OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — There are growing questions around resurrected plans for a new governor’s mansion.

The home would be built on the grounds of where the current one stands.

We were the first to tell you about secret plans for a new governor’s mansion back in 2022.

We also told you Gov. Kevin Stitt doesn’t live in the current mansion and called it “uninhabitable”.

Plans for a first family residence are in the works again.

The renewed idea for a new First Family Residence was brought to light at a state commission meeting earlier this month.

The same board met again Monday afternoon, but the board was left with more questions than answers.

“Why can’t we wait until we have more information before we vote on this? What’s the point of like, what’s the rush in voting on this today, instead of waiting to hear more information as the commission,” Hunter Zearly, State Capitol Preservation Commission Member said.

“There is no rush, then we get to ask for those things,” Duane Mass, Capitol Architect and Curator said.

Mass approached the board Monday afternoon seeking approval of a concept for a new governor’s mansion, but they raised plenty of questions and concerns.

“This may happen, this may not happen,” Mass said. “All I ask is, do you support the idea of it? That’s all I’m asking.”

Board members thought they were only voting on whether to approve the idea to build a First Family home on the grounds of the current governor’s mansion.

However, it turns out that wasn’t the case.

“Looking at the wording on the agenda as your attorney, it says the approving of conceptual renderings. That is all that can happen today. You can’t approve an idea of whether or not to put another building there as the governors residence. Today, all you are allowed to do is to take action on approving the conceptual renderings that was presented.”

“To that point is my concern because I like the concept, but I don’t like the rendering,” Ryan Overholt, State Capitol Preservation Commission Member said. “So, if I’m voting on the rendering today, then I’m a no vote.”

The uncertainty from board members didn’t end there.

“Why and why now? What what caused this to come up now? And if we don’t know who hired the architect, we don’t know how this happened. It just got on our agenda. So, I’m a little confused about that,” Becky Gooch, State Capitol Preservation Commission Member said.

Gooch also said she was confused as to why only one board member has been kept in the know.

Something else bothering board members is why they haven’t heard from the architect, listed in a previous meeting as Allford Hall Monaghan Morris; and how did these renderings come about?

“What would be the issue with us waiting until the architect who did this to answer our questions, come to the next commission meeting before we vote on this,” Zearly asked “I feel more positive about this if I had some more answers about this.”

“I had just automatically assumed they would be here today, I must apologize,” Mass said. This is one project I’m not personally involved with, and though I like the idea of the project, I only know it from the periphery.”

After the back and forth, Zearly tried postponing the vote, but commissioners voted against that, 7 to 4.

Ultimately, the commission voted 8 to 3 to approve the conceptual renderings, adding they’re subject to change.

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The board’s chair hopes future meetings will be more transparent.

“I think going forward, it is very, very important to the public and to those that are very concerned that this process continues in a very positive way and that there is openness on every part of this moving forward,” Nancy Leonard, State Capitol Preservation Commission Chair said. “Hopefully the architect can come, the donors will be able to come and more information will be given on this whole project.”

We reached out to the architecture firm about the project, as well as the governors office for a donor list but haven’t heard back from either.

We also filed an open records request for the donor list and communications surrounding the project, but have yet to receive that.