Workers begin refurbishing columns at Alaska State Capitol

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Workers have started refurbishing marble columns outside the Alaska State Capitol building in Juneau, officials said.

The columns will be sanded, restored and weather-treated, The Juneau Empire reported Wednesday.

The project is expected to be finished by October, said Jessica Geary, executive director for the Legislative Affairs Agency.

The cost of the project is $676,075, including $270,000 from the Juneau Community Foundation, Geary said.

The award was approved by the state’s Legislative Council in February.

Weather has degraded the columns over time, said Jaron Wiley, a marble refinishing specialist for Juneau-based Dawson Construction.

“They (the columns) are in the shape that I would expect them to be in,” Wiley said. “Marble is a porous material. Water and acid rain have an effect on the surface.”

The fronts of the columns facing the incoming weather appear far coarser than the sections facing the building, he said.

Scaffolding and fencing will stand outside the building throughout the work period.

___

Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com