Last update: 09/30/2008

Campus updates

Tivoli Fountain turns pink during October

Tivoli Fountain will turn pink during October as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The pink lights will come on at dusk and light the fountain until it is shut down every evening.

The lighting begins October 1. Pink is color chosen to represent Breast Cancer Awareness.

Conservatory plants are gone

GA will lower heat in greenhouses to save energy costs

State agency representatives claimed all of the more than 130 plants that once graced the greenhouses of the Capitol Campus Conservatory.

General Administration will also turn down the heat in the greenhouses to save energy and taxpayer dollars.

The greenhouses are now nearly empty. Only the cactus collection and a handful of very large tropical plants remain. These plants were claimed by Cedar Creek Correctional Center and will be picked up soon.

Cedar Creek is considered a ‘'work’' camp, so all offenders are required to participate in programs, such as the one for grounds maintenance, which prepares them to re-enter the community. Cedar Creek will use the Conservatory plants for educational purposes.

General Administration offered the plants to state agencies for free to use in public areas of state buildings or for education purposes. The plants were not given to employees for their personal use.

The plants became surplus goods following the permanent closure September 5 of the greenhouses. General Administration closed them because they were in poor condition and posed risks to public safety.

Owners responsible for plant care

General Administration is unable to offer care for the Conservatory plants. The agencies that selected the plants are now responsible for them.

Since some of the plants are difficult to grow, General Administration recommends that agencies seek professional help to deal with any problems, especially for plant pest control.

Future plans for the Conservatory

The Heritage Center and Executive Office Building Project plans call for the Conservatory to be demolished, but there is no specific date when that will happen. The Conservatory includes a General Administration maintenance shop, which is used by grounds staff who maintain Capitol Campus grounds, Sylvester Park, the Capitol Lake parks and some other state properties. General Administration will continue to use the maintenance shop for now.

Agencies can still get rare plants

Campus Conservatory collection offered September 25

Many of the plants from Capitol Campus Conservatory are gone, taken by state agency representatives on September 18.

But about 30 plants are still available, mostly large specimens up to 10 feet tall.

General Administration will offer plants to public agencies for selection and pickup from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on September 25 at the Conservatory.

The future use of these plants should be for educational purposes or public display only. The plants are not intended for the personal use of state employees.

General Administration permanently closed the public greenhouses at the Conservatory on September 5. Deteriorating conditions there posed a public safety issue and prevented staff from properly caring for the plants.

Health alert
While plants can add beauty and enjoyment to the workplace, they can also cause indoor health issues. Watering plants can cause mold to grow, posing a health risk to building occupants. The water can also damage carpets and furniture. Some people are allergic to plant pollen.

Agency facility staff should advise their designee on plant selection and placement.

Many plants require special care
Many of the remaining plants are very large and will only fit in larger reception areas of state-owned buildings. Some plants are difficult to grow, even in the best conditions. Nearly all the plants require at least some natural light, as well as water and nutrients, to remain healthy.

While the plants have been treated with a non-hazardous insecticidal soap, some could be infested with common pests, such as aphids, spider mites and whiteflies. These pests can spread to other plants. Pest control should be done by a professionally licensed applicator and done in accordance with federal and state laws.

Moving plants
Because of the large size of the plants, agencies need to make arrangements to move the ones they select. General Administration is available to haul the plants for a fee. The cost is $46.50 per hour and delivery is limited to the Olympia area.

Agencies that selected plants on September 18, but have not picked them up, must do so by 2 p.m. on September 25.

General Administration plans on lowering the heat in Conservatory once the plants are gone to save energy and taxpayer dollars.

  • What: Capitol Campus Conservatory Surplus Plant Event
  • When: September 25, 2008, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Where: Capitol Campus Conservatory
    12th Avenue, Capitol Campus, near the Law Enforcement Memorial
    Campus map

For more information:
Larry McCarty, GA Facilities Division
(360) 902-0950, lmccart@ga.wa.gov

Jim Erskine, GA Communications
(360) 902-7206, jerskin@ga.wa.gov

Popular campus visitor parking lot closed Sept. 25 – Oct. 8

General Administration will close the visitor parking lot at the Natural Resources Building starting at 6 p.m. September 25 until 6 a.m. October 8 to install a new waterproof membrane, make repairs and restripe parking stalls.

The contractor needs dry conditions for installing the waterproof membrane, so the project completion date may change.

All vehicles must be out of the visitor lot by 6 p.m. September 25, so that the contractor can begin to unload equipment and supplies.

The goal of the project is to eliminate water leaking from the visitor lot to parking areas below.

The Natural Resources Building is at 1111 Washington St. S.E. in Olympia. The visitor lot – the P1 level - is on the west side of the building, across Washington Street and behind the Capitol Court building. It is the most heavily used visitor lot on campus, serving several nearby state buildings.

During this project, visitors must use other parking areas on the Capitol Campus. Other visitor parking options on campus include:

  • The North and South diagonals off of Capitol Way.
  • General Administration parking garage at Columbia Street and 11th Avenue (no SUVs, vans or trucks).
  • West side of the General Administration Building.
  • Visitor Center at Capitol Way and Sid Snyder Avenue.

A campus parking map is available at: http://www.ga.wa.gov/images/campus-map.pdf.

Visitor parking is 50 cents per hour unless otherwise noted and payable at meters at each parking area.

The east side of the P1 level, which is used by state employees, will remain open during the project. Employees who park there and on other levels – P2 and P3 – can continue to use garage entrances off of Jefferson Street and 11th Avenue.

The Washington Street entrance to the Natural Resources Building visitor lot will be closed during the entire project, but the street itself will be open. State employees and visitors traveling to the Plaza Garage and the State Archives building should not be affected by the project.

The Natural Resources Building visitor lot has 202 parking stalls. This total includes 12 parking stalls designated for individuals with disabilities. General Administration will add four stalls for individuals with disabilities on the P2 level to compensate for the temporary closure of those in the visitor lot.

For more parking information
General Administration Parking Services
(360) 725-0030, parking@ga.wa.gov

For more project information
Jack Maguire, General Administration Facilities Division
(360) 902-0978, jmaguir@ga.wa.gov