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Old Millboro school facing doom or bloom
BY
CHARLES GARRATT STAFF WRITER
MILLBORO -- The decision whether to tear down all of the old Millboro school
buildings or turn them over to a developer to be renovated into apartments drew
closer this week when Bath supervisors set a public hearing on the question for
Aug. 23.
Four supervisors and 18 citizens attended a presentation by John Garland and
William Huber of Spectrum Design Monday at Millboro Elementary school.
Spectrum offered the only response to a request for proposals issued by the
county for a plan to renovate and use the old Millboro school buildings. The
school was last used in 1989 and has been largely vacant since.
The plan proposed by Spectrum calls for the county to pay to remove asbestos,
demolish and remove the low 1960s era addition in the back and turn the property
over to Spectrum.
In exchange, Spectrum would invest $1.5 million in an adaptive reuse of the
1918 and 1935 buildings and the gym. The renovation would preserve the
historically significant parts of the buildings and convert them to 18
apartments, or a combination of apartments and office space.
Garland said, "We don't want to do it unless it is nice." He said there would
be no low income or subsidized housing.
Of those who spoke after the presentation, most were opposed to converting
the buildings to apartments and preferred to have the county tear them all down
and expand the park.
Don Blanchard and his wife live diagonally across the street from the
building site. "I don't want an apartment building in my back yard," Blanchard
said.
His wife Nancy asked, "When does it stop? The county becomes the city." She
expressed concern about increased traffic.
All four supervisors attending pointed out the buildings' rapid deterioration
and the increasing cost to remove asbestos and demolish the structures.
Chairman Cliff Gilchrest said the most recent bid for asbestos abatement and
demolition totalled $675,000. The estimate is more than a year old, he said.
Gilchrest said the cost would continue to go up and the risk of someone being
injured on the property also increases the longer the county waits to act.
If the county accepts the Spectrum plan, the cost of asbestos removal and
demolition would be about $200,000 less, since most of the buildings would be
left standing, Gilchrest said.
"Something needs to be done," he said, noting only 3 percent of the voting
population in the Millboro precinct was present at the meeting.
Supervisor Stuart Hall said the county wanted "to do something that will
improve your community." He pointed out that all taxpayers in the county will
foot the bill and the Spectrum proposal will save the county several hundred
thousand dollars.
Richard Barnes, retired director of Mertz Vocational Center, said he was
originally in favor of complete demolition. But after hearing the presentation,
Barnes and his wife were in support of the proposal.
Supervisor Percy Nowlin said he was "disappointed in the turn out," at the
meeting. He had hoped to be able to better gauge the community's opinion as to
how to proceed.
Gilchrest did not ask those who spoke to identify themselves and half of
those who spoke against the proposal declined to provide their names to The
Recorder.
Jon Trees, Warm Springs district supervisor, suggested the county invest in
some signs about the hearing to post around Millboro, including the post office
and store.
Trees said, "We desperately need housing in Bath County," and added everybody
needed to attend the hearing.
Hall pointed out the board didn't come to the meeting Monday to make a
decision.
The presentation by Garland and Huber began with an overview of some projects
the company had completed. The company has won awards for historic renovation
and adaptive reuse. Projects include the Roanoke Higher EducationCenter in the
old N&W office building next to Hotel Roanoke. The O. Winston Link Museum in
the old passenger station is another Spectrum project as is the Lincoln Theater
in downtown Marion.
Garland said he foresees the Millboro school project being another award
winner for the company.
Projects such as the Millboro school are only financially viable because of
tax credits available for preserving historic structures. The county has already
obtained historic designation for the Millboro school.
Hall said the county worked with the Millboro Ruritans to obtain the
designation in hopes of securing grants to renovate the structures.
Garland said the historic designation is an asset to a private company
because of the tax credits. A public entity such as the county government cannot
benefit from the tax credit program.
According to Garland, the state will give a 25 percent tax credit and the
federal government 20 percent of the total amount spent on renovation for as
long as 20 years.
For a project in Bath County Garland said, tax credits are the only way to
make it economically feasible. Rent rates will be in the $500 to $600 range,
Garland said, consistent with the current market in the county.
The apartments planned for the buildings will be "upscale," said Garland. He
expects to attract professionals in the school system, The Homestead and The
Homestead Preserve as well as people retiring to the county from the city.
Garland noted some professionals working in Bath already commute from
Lexington and Covington. He thinks the complex in Millboro could reverse that
trend with people working in Lexington and Covington commuting home to Millboro.
"It couldn't be a more ideal setting," said Garland of the Millboro school.
He sees the quiet community and location with the pool and park behind the site
as an asset.
To qualify for the tax credits, the renovation must preserve substantial
parts of the historic architecture, Garland explained. "We will keep the floors,
plaster, windows," he said.
But Garland stressed that Spectrum would not pursue the project if the
community was against it. "If it is something the community doesn't want, we'll
go some other place," he said.
Spectrum found out about the Millboro buildings while working on the county's
E-911 project. It made a proposal to the county which led to the county issuing
an request for proposals.
Hall pointed out the request was open to anyone but only one proposal was
received. He said three or four others inquired about the buildings and
inspected the property.
The Spectrum proposal calls for a total of 18 apartments in the two buildings
that will remain after the demolition of the 1960s addition. The two buildings
will appear as two, free-standing buildings.
The 1918 building will have four apartments on the first floor and four on
the second floor. The apartments will be about 700 square feet for one-bedroom
and 800 feet for two-bedroom.
The basement of the 1918 building will probably be used for tenant storage
and a common laundry area, said Garland.
The 1935 building may contain a mix of apartments and office space. Using
part of the building for offices has advantages in lower interest rates and
fewer tenant problems, said Garland.
The gym presents some problems for converting into apartments, Garland added.
Since state code requires a window in every bedroom and the tall windows must be
preserved to maintain the historic character, Spectrum proposed long loft-style
apartments in the gym.
Additional parking will be added in the area where the 1960s addition is
removed and possibly on the eastern side of the gym.
Supervisors must approve the project, including finding the money to pay for
asbestos removal and demolition, no matter what decision is made for the
buildings.
A hearing is scheduled at the Millboro Elementary School for Thursday, Aug.
23 at 7 p.m.
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