TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Workers were installing a permanent metal fence Friday around the Kansas governor’s mansion in Topeka as part of security upgrades at Cedar Crest.
The upgrades come after a federal Department of Homeland Security assessment of the property earlier this year.
Gov. Laura Kelly’s office said no specific threat prompted the decision to install the fence, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
The Department of Administration said the project would cost $217,000.
“The climate of civil unrest and threats towards governors in general and Governor Kelly specifically greatly influenced the recommendation of the Highway Patrol and Security Detail to make these improvements,” Will Lawrence, Kelly’s chief of staff, said in an email to the newspaper.
Previously, the mansion had a gate restricting vehicle entry but only a wooden fence encircling the property.
Lawrence said the Department of Administration and Kansas Historical Society have been involved in the security upgrades.
