State computer managers are beginning to plan two state-of-the-art computer buildings that should ensure that voting, tax and other vital electronic functions are im-pervious to floods, power outages -- even an earthquake.

"What we're doing is building the buildings," said Dick Clark, the state's chief information officer. "Then, in phase two, we'll have a moving plan where we move the racks and servers and tape drives into the new building in Helena. It's quite a feat."

Lawmakers in the 2007 Legislature set aside $14.5 million to construct the new buildings. One will be located in Helena, likely near the state Department of Transportation offices, which is just east of Interstate 15.

The second building will be in eastern Montana, either Billings, Forsyth or Miles City.

Officials hope to have both buildings completed and the computers moved into them by 2010.

The second building will house only the most vital computer applications, Clark said, and will function as a twin of the first.

That way, if one computer ever went down, the other could seamlessly take over, said state Budget Director David Ewer. The two computers would be copies of each other, he said.

Helena is in an earthquake zone and it's important for state computer systems to function should an earthquake, or any other disaster, befall the Capital City, Ewer said.

With one copy of the state computers far away from Helena, it increases the odds that a power outage, flood or some other catastrophe will not sink both buildings at the same time.

Most of the state's main computers currently are in the basement of a 55-year-old cement building across the street from the Capitol. Largely because the building was never intended to hold such volumes of computer hardware, it has many problems, Ewer said.

The new buildings, Clark said, will be designed specifically to house computer hardware for up to 50 years. They will include elements of both physical and cyber-security, including closed-circuit television cameras, limited points of entry, two different power units and ways to prevent water from coming into contact with the electronics.

Importantly, Clark said, the buildings will be well air-conditioned.

"These babies run hot," he said. "If they get too hot, everything shuts down. It's always a constant battle to make sure your building has enough air conditioning."

The current building does not have good air conditioning, evidenced by the air-condition units hanging from almost every window.

Neither of the new buildings will house much staff. Most of the Helena staff will stay in their current offices, said Mike Boyer, enterprises project director in the state's Department of Information Technology. The eastern Montana location will employ perhaps one or two staff members, with most of the technical support coming from Helena.

"They don't have to be physically present," he said.

Boyer said the state will call a series of public meetings in Billings, Miles City and Forsyth early next year in preparation for picking where the second computer building will be located. They're the only towns that expressed interest.

Even after the buildings are completed, actually moving the computers will be complicated, Boyer said. The state has hired a consultant company that specializes in transplanting computer hardware to help with the planning.