A proposal by a state agency to build a visitors’ center with a theme of “Roads to the Capitol” has encountered a pothole on its route to the Legislature. The project was not included in Gov. Tom Vilsack’s list of budget recommendations last week.

The proposed $4.9 million project calls for renovation of the Carriage House, a historic building just north of the Capitol, into a transportation museum and visitors’ center. Located at 1025 Des Moines St. between the Jesse Parker Building and the State Historical Building, it would serve as a first stop for student groups and visitors, who would view interactive displays before touring the Capitol. The revamped building would also include space for presentations, classes and workshops for students and a lunch area.

About 36,000 students visit the Capitol each year, so a visitors’ center would provide a better staging area for school or tour groups, said Mollie Anderson, director of the Department of Administrative Services. The center’s exhibits would focus on the various ways people traveled to the Capitol over the years, as well as the “road” to becoming an elected official.

The DAS still hopes to find enough funding for initial work to begin on the project, said Mark Johnson, the department’s legislative liaison. DAS officials are pinning their hopes on a $1 million grant request to be considered next month by the Iowa Transportation Commission. To receive those funds, the department would need to come up with a 30 percent match, or $300,000, in state funds.

Without the governor’s recommendation, it’s less likely the Legislature will approve a direct appropriation for the project, Johnson said. “It will make it more difficult to find those matching dollars, but we are still going to pursue it,” he said.

The $1 million request is the largest of 14 projects recommended by Iowa Department of Transportation staff to the commission, which has $5.8 million in federal Surface Transportation Program funds to distribute for these types of enhancement projects. The commission is scheduled to consider the grant requests at its Feb. 14 meeting.

“With (the $1 million) they’ll be able to accomplish a couple of things,” said Stu Anderson, the IDOT’s director of systems planning. “They can do the planning and design work, stabilize the structure, and begin renovation of the structure.”

A structural evaluation completed in July concluded that the building was in “good condition for its age” and could be repaired while maintaining its historical significance, with a cost “much less than building a new building of the same type.”