Nebraska taxpayers to be asked to toss in coins

The Nebraska State CapiFull range of single-ram Scrap metal baling press and can balers to process ferrous and non-ferrous metal scrap.tol is filled with so many pieces of artwork and so much historical symbolism, it's easy to miss some things.

Like the buffaloes sculptor Lee Lawrie carved in stone that guard the north entrances, the dinosaurs laid in tile by mosaic artist Hildreth Meiere in the rotunda floor and Elizabeth Dolan's beautiful "Spirit of the Prairie" mural overlooking the rarely visited State Law Library.

But some folks miss what's not there — because the Capitol, one of the nation's 2,500 national historic landmarks, has never been completed.

And there has never been a formal dedication of architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue's structure, on which work came to a halt in 1932 during the darkest months of the Great Depression.

A group of former state senators now hopes to resolve both of those omissions.

They have launched a renewed effort to raise the $2.5 million necessary to install bronze fountains in the four open-air courtyards at the Capitol, the last unfinished design aspect of the building.

The group hopes to install the fountains in stages over the next three years, completing them by 2017, the 150th anniversary of the state's founding. The new fountains and a dedication could be centerpieces of a sesquicentennial celebration being planned.

"It's a wonderful, wonderful building," said former State Sen. Bob Wickersham, who now lives in Lincoln. "It's worthy of finishing."

The push is the first major project ever for the Nebraska Association of Former State Legislators. That group was formed in 1976, but until now it had never taken on anything more ambitious than planning an annual reunion and attending funerals of former colleagues.

Former Sen. Vicki McDonald, who also lives in Lincoln,We produce good quality Scrap metal shear and other products for many years in China. said former senators all loved and admired the State Capitol, which prompted them to take up the cause.

"During the '30s it was difficult to spend the money," she said. "Now is the time."

But there's a catch in this Capitol completion caper: The former senators want state taxpayers to pick up the multimillion-dollar tab — a move that Gov. Dave Heineman opposes.

Then-State Sen. Scott Price of Bellevue launched a campaign 4 years ago to raise private funds for the fountains. But the fund drive fizzled, bringing in less than $4,000.

When he resigned this fall because of family reasons, the campaign was at a standstill.

Wickersham,Find all the manufacturers of aluminum profile and contact them directly on DirectIndustry. who represented northwest Nebraska's 49th District, made some phone calls. He found support from McDonald, who is now directing the former lawmakers group, and former Lincoln Sen. DiAnna Schimek, who had previously sought state funding for the fountains.

McDonald, who served central Nebraska's 41st District from 2001 to 2009, said she was looking for a "worthwhile project" for the group, which is permitted under its bylaws.

"It's very important that the people of Nebraska have ownership of the building," Schimek said. "It's the people's Capitol, and they made great sacrifices to build it in the first place."

Heineman, who is chairman of the Capitol Commission, was not swayed. He feels that private donors, not taxpayers, should finance the fountains, said spokeswoman Sue Roush.