On Wednesday, the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council approved a $518,125 request from state officials to cover maintenance costs and installation of a concealed weapon detection system at the Governor’s Mansion.
Without dissent, the panel authorized the award along with a series of other grants to state agencies and universities totaling more than $47 million. Grants provided by the council are funded through the state’s real estate transfer tax. The grant will fund the fourth phase of the preservation project former Governor Asa Hutchinson began during his administration.
The award will cover upgrades to the mansion’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. Replace five aging water source heat pumps for a cost of an estimated $150,000. In addition, design professional engineer fees associated with the upgrades are expected to cost $13,125. The grant will also help fund reapirs for three leaky exterior balconies at a cost of $150,000.
State officials noted in the application that the Governor’s Mansion’s general revenue budget “is deficient in being able to meet the deferred and critical maintenance needs of the Mansion.”
The current appropriation and funding for the Governor’s Mansion Commission is $301,830. Due to rising utility costs, an appropriation limited to paying utility providers for utility costs was secured and continues in the amount of $200,000 per year, according to the application.
While private funding for refurbishments at the mansion is available through the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion Association, state officials said the organization’s support is limited to aesthetic renovations, such as decorations and furnishings, and is not intended to be used to subsidize facility operations or cover maintenance costs.
A separate $592,000 renovation at the Governor’s Mansion is nearing completion. The project, which was privately funded through the Governor’s Mansion Association, includes safety improvements for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ three children and renovations to the upstairs living space and bedrooms.
Sanders and her family intend to move into the mansion once the project – which began at the end of February – wraps up, Sanders spokesperson Alexa Henning said in an emailed statement Wednesday.
To finance the first phase of the project, the panel approved a $1.1 million grant for fiscal year 2017, of which $188,812 was returned to the council. The second phase of the project was financed with a $566,000 grant in fiscal year 2020, of which $23,963 was returned. The council granted $339,300 for the third phase of the preservation project for fiscal year 2023, according to figures provided by Shealyn Sowers, a spokesperson for the state Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.
In recent years, grants from the council have allowed the Governor’s Mansion administration and the state Division of Building Authority to, among other work, renovate cottages, improve security and remodel the mansion’s original kitchen and library, according to the grant application.
The council has awarded the Governor’s Mansion at least nine grants in addition to those approved for the current preservation project. Since fiscal year 2001, the council has approved roughly $7.6 million in grants for the Governor’s Mansion, though not all of these funds were used, according to documentation provided by Sowers.
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