Legislators meet in new quarters for special session

As legislators gather at the state capitol for today’s “special session,” they do so in cramped quarters. The House is meeting in the Supreme Court Chambers; the Senate is meeting in a committee room. Mark Willemssen, architectural technician for the Legislature, made the arrangements and says it’ll be tight quarters, but “it’s do-able.”The House ceiling is being repaired and decorative painting’s being restored; in the Senate, the carpet, wooden floor and electrical wiring have been ripped up. He says it’s all part of the renovation of the capitol building.Willemssen says it’s 1940s-era electrical wiring that needs to be replaced as it has a coating that would put off fumes and make them more deadly.Smoke detection systems are being installed in the ceiling of the House and the floor of the Senate.