A legislative committee that could get first crack at a bill to prohibit food service operations in the state Cultural Center toured the public and off-limits areas of the facility on Tuesday.

Members of the House Government Organization Committee also heard Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith and Education and the Arts Secretary Kay Goodwin insist that plans for a café/gift shop in the Culture Center are still in the preliminary stages.

"Many folks think this is an absolute done process, but we're at the beginning," Goodwin said.

"This [building] is a state treasure, and we want to keep it that way," she said. "We're only trying to improve and enhance the patrons' experience."

Committee members have a bill pending (HB4126) that not only would ban the sale of food or drink in the building, but would prohibit merging the archives library with the Library Commission lending library on the other side of the Cultural Center.

A companion bill was introduced in the Senate (SB328) and is in the Senate Government Organization Committee.

Reid-Smith said the proposal to relocate the archives library and install a café/gift shop in its space on the north side of the building is merely one possibility being considered.

More recently, administration officials have raised the idea of constructing a north atrium onto the Cultural Center - something that was apparently part of the original design for the center - to house the café/gift shop.

Reid-Smith said consultants who helped design the new $17.5 million state museum now under construction on the ground level of the Cultural Center recommended adding the amenities for visitors, once the museum opens in 2009.

"Trends around the country will show you that if you have something for people to eat, something for them to buy ... you will increase your attendance," he said of the museum.

A legislative committee that could get first crack at a bill to prohibit food service operations in the state Cultural Center toured the public and off-limits areas of the facility on Tuesday.

Members of the House Government Organization Committee also heard Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith and Education and the Arts Secretary Kay Goodwin insist that plans for a café/gift shop in the Culture Center are still in the preliminary stages.

"Many folks think this is an absolute done process, but we're at the beginning," Goodwin said.

"This [building] is a state treasure, and we want to keep it that way," she said. "We're only trying to improve and enhance the patrons' experience."

Committee members have a bill pending (HB4126) that not only would ban the sale of food or drink in the building, but would prohibit merging the archives library with the Library Commission lending library on the other side of the Cultural Center.

A companion bill was introduced in the Senate (SB328) and is in the Senate Government Organization Committee.

Reid-Smith said the proposal to relocate the archives library and install a café/gift shop in its space on the north side of the building is merely one possibility being considered.

More recently, administration officials have raised the idea of constructing a north atrium onto the Cultural Center - something that was apparently part of the original design for the center - to house the café/gift shop.

Reid-Smith said consultants who helped design the new $17.5 million state museum now under construction on the ground level of the Cultural Center recommended adding the amenities for visitors, once the museum opens in 2009.

"Trends around the country will show you that if you have something for people to eat, something for them to buy ... you will increase your attendance," he said of the museum.

However, the proposal has drawn ongoing protest from state genealogists and historians, who fear it will lead to the theft or damage of irreplaceable historical documents.

"The reason why we're here is because we've had calls and concerns from constituents from all over the state," said Delegate Sam Argento, D-Nicholas.

Government Organization Chairman Jim Morgan, D-Cabell, said Tuesday it is important that members tour the facility before taking up the Cultural Center bill.

Morgan conceded that he had never been in either the archives or lending library, let alone the archives storage areas that are off-limits to the public.

Afterward, Morgan said it may be premature to take up a bill that includes an outright ban on any food service in the facility.

"I'd like to see if there couldn't be some sort of compromise rendered," he said. "The bill as drafted is very definitive."

Morgan said it could be a mistake for the Legislature to ban food service in the Culture Center without knowing exactly what the administration's plans are for the facility.

Goodwin assured committee members that nothing will be done without the full input of the public and the Legislature.

"This will be so thoroughly vetted that people will be sick of it," she said.

To contact staff writer Phil Kabler, use e-mail or call 348-1220.