available in a constitutionally established Facilities Maintenance and Reserve Fund dedicated to repairing and preserving state buildings in Missouri such as the Governor's Mansion.

The funding will cover important repairs, including:

• $780,000 to repair the mansard slate roof and replacement of flat, membrane-type roofs. The life of the Mansion's roof is 40 years and the last significant repair and installation of the roof was in 1965.
• $1.1 million to restore and repaint all windows, repair exterior masonry, and repair and paint all windows, trim, cornices, and columns. The current window frames and sashes show splintered and rotted wood which cannot adequately support large glass panes.
• $1.2 million for the partial replacement of the 23-year-old heating and cooling system that is malfunctioning and is well-beyond its life capacity, replacement of first floor kitchen needed for health, safety and efficiency, interior flooring and plaster repairs and other minor interior repairs and painting.

Failure to make many of these basic repairs at the Governor's Mansion years ago has made the job more difficult and costly. However, waiting any longer would be even more expensive for taxpayers and potentially dangerous for the Mansion's many visitors.

To view photos of the Missouri Governor's Mansion and to see some of the immediate repair needs, visit http://www.gov.mo.gov/firstlady/mansionrestore.htm.

The supplemental funding bill including the funding for mansion repairs passed the Senate yesterday and now must be approved as amended by the House.

###