2762

VETOES

Maryland Historical Trust obtaining federal funds

and contingent on the owners of the mill [[proprty]]
property executing a preservation easement and
maintenance covenant on the bridge and its abutments
(Baltimore City)........................ 55,000"

My reasons for vetoeing these items are as follows:

(1)    With respect to Item (A) (1) (a), this
appropriates $115,000 to supplement a prior appropriation
to prepare preliminary plans and specifications for a
State Archives Building. An amendment was added to the
appropriation, however, to require that the plans be so
prepared as to locate the building at a site other than
the State Office Complex in downtown Annapolis.

The State Archives building is presently located on
the campus of St. John's College, an ideal location from
the point of view of convenience to the Legislature and
the Executive agencies. Unfortunately, there is a need
for more space; hence the appropriations referred to in
and supplemented by this item. Originally, the thought
was to expand the existing facility, but permission to do
this was denied by the College. The next best
alternative is to build a new building in close proximity
to the existing one. This would serve the three purposes
of (1) allowing the existing building to be used in
conjunction with the new one, (2) because of the
continued use of the existing building, allowing the new
building to be smaller and therefore less expensive than
if a complete new structure had to be built to house all
of the records, and (3) keeping the archives within
convenient proximity to the agencies most needing them.

The condition attached to the appropriation would
require the abandonment of the existing facility (which
would then revert to the College) , since it would not be
administratively feasible to operate the existing
facility together with a building outside the State
Office Complex. This new building, as noted, would have
to be much larger and more expensive than is presently
planned or than is necessary. Although I appreciate the
concern over placing too many new buildings in the
Complex, I think that this condition is both unwise and
unnecessary.

(2)    With respect to Item (A) (1) (e), this
appropriates $72,500 for the design and renovation of the
Old Armory Building on Bladen Street in Annapolis. No
plans describing the proposed renovation have been
submitted for review by the Department of State Planning;
no particular use for the building has been agreed upon;
and the continued existence of the building is totally
inconsistent with the master plan for the Statehouse
area.