FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Dale DePue
Capitol: (405) 557-7350
Guthrie: (405) 341-8503
State Maintenance Task Force Seeks to Improve Public Buildings
OKLAHOMA CITY- (September 16, 2005)- The House Deferred Maintenance and Construction Needs Task Force met Thursday with an eye on developing viable solutions to maintenance problems affecting many of Oklahoma's public buildings.
"Many of our state buildings are old and in need of repair," said State Rep. Dale DePue, R-Guthrie. "Currently, we are trying to determine what funds are available to bring these buildings up to safety and efficiency standards."
The task force was created to study the state's current deferred capital maintenance and infrastructure needs. The group will submit a report to the governor that prioritizes state maintenance and construction needs and recommends ways to gain additional funding for maintenance and construction.
Currently, the State Department of Central Services is responsible for providing maintenance and construction needs at state-owned properties. However, DePue said, the department has historically been underfunded, leaving many of the state's buildings with safety concerns and outdated infrastructure.
"We are trying to provide the public with safe and aesthetically pleasing buildings while recognizing the need to spend taxpayer dollars wisely," said DePue, chairman of the task force. "We have to have a plan in place so that the Legislature will take this matter seriously and appropriate the necessary dollars."
The task force will also recommend a capital budget specifically for public building maintenance-and-construction needs that would be submitted to the Legislature every year for review and funding.
The task force will meet again on September 29. Their report must be submitted by December 1.
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Jason Sutton
Media Specialist
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Ph: (405) 962-7623
Fax: (405) 557-7498
