La Plata, MD – After the Charles County Circuit Court recently validated the county’s ownership of the old Bel Alton High School, the Charles County Commissioners learned Tuesday, March 21 what will be involved in future plans for the structure.
“The initial walk-through of the building, we had discovered we will need to replace or repair 42 windows,” said Haywood Evans, Charles County director of community services. That must be done through the Maryland Historical Trust per the county’s 2016 bond field, he added.
“The HVAC equipment needs replacement or repair,” Evans noted. “There are numerous soft spots in the floor requiring further investigation. There is a musty odor throughout the building which could potentially indicate mold.”
Evans said the exterior stucco will need to be repaired, a generator purchased for the sump pump in the basement in the event of flooding and the building’s sprinkler system needs to be inspected.
The price tag for the improvements is $172,000, he added.
“This figure was not part of your CIP [Capital Improvements Projects] budget request last year, so we will have to fit that into the CIP budget for next year,” said Charles County Budget and Finance Director David Eicholtz. “That will be a challenge for you,” he warned. Eicholtz said the county typically issues a bond bill.
“We would probably do that to address what Haywood presented to you for all the items needed to repair the building,” Eicholtz said.
“What’s important for people to understand as we spend this money is that, to get this building into a condition so that we may have the opportunities to bring vendors in to help bring us some income and bring revenue into that building, we need to make these improvements,” Charles County Commissioner President Peter Murphy [D] said. “We want to bring vendors in to help offset some of this initial expense. As it is right now, we are not in a position to do this. Because it is a large figure, we are looking ahead for ways to offset this initial cost.”
Commissioner Ken Robinson [D – District 1] asked if the improvements had to be done before the county could rent out space.
“It’s difficult to work in a building when you have people working in there,” said Charles County Planning Director Bill Shreve. “Plus, there’s a musty odor, which means there’s probably some mold in there. If we could get started in early spring we might be done by next January,” he said.
Evans said the dental equipment and kitchen equipment currently in the building belongs to the county and that the Bel Alton Alumni Association will be given an opportunity to remove equipment belonging to them.
Murphy noted that as part of the settlement, the Bel Alton Alumni Association has three rooms they will have access to during normal business hours once the structure is restored and will be allowed to use the auditorium three times a year without charge.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com