NASHVILLE Sometimes a mop sink is just a mop sink.
Building managers and legislative staffers have sought to reassure some concerned Tennessee lawmakers that recent renovations at the state Capitol did not install special facilities for Muslims to wash their feet before praying.
I confirmed with the facility administrator for the State Capitol Complex that the floor-level sink installed in the mens restroom outside the House Chamber is for housekeeping use, Legislative Administration Director Connie Ridley wrote in an email. It is, in laymans terms, a mop sink.
The nearly $16 million renovation completed in December focused on upgrading electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems in the more than 150-year-old Capitol. Parts of the building also got new carpets, paint and security upgrades.
Senate Clerk Russell Humphrey said he had been approached by a House and Senate member to inquire about the sink, which replaced a utility sink that had been mounted higher on the wall and was used for filling and emptying buckets.
There was concern about why it had been modified, said Humphrey, who declined to identify the lawmakers or elaborate on their concerns.
I certainly wouldnt want to quote a member inaccurately about what they may or may not have said, he said.
Republican Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, confirmed that he had spoken to Humphrey about whether there were religious reasons for the new sink after the issue was raised by Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma.
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