Optimism and fear surround Hart Senate Office Building reopening, three months after anthrax attack

by John Heilprin
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Senators and staff returned yesterday to an office building shut for three months by anthrax contamination. "I go in with confidence and a prayer," Sen. Joseph Lieberman said.

That mix of caution and optimism was typical for the politicians and employees reclaiming the nine-story Hart building, home to offices of half of the 100 senators.

"I feel completely safe," said Sen. Majority Leader Tom Daschle, whose Hart office received the anthrax-laden letter that spurred the building's shutdown Oct. 17.

Speaking to reporters after visiting staff in his new, temporary office, Daschle said: "It's good to be back. It's good to be confident that we can return to normalcy."

Daschle, D-S.D., won't be able to return to his real office - where the letter was opened Oct. 15 - until the carpeting and furniture are replaced, which is expected to take until mid-March.

The reopening promised something Sharon Davis, a cashier at Hart Sundry, hasn't seen for a while: a steady flow of customers into her store located about 50 feet from the plywood barrier separating her corridor from the Hart building.

"I was a little antsy about coming in here - you didn't know what the situation was and you still don't," Davis said. She felt the same in late October when the store reopened after a few weeks of being closed.

Added Lieberman, D-Conn., "Life has its risks, and I think they've tried to reduce them as much as humanly possible."

The building's reopening marked a major step in Congress' return to normalcy following a tumultuo