How's this for pressure? A visit by Sen. Richard Lugar, Rep. David Obey and 18 of their peers in Congress to decide whether you will get the money you need to renovate a major building. And the building in question is no ordinary facility. It's the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building, a historic 1881 structure that was the original home of the National Museum.
That's the situation Nancy Bechtol, a panelist in the FM Workforce session at NFM&T, found herself in yesterday. Bechtol is the director of the Office of Facilities Management and Reliability at the Smithsonian, where she manages all facilities needs for 18 museums and research centers.
The Arts and Industries Building is currently in need of renovation and is closed to the public. Congress has already allocated $75 million for the work, money spent on repairs and restoration of the exterior of the ornate, high-Victorian-style structure. But for the building to be reopened, it will take another $200 million to get the inside of the building in shape. That request is what brought the Capitol Hill delegation to the Arts and Industries Building yesterday. They wanted Nancy Bechtol to take them through the building and show them why the money is needed.
Rule #1 in a situation like that might be this: Don't get nervous. So what did Bechtol do before the big meeting? She participated in an early morning session at NFM&T, then shot back from Baltimore, where NFM&T is held, to the meeting in Washington, D.C. That's being cool under pressure.