Tea Partiers To Clean Up Mess Left By Protesters In Madison (UPDATE: Painter’s Union Offered To Help, too)

Officials had estimated that it would cost 7.5 million to clean up the mess left by pro-gov-union protesters.

It could cost as much as $7.5 million to repair damage protesters have done to the Capitol Building marble say officials in Madison. Fixing posters to the marble with tape and glue appears to have done the bulk of the damage.

During testimony Thursday, a representative from the Attorney General’s office said a contractor estimated it would cost $500,000 to remove all of the posters and garbage. He says it would cost $6 million to restore the marble inside of the Capitol building and another $1 million to touch up the marble outside of the building.

Officials with the Department of Administration say the marble must be restored immediately. They say normally, tape isn’t used on the walls of the Capitol by rule because of the historic nature of the building. Easels are normally used for signs.

Six million dollars to touch up marble? I’m guessing the cleaning is to be done by unionized labor at that price.

Tea party supporters in Wisconsin have offered their services to do the “$500,000” worth of cleaning inside the Capitol for free. They’ve created a Facebook group  to organize the event called “It’s Time to Take Out the Trash!”. They will be in Madison on Sunday to clean-up the  huge mess left by the pro-union protesters over the past two weeks.

UPDATE:

Although this post wasn’t supposed to be more about the tea partiers than about the cost of the clean-up,  some commenters seem fixated on the “high-end” estimate made by state officials.

So I feel it’s necessary to mention that  they have indeed come out with a revised estimate since that initial report:

MADISON – State officials have the revised the estimated price tag of cleanup at the Capitol.

Yesterday, officials said the job could cost more than $7 million dollars. Now they’re saying it could cost as little as $350,000.

The concern is over reside left behind by protestors inside the historic building over the last three weeks, specifically, adhesive from posters taped to the Capitol’s stone, marble and wood surfaces.

Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch is now saying that was a high-end estimate.

***

Still, the head of a masonry company that has done work to the Capitol in the past, says $7 million dollars wasn’t so far off the mark. Jim Durham of Quarra Stone says you can’t just use household cleaners in the historic building:

“It’s going to soak up hand prints, oil from your skin. It’s going to soak up the adhesives of the tape.”

A painter’s union has stepped up and offered to clean up the Capitol for free.

The painter’s union deserves major kudos for offering their help for free, too. Especially since it seems the work they will be doing is the more expensive labor.

See also:

American Power: Wisconsin Protests: It’s an Occupation, Not a Sleepover

Linked by Michelle Malkin in Buzzworthy, and Doug Ross, and Moonbattery, and Hollywood Republican, thanks!

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