Repair and Restoration of Buildings

Question 15: The budget request for Repair and Restoration of Buildings is $38 million, $4 million above the fiscal year 1996 level. The recent report by the

Smithsonian's Commission on the Future of the Institution recommended a $50 million a year level in order to deal with the $250 million backlog of critical maintenance needs among the various museum buildings. Did OMB cut this request back to $38 million?

Answer: The Smithsonian requested the full $50 million in its FY 1997 budget submission to OMB. In its final passback OMB allowed $38 million.

Question 16: The report indicates that unless serious attention is paid to this problem, many of the larger, more popular museum facilities would surely be forced to close to the public. With this real threat in mind, how can the Smithsonian justify spending another $80 million for the third Museum of the American Indian at this time?

Answer: Like many organizations, the Smithsonian must address multiple obligations and competing priorities. Maintenance, repair, and restoration of the historic public buildings that it occupies is high among these, as is the fulfillment of obligations it has undertaken with the express authority of the Congress to preserve and interpret the national collections. The third structure for the National Museum of the American Indian--the Museum building on the Mall--represents completion of the facilities program outlined in P.L. 101-185 and designed to house and display the comprehensive and irreplaceable collections of that museum. Fundraising for one-third of the estimated $110 million cost of construction is almost completed. As has been done with design funds from both Federal and non-Federal sources, it is expected that both kinds of funding will be applied in phases to construction of the Museum, expected to be opened to the public in 2002.

Question 17: The breakdown of how the $38 million will be spent includes several categories including Major Capital Renewal which is only allotted $9 million. How much of the $38 million is going specifically to the most seriously impaired museums vs routine maintenance and repair?

Answer: All of the funding included in the Major Capital Renewal is planned for the buildings in the most serious condition: $6 million for the Natural History Museum, $1 million for the American Art and Portrait Gallery, and $2 million for the Smithsonian "Castle." In addition, another $4 to $5 million reflected in the other categories is planned for urgent work in the Natural History Museum and the American Art and Portrait Gallery building.

Question 18. The budget mentions four buildings; which museums are you referring to in the budget?

Answer: The four buildings whose poor conditions concern us most are the National Museum of Natural History, the American Art and Portrait Gallery Building (also known as the Patent Office Building), the Arts and Industries Building, and the Smithsonian Institution "Castle" Building.

Question 19: Can you supply for the record a list in priority order of the most seriously impaired buildings and the costs associated with each?

Answer: Beginning with the building in the most critical condition, the four buildings are listed in order of urgency of renewal, with the current estimated cost of repairing identified deficiencies:

Question 20: How will the $33.9 million appropriated by this committee for fiscal year 1996 be used?

Answer: The funding appropriated for FY 1996 will be used as follows:

Question 21: The construction budget contains $4 million to complete the planning and design work for the National Museum of the American Indian Mall building. The conference report for fiscal year 1996 clearly states that "the Smithsonian is to develop alternative cost scenarios for the proposed mall museum which should include downsizing of the building and a decrease in the amount of Federal funding." Is the Smithsonian developing this information?