Craddick To Reimburse State For Renovations

Speaker Tom Craddick will reimburse the state for more than $50,000 that had been set aside for the installation of wall-to-wall carpet and moving furnishings out of his rent-free Capitol office, his staff announced yesterday:

More than $50,000 in state money has been tapped for the purchase and installation of wall-to-wall wool carpet and to move furnishings and belongings out of the apartment and offices ahead of the renovations, records show. Meanwhile, more than $1 million has been raised from wealthy oilmen, large companies and other donors to pay consultants and builders, and to buy items including a $10,000 Vulcan cooking range, a $1,400 chrome-plated shower door and two brass Kohler toilets priced at about $1,000 each.

Craddick aides say the speaker will use some of that private money to reimburse the state for carpeting and movers. The Craddicks “have always planned on reimbursing the State Preservation Board,” Craddick spokeswoman Alexis DeLee said. However, in a letter to the Star-Telegram in April, DeLee called the carpet purchase and installation “routine maintenance” and said the Craddicks would reimburse the state “if enough private money is raised.”

In addition to those $1,000 toilets we told you about previously (the Craddicks really should have registered at IKEA), here’s a list of what has previously been spent to renovate the Craddick PlaySpeaker Penthouse:

State expenditures

$36,783.32 — Grand Parterre wool carpet (2006)
$10,020.00 — Carpet installation (2006)
$7,416.81 — Partial moving costs (2006)
$6,627.75 – Painting (2003)
$1,784 – Mattress and box spring set (2003)
$1,896.77 — Tableware (2003)

Private expenditures

$586,667 — Construction cost (preliminary estimate) (2006)
$17,224.56 — Furniture recovering (2003)
$10,360.31 — Vulcan range and oven with broiler (2006)
$5,209.32 — Fils Wilton sofa (2003)
$1,400 — Chrome-plated custom shower door (2006)
$1,000 — Kohler solid brass toilet (2006)