Committee approves CPRA contract extensions and hears scope and funding for Capitol rehabilitation

Committee members approved a request from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority to extend two contracts and heard details on a major Capitol rehabilitation project.

Candace Obi, CPRA chief financial officer, and Leanne Sharp, CPRA coastal resource scientist, asked the committee to extend the contract with Coastal Estuary Services for two additional years to continue operations of the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS). Sharp described CRMS as a network of 390 monitoring sites established in 2006 that provides hydrology, vegetation and surface‑elevation data that underpin coastal planning and project evaluation. The committee approved the extension by voice vote after Representative Arang moved approval.

CPRA also sought an extension for Access Sciences, the vendor supporting records management and document imaging; the agency said extending the contract would maintain continuity of services and save resolicitation costs.

On facility planning, Matt Baker, director of the Office of Facility Planning and Control, described phase 3 of a long‑running Capitol rehabilitation: the multi‑year project focuses on the tower, lantern and façade, and includes stone re‑honing, window rehabilitation and repairs to century‑old water‑damaged steel and mortar. Baker gave an estimated total project budget “around a 100 and, $10,000,000 right now,” and said a contractor contract has been signed for approximately $96,000,000 with anticipated cash flows of about $30,000,000 per year over 4½–5 years. He said funding will come through capital outlay, a mix of general obligation bonds and general fund.

The committee also unanimously approved facility planning items to add projects to the Higher Education Deferred Maintenance Fund (Act 7 51) and to combine two Baton Rouge Community College projects to streamline delivery.

What’s next: CPRA will proceed under extended contracts and Facility Planning will move forward with phased work as capital outlay cash flows allow; members asked for additional details if needed when implementation plans are refined.