[nfbmi-talk] anyone see what is wrong with this picture?

[joe harcz Comcast]

I'll give all a hint....All state and local buildings were required to have what is called program access on the effective regulatory date of the ADA which was January 26, 1992. Moreover, those like Con Hall which was built after the passage of the ADA was required to meet the new construction standards of the ADA, but I documented it was not so in regards to raised character and Braille signage alone let alone other substantial issues. And finally there are and have been new construction and alteration requirements to. What does anyone want to bet that this scofflaw state violates them regarding the Mason Building?

Joe
State’s plan to get rid of costly office leases moves ahead, but legislators have different idea By Paul Egan Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau The Snyder

administration is reporting progress on its plan to eliminate costly leases by moving more employees to buildings the state already owns. But the Michigan

Legislature may be headed in the opposite direction as it considers selling a state-owned building and relocating senators and staff into rented space.

Since January 2011, the state has eliminated 52 leases and 973,000 square feet of leased space, saving taxpayers millions of dollars, said Kurt Weiss,

a spokesman for the Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Two projects costing a total of $34 million are ongoing near the Capitol in Lansing,

as crews remodel Constitution Hall and the Mason Building so they can house more employees. At Constitution Hall on West Allegan, work is expected to be

completed this spring on a $7-million project to maximize use of a state-owned building that was about 30% vacant. About 1,000 state employees worked in

the building when the project began in 2012. Once work is done, it will accommodate up to 1,900, officials said. Part of the plan involves moving most

employees to 64-square-foot work cubicles. That's smaller than what most have now, but employees have been told the changes will come with benefits such

as improved Wi-Fi access and other technology, more common areas and meeting rooms and more natural lighting. Crews have been renovating Constitution Hall

floor by floor, but the nearby Mason Building on West Allegan has been completely vacated. The project was estimated to cost $17 million initially, but

is pegged at $27 million now. The extra money will be used to make the restrooms comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, upgrade fire suppression,

remove asbestos and pay for other mechanical improvements, Weiss said. Most of the state employees who worked in the Mason Building moved into Constitution

Hall already or will move soon, adding Department of Natural Resources and management and budget employees to a building that housed workers from the Department

of Environmental Quality, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and other departments. That will leave Mason open for new tenants - which

haven't been determined - once work there is completed in late spring 2015, Weiss said. About 560 people worked in the Mason Building before the project

started, officials said. After renovations, it will accommodate at least 850. Apparently at odds with the state's strategy is talk by lawmakers of selling

the state-owned Farnum Building, which houses Michigan Senate offices, and moving senators into the nearby Capitol View Building. The state leases that

building from developer Ron Boji, and it houses top managers from the Department of Community Health. Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing,

said she understands a deal already has been struck with Republicans to sell Farnum to Boji. Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, has acknowledged

talking to Boji and another Lansing developer, Joel Ferguson. However, "no decision has been made," said Richardville spokeswoman Amber McCann. If the

Senate stays at Farnum, the building would require about $20 million in improvements, she said. A bill that would facilitate the sale of the Farnum Building

by shifting ownership from the state to the Senate has cleared the Senate and awaits House approval. The management and budget department is not pushing

the bill and has no plans to move Community Health officials out of the Capitol View Building, Weiss said.