In addition to providing heat and refrigeration for the additional House Office Building, the authorized expansion is necessary to provide service for the Government Printing Office Annex, the east front of the Capitol extension, and additional loads being imposed on existing buildings. JUSTIFICATION Of the total amount of $6,500,000 authorized, $3,250,000 has been appropriated to date. Of the total authorized and appropriated, $1,290,231 has been obligated to date. Of these obligations, $337,500 has been obligated for consulting engineering services for designing, planning, and supervising the proposed changes and improvements; $15,140 for boiler plant expansion; $887,917 for four centrifugal refrigeration machines and other items for refrigeration plant expansion; $49,674 for administration, miscellaneous, and contingencies. It is proposed to obligate the balance of the contract authorization in the remainder of the fiscal year 1960 and in the fiscal year 1961, and by June 30, 1961, to disburse all but $750,000 of the total to be obligated. This means that the obligations through June 30, 1961 will total $6,500,000 and the disbursements $5,750,000. As only $3,250,000 has been appropriated to date, it is necessary to request that an appropriation of $2,500,000 be provided for the fiscal year 1961 in order that work under this project may be carried forward as scheduled. Obligations and expenditures, actual and estimated, fiscal years 1959 to 1961, inclusive Refrigeration compressors and related equipment Miscellaneous equipment and piping within Capitol Power Plant.. Fuel system outside plant, including storage tanks and pumps. Work at Capitol Power Plant site, including cooling tower, pumps, and piping.. Relocation of, modifications and additions to steam and chilledwater distribution systems. Reinsulate 24-inch chilled water Railroad siding and car pullers at Electrical: Modifications and addi- Ersting Equipment and Structure: Removal of equipment and demolition... Contingencies, Engineering Fee, Administrative, and Miscellaneous. Totals.. $354,600 $354, 600 $336, 570 $336, 570 CONTRACTING SCHEDULE Mr. NORRELL. Since you have obligated only $1,290,231 to date, do you not think you are asking for more than you need? What is the planned schedule of contracting for this work? Mr. RUBEL. All the drawings and specifications are just about finished now, sir, and are being reviewed and we expect they will go out for bids shortly after the 1st of July, and that will be for a contract amounting to about $3 million. So that money will be needed in fiscal year 1961 to meet contract payments. Mr. NORRELL. You think we need to appropriate for it now and not next year? Mr. RUBEL. Yes; because we have to precede the schedule of completion of the additional House Office Building. Mr. Bow. Do we have a breakdown of this? Mr. HENLOCK. Yes, on page 155. Mr. Bow. Your first item is "Steam generators, $336,570.” Mr. Bow. In our hearings last year you showed you were not going to need any money in 1961 for steam generators but you showed you were going to use $308 000 in 1960. and the justifications here show no money in 1960 but $336,570 in 1961. Why that switch in the two hearings? Mr. HENLOCK. The law was passed last year and we did not have the plans well formulated last year, but now we do have a well-formed program. Mr. Bow. Did you spend anything on steam generators in 1960 ? Mr. RUBEL. NO. Expenditures will begin shortly after the 1st of July 1960. Mr. Bow. If you were going to spend $308.000 for the steam generators last year, why do you need $336.570 this year? Mr. RUBEL. $308.000 was a very preliminary estimate. Mr. Bow. You did not say that last year. You gave it as a pretty firm estimate. Mr. HENLOCK. We have had the benefit of plans and specifications since then. Mr. Bow. Is this $336,570 a firm or an unfirm figure? Mr. RUBEL. It is a budget estimate and is just as close as we can obtain it until we get the contractor's bid. These steam generators will be a part of the overall contract. Mr. Bow. If you will turn to page 110 of last year's hearings and look at the chart there and compare it to the chart we have now, there is not too much similarity. It is a little hard to appropriate this way. For instance, look at the item. "Miscellaneous equipment and piping within Capitol Power Plant." Last year you showed $685,000 for fiscal year 1961, and here we have for fiscal year 1961 $360,855. Mr. RUBEL. The answer is that all last year's figures were derived without the benefit of any design work. Mr. Bow. Here is a very interesting thing. When you were guessing at it you were guessing awfully high, because when you look at your totals-and I compliment you on coming in with lower totals this year than last year but you were about $800,000 higher last year than this year, so it makes one wonder whether we can count on these figures you bring in to us, with that much change in 1 year's time. Mr. RUBEL. This is largely the result of reallocation of money among different items. The grand total remains the same. Mr. Bow. Your grand total is $5,750,000 on page 155 of your justifications today and it was $6,500,000 in your justifications of last year. Mr. HENLOCK. On page 155 under the third column, obligations, we expect to obligate the full $6,500,000 by June 30, 1961. Mr. Bow. You make it come out even just like last year, but you juggled the figures. Mr. RUBEL. Some of these figures are firm. For example, we have purchased the refrigeration equipment. Mr. Bow. In the justifications and estimates now before us, how many instances are there where you have estimates and do not have firm figures, such as the estimates given to us on page 110 of the hearings of last year? What items in this entire budget are based on that kind of estimates? Mr. RUBEL. In the case of refrigeration compressors Mr. Bow. I am not talking about this item alone. How many items are there in this entire budget now before us that are based on the kind of estimates we had last year as reflected on page 110 of last year's hearings that were only guesses? Mr. HENLOCK. There is only one other place where we did not have the contracts let, and that is changes and improvements, Capitol Power Plant. That was estimated for 1961, based on the knowledge of costs from year to year under the program completed to date. I would say the changes and improvements of the Capitol Power Plant project is the only other place where we have contracts yet to be let that were estimated. The authorization act for the expansion of facilities project did not pass until September 2, 1958, and we came to you 4 or 5 months later before any design work or plans and specifications had been prepared. The authorization act that was passed, upon the recommendation of the House and Senate Committees on Public Works, fixed a limit of $6.5 million for the project, based on the estimates we gave you last year. Mr. Bow. But you will admit there is quite a bit of difference in some of these figures. Mr. HENLOCK. Frankly, Mr. Rubel is concerned that when the bids come in they will exceed the amount authorized. Mr. Bow. That is all. Mr. NORRELL. We will turn now to page 70, "Changes and improvements, Capitol Power Plant." At this point, we will insert page 156 of the justifications in the record. Changes and improvements, Capitol Power Plant Contract authorization, Public Law 413, 81st Cong., as amended Amount of contract authorization appropriated to date: Total appropriated, to date_--_. $950,000 3, 000, 000 $17,176, 000 1, 500, 000 1, 800, 000 1, 196, 000 -16, 446, 000 730, 000 Balance of contract authorization yet to be appropriated‒‒‒‒‒‒‒ Appropriation requested in budget for the fiscal year 1961---- 730, 000 You have a request of $730,000 for changes and improvements in the Capitol Power Plant. What does this cover that is not covered by the previous item? Mr. STEWART. Public Law 413, 81st Congress, as amended by Public Law 624, 84th Congress, authorized a total of $17,176,000 to be appropriated and obligated for changes and improvements relating to the Capitol Power Plant, its distribution systems, and the buildings and grounds served by the plant. To date, $16,446,000 has been appropriated leaving a balance of $730,000 yet to be appropriated under this authorization. Boiler plant improvements, totaling $2,580,715, have been contracted for and completed. Steam and chilled water distribution improvements, consisting of construction of a large walk-through tunnel from the Capitol Power Plant to the Senate Office Building housing new steam and chilled water lines supplying buildings in the legislative and judicial group, totaling $5,020,284, have been contracted for and completed. Refrigeration plant improvements, consisting of the installation of four new large refrigeration compressors, a cooling tower, and other related items, and the construction of an electric power substation, totaling $2,232,885, have been contracted for and completed. Alterations to refrigeration equipment in buildings supplied by the plant, totaling $178,400, have been contracted for and completed. Electrical improvements, consisting of the conversion of the electrical systems in the Old and New House Office Buildings, the Senate Office Building, the Supreme Court Building, the Annex Library of Congress, the Capitol Power Plant, the legislative garage and the new area of the Capitol Grounds, from 25-cycle alternating current and direct current to 60-cycle alternating current, totaling $3,448,210, have been contracted for and completed. Contracts, totaling $907,571, have been let for converting the electrical systems in the main Library of Congress Building and the work is now in progress. Contracts for miscellaneous minor conversion work in the Capitol Building, totaling $76,127, have been contracted for and the work is now in progress. In addition, $600,000 has been obligated for engineering fees, and $448,114 for administrative and miscellaneous expenses. The total obligated, to date, is $15,492,306—leaving an unobligated balance of $1,683,694 as of February 1960 under the contract authorization of $17,176,000. It is proposed to obligate this balance in the remainder of the fiscal year 1960, for the conversion of the electrical systems in the Capitol Building and the old area of the Capitol Grounds and for completion of the conversion work in the main Library of Congress Building and to carry the work to completion in the fiscal year 1961. As it is necessary to obligate the full authorized amount of $17,176,000 and only $16,446,000 of that amount has been appropriated to date, it is requested that the balance of the authorization, $730,000, be appropriated for the fiscal year 1961, in order that the project may be brought to completion. Mr. NORRELL. Are there any questions? LIBRARY BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS, STRUCTURAL AND MECHANICAL CARE |