PIERRE, S.D. (John Hult / South Dakota Searchlight) – Repairs to water-damaged, cracking plaster at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre will be complete by the time lawmakers convene in the building for the 2026 legislative session in January.

Darin Seeley, commissioner of the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration, told lawmakers Tuesday on the Joint Appropriations Committee that the fixes are the first phase of a three-phase restoration effort.

The money for the current work came from a $3 million pool of funds approved by legislators earlier this year.

Once the plaster repairs are complete in the hallways and the galleries of the Senate and House of Representatives, second phase work can begin with repairs to the Rotunda. That work is set to begin after the 2026 session’s March conclusion, and is expected to be complete by November.

The third phase won’t repair a thing, at least not right away. Seeley told the committee that his agency plans to spend about $780,000 to hire a consultant for a comprehensive needs analysis meant to identify issues across the whole of the Capitol complex.

The building’s communications infrastructure needs an upgrade, Seeley said, as part of a “multi-year, multi-phase restoration of this building.”

“There is a lot of work that needs to be done for two reasons,” Seeley said. “One, to make the Capitol as beautiful as it can be, but more importantly, to bring it up to modern standards in relationship to electrical codes, plumbing and then usability of the space.”

When a committee of legislators asked Seeley in August to guess what a full Capitol restoration might cost, he said “we’re talking probably between $150 million and $200 million.” The building hasn’t undergone a full restoration in about four decades. Its construction was completed in 1910.