State House green copper on dome may become art, souvenirs

David Boulter, executive director of the Legislative Council, told the Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/1p8VLNZ ) a number of people have asked about how to get the copper, ranging from artists and jewelers to ordinary citizens who want a souvenir.

Most of the 7,000 square feet of copper will be sold to offset the project’s cost, but lawmakers on the council voted Monday to have the facilities committee decide what to do with the metal and whether to set aside more of it for something besides salvage.

Removal and replacement of the dome’s copper is expected to begin next month and be finished by late October.

: Workmen Friday begin to set the staging they will use as they set out to repair the State House dome in Augusta. Crews are setting staging around the dome and later this year will refurbish the dome’s roof with a new copper. The repair job will change the color of the dome for up to 30 years until the new copper oxidizes and turns green. When it’s first repaired the dome’s roof will be a shiny copper color.