Obama Budget Has $9.9 Million To Fix Ribicoff Federal Building

President Obama's 2016 budget proposal, under construction and repair, has a nugget for Hartford: $9.9 million for renovations to the federal building and courthouse on Main Street.

The renovations would target the annex of the Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Building and Courthouse, added in 1992, and part of the massive court and federal office building just south of the Hartford Public Library.

The work would include replacing paneled granite walls, portions of the atrium and the roof necessary to prevent further deterioration caused by leaks and water damage, according to the federal General Services Administration.

The Hartford project is part of nearly $300 million sought by the GSA to renovate and better use federal buildings. Those efforts include less use of leased space, consolidation of work spaces and energy efficiency.

With Congress' support, "Americans will benefit from energy and cost-efficient public buildings ... and historic properties that are properly maintained for generations to come," said Dan Tangherlini, the GSA's administrator.

The proposal did not come with a timetable.

The annex is part of an eight-story building that houses bankruptcy court, citizenship and immigration services, the U.S. District Court for the state of Connecticut, and the offices of the federal marshals and probation.

Construction of the building was completed in 1963 and was renamed for Ribicoff in 1980. Ribicoff was Connecticut's governor, a longtime member of the U.S. Congress, and secretary of health, education and welfare in the administration of President John F. Kennedy.

As a lawyer, Ribicoff practiced in the building's courthouses, and he had an office there as a U.S. senator.

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Obama Budget Has $9.9 Million To Fix Ribicoff Federal Building