State Throws Another Half Mil Down the Toilet

With the state budget going through as dire times as it's seen over the last year, lawmakers can't expect to toss nearly $500,000 for renovations to their own restrooms and not have it raise a few eyebrows. Renovations of third-floor bathrooms in the Captiol building began last June in order to deal with asbestos removal and bring them up to the standards of the Americans With Disabliities Act. But it's reported that the $463,000 spent also included features such as marble stall partitions and arches in the ceiling. An Office of General Services spokesman said, "The ladies' room had two sets of stairs and the men's room was difficult to navigate in. The lighting was inefficient and plumbing wasted water.'' The AP says that the ADA accommodations left "men grumbling around the building after learning that the renovations reduced the number of stalls and urinals."