HERE AT NAVAJO COUNCIL NAABIKIYATI COMMITTEE AT COUNCIL CHAMBERS IN WINDOW ROCK, ARIZ.
NAABI IS NOW ON REPORT 2 – FACILITY REPORT ON THE NAVAJO NATION CHAMBERS BY SPEAKER LORENZO BATES.
SPEAKER LORENZO BATES
Speaker’s office tried to work w design and engineering and got more complicated to get actual vendor to look at and determine intrety of building. We looked at plumbing and as early as spring session, women’s bathroom was exposed to pipes, old brass fitting in male and female bathrooms, exposed electrical lines, wood frame, floor sitting on has 6 or 8 inche crawl space and asbestos in floor and if exposed wires then expose asbestos threat, fire threat is serious, walls non-reenforced, building settling and lateral shifting, timbers badly deteriorating, the rot in timber base is irreparable. As a result of shifting, we all experience leaking and seeing staff running around with trash cans and it does pull down walls of chambers. Current floor plan is obstacle. If there was ever emergency and evacuate, the floor plan is an obstacle. The handicap accessibility is concern and has to be addressed. Folks unable sit in existing chairs have to be accommodated. And if emergency those folks would have to get out immediately.
Chambers is 80 years old and how to be proceed needs to be addressed.
Plan A, assessment of just seating arrangement and assessment could be more than what told, more than $300,000 and possibly $500,000. What we are telling you is just what we see from outside. We don’t know what is inside. Use example of admin 1 and 2. It was brot to council that this is cost to fix up admin 1 but as proceeded and got into building itself, that price escalated. Same there. Before start renovating floor cud get more expensive.
Plan B – #300,000 and complete shutdown to address all areas and minimum of $3 m price tag and cud increase to $5 m.
Plan C – turn into historic site and make minimal changes and new council at $33 m to $35 m.
Does council have $300,000 to do this? Possibly. What about $5,000? That become questionable.
Page 6, you can see concerns. Page 11 more importantly is what we have today. How far goes into timbers is what we don’t kow. If more than information given to you multiples.
So that is where we are at with assessment today of chambers.
Minimum price from $300,000 to $500,000 or $3 m to $5 m and the $3 m to $5 m is look inside. But if what inside worst case then decide where to spend money cuz cud easily go beyond $5 m to renovate chambers.
Nez is responsible for moving project forward.
DELEGATE NELSON BEGAY
What bothers me is that this is a historic building in 2003 so in trying to do Plan A, B, C, what is historic office saying about plans.
DELEGATE RAYMOND SMITH JR
In the spirit of the Begaye-Nez “Awakening of a New Dawn”, i think that renovation, which is Plan B, is good but we should also look at Plan C, which is new building. But where would we locate. And I really like the photos that show the deterioration. And we really need to do something quickly to save this building.
NEZ
Navajo Nation historic preservation specialist Ron Maldonaldo was kept updated but since he was removed, there has been no replacement.
and yes, murals are insured. 2003 become historic land mark. and sealent was applied outside.
with renovations, such as electrical lines, electronics, there has to be identification of what added, such as flat screen TV.
VOTE ON REPORT, INCLUDES YES VOTE ALSO FOR PLAN C – 13 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED
