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One last time for old Millboro school
BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER
 | | Bath County board of supervisors' chairman Cliff Gilchrest hands out agendas last Thursday for the public hearing on the fate of the old Millboro school buildings. Fifty people attended the hearing on the plan by Spectrum Design to convert the buildings to apartments. No action was taken and another hearing will be held at the courthouse at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11. (Recorder photo by Charles Garratt) |
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MILLBORO - A two-hour public hearing held last Thursday to discuss the fate of the old Millboro school buildings ended with only one decision: To schedule another public hearing Sept. 11.
About 50 people filled the media center at Millboro Elementary School to hear William Huber of Spectrum Design repeat the presentation he and partner John Garland made last month to a much smaller audience. Spectrum proposes having the county demolish part of the buildings, remove the asbestos and turn the property over to Spectrum.
Spectrum will then take the 1918 building, 1930s building and gym and convert them to apartments under restrictions required to maintain the historical nature of the structures through adaptive reuse. The first floor of the 1930s building could be used for professional office space, said Huber.
A total of 18 apartments could be constructed in the buildings on the site if all the space is used for those. Huber said his firm plans to "preserve the front lawn and side lawn and mature trees." In order to take advantage of tax credits available for buildings on the historic register like the Millboro school, "the rehabilitation must be sensitive to the building architecture and preserve historically significant parts of the structure," Huber said. Spectrum would invest $1.5 million to renovate.
The buildings have been largely unused for 18 years. Chairman of the board of supervisors Cliff Gilchrest said, "We've come to the fork in the road. We need to take that fork in the road now." The three other supervisors present echoed Gilchrest's feeling the county could not wait any longer to either turn the buildings over to Spectrum or demolish them.
With either choice, the county will have to come up with some money. Supervisor Richard Byrd said the cost of removing asbestos and demolishing the buildings could run as high as $1 million. An estimate received in April 2006 from Waco, Inc. for totally removing the buildings was just under $700,000.
The county would pay to abate the asbestos in all the structures and demolish the 1965 wing and locker room additions under the proposal by Spectrum. While no specific figures were available for either option, supervisors said Spectrum's plan would cost the county $400,000 less than total demolition and put the property in private hands and thus on the tax rolls.
A number of citizens spoke in favor of the Spectrum proposal. Ellen Ford said she was "very much in favor of the project. It will enhance village life in Millboro."
Other residents expressed concerns about the nature of tenants the apartments might attract and turning county property over to private ownership. Millboro district resident Kaye May said, "I hate to see the county give up control of this property."
Millboro resident Olivia Haney questioned how the apartments would be managed and asked if there was enough demand to support the project. She, along with others who favor demolishing the buildings, expressed concern about low-income renters. Haney said she thought landlords are required to rent to anyone with a rent voucher.
Huber said he did not want low-income residents in the apartment complex. He thought landlords had a choice about being included in low-income housing programs. He agreed to research the question before the next hearing.
While this hearing had been better attended than the informational meeting last month, no new issues were raised. Supervisors Richard Byrd and Gilchrest expressed support for the Spectrum proposal as a way of saving the historic buildings and saving the county money. All four supervisors said doing something soon was most important.
County administrator Bonnie Johnson said the county could add the cost of the project to the loan obtained to renovate the high school. No matter which solution the county chooses, she said, the money for the project must be borrowed.
Supervisors will hold another public hearing at 7:30 p.m. in room 115 of the courthouse on Tuesday, Sept. 11. This will be in conjunction with the board's monthly meeting. A hearing on removing the section of the comprehensive plan on animal husbandry in residential districts is scheduled for the same evening.
Gilchrest closed the meeting saying he drove by the buildings every day for 14 years "and never really raised my voice. Doing nothing is no longer part of the equation."
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