Maybe more than anything else, food makes the Capitol run.
So many long days and so many late nights, the Capitol snack bar is the primary source of sustenance for politicos who can’t leave the building.
Well, later this week, food options at the Capitol are going to expand.
That’s when work on a new $147,000 snack bar is expected to be completed on the ground floor of the Capitol, immediately across from the vending area near the Visitor Center. The snack bar will feature a grill that will serve hot food.
The new snack bar will be overseen by the Business Enterprise Program, which offers people who are legally blind the opportunity to manage food service and vending operations in government facilities.
The program, which will provide the equipment and the necessary setup, is a division of the state Department for Children and Families.
Don’t worry, the snack bar on the third floor won’t close, although lawmakers expressed concern about the possibility when getting an update on the project during a Budget Committee meeting Tuesday.
There was some worry that the contract to run the snack bar did not spell out that the third floor snack shop should remain open, but state officials said that was always the expectation.
“I think that the third floor snack bar was put there for a reason, and I think it should be maintained and not turned into a vending machine facility,” said state Rep. Kyle Hoffman.
Construction of the snack bar was largely out of view behind two doors with frosted glass underneath a stone colonnade across from the vending area.
The work started Sept. 3. Most of the construction played out with workers coming through a back dock door not visible to the public.
