Jackson Free Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Restoration work continues at the Mississippi Capitol as legislators prepare to start their session next week.

One of the biggest committee meeting rooms, known as the Old Supreme Court Chamber, is closed for a few more days as workers repair water damage that occurred during a Nov. 16 storm.

Rain from the same storm damaged walls and carpet in the Senate chamber, which is one floor directly above the Old Supreme Court Chamber. Crews have finished repairs in the Senate chamber, and desks and chairs have been moved back in place. Sen. Terry Burton, R-Newton, said the room is ready to be used during the three-month session that begins at noon Tuesday.

"Everybody involved in the work in the Senate chamber got it done, and we really, really appreciate it," Burton, who serves on the Public Property Committee, said Friday.

The rotunda at the center of the Capitol is blocked by temporary walls that prevent people from standing under the building's main dome while work is done on that part of the structure.

"We don't want anything accidentally falling from the dome and hitting people on the head," Burton said.

The $8.3 million restoration is designed to keep the nearly 112-year-old statehouse in good working condition for generations to come. Crews have been working for months to block leaks that had been causing water damage for years. Stained-glass windows have been removed from the House chamber and the governor's office for restoration at a local glass studio.

To pay for the restoration, legislators approved $6 million in bonds during the 2010 session, another $900,000 in bonds during the 2013 session and nearly $1.4 million in cash during the 2014 session.

Repairs to the Senate chamber and the Old Supreme Court Chamber are not included in the $8.3 million price tag, and the costs for that work are being paid by a contractor rather than the state. The damage to those two rooms occurred when waterproofing material had been removed from a section of the roof.

The four-story, Beaux Arts style Capitol was built from March 1901 to July 1903 on the site of the old state prison and cost $1.09 million, funded with back taxes paid by Illinois Central Railroad. It has marble from around the world, brass fixtures, ornate iron work and intricate stained-glass windows and ceilings.