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.
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