An almost $150 million renovation project at Dover’s Legislative Hall is underway, but some members of the community are raising questions about the price tag.
The Legislative Building Committee met for the first time just over a year ago — although talks began in 2022 — to begin hashing out the details for an addition to the capitol building built in the 1930s, as well as a new 4-level parking structure with an underground tunnel.
Legislative Building Committee Chair Rich Puffer says previous Bond Bills have already invested close to $40 million into the project for architectural and engineering planning, but now the project is looking for an additional $110 million, having received $10 million from the FY25 Bond Bill.
Delaware Coalition for Open Government Spokesperson John Flaherty and at least 30 others signed a letter calling for the Office of Management and Budget to reconsider the renovation.
“These legislators, over the last couple of years, have invested a lot of money in Zoom. You can attend the Zoom hearings from home, and I don't think you can justify spending $120 million to double the size of a building that's only used 42 days out of the year," Flaherty said.
Puffer on the other hand, who is also the Chief Clerk of the Delaware House, says the building has a severe lack of meeting space for those who attend in-person, and parking during the legislative session has only grown more challenging.
“It is a chunk of change, definitely, but the legislature certainly feels that it's worth it because we are literally just running out of space," Puffer explained.
The project includes a 350-car parking garage with an underground tunnel for legislator access connected to Legislative Hall, as well as four additional large meeting spaces for public hearings.
Debates over including the privacy tunnel versus a sky bridge were discussed, but the committee ultimately decided to proceed with the underground pedestrian tunnel.
"There are a few reasons that we decided to go ahead with the tunnel, one being safety and security of the members and staff. Not that there's any threats out there, but certainly it's good to have them be able to get in the building safely and and quickly," Puffer said. "It just also just makes it easier to get over from the parking garage to Legislative Hall."
But Flaherty is adamant that the money could be better spent somewhere else within the state.
"There's a whole lot of other needs in the state that could use $120 million, or a portion of that, to fix schools, some of the medical facilities the state operates — just a whole lot of demand. And the legislators, I think, need to be more cognizant of the fact that they're there to serve the people that we're not there to serve them."
The budget approval process will not be officially finalized until June 2025.
If the timeline continues according to plan, the parking garage will begin construction in July 2025 with an expected completion date by the end of 2026.
The Leg Hall addition is expected to begin construction in either the summer or fall of 2026 and be done in time for the 2029 legislative session.
