Scrabble School restoration attracts keen interest from contractors; work could begin in August
Ten construction contracting firms sent representatives Monday to a pre-bid conference on the county’s plans to restore the historic Scrabble School building for use as the county’s Senior Center and a heritage site commemorating African-American history.
County Administrator John McCarthy briefed the contractors interested in the job, which will attempt to restore the building to a state close to that when it was used from the 1920s to the 1960s as a school for black children in the era of school segregation in Virginia.
The project, which is budgeted at $544,000 in the county budget for the year beginning July 1, is financed almost entirely by grant money from the state and private foundations and donors. The county will provide some infrastructure for the project, including well and septic system.
“I’m very pleased with the turnout today,” McCarthy said as the contractors looked over the old building, which has been vacant for more than 20 years. The high level of interest by potential bidders indicates the county may be putting out the job for bid at a favorable time. More contractors are eager for additional work this year because of a general downturn in construction activity.
The deadline for bids on the project is July 3. McCarthy said he will ask the Board of Supervisors to schedule a special meeting in July to award the contract, and that work could start some time in August, with an expectation that the job would be completed in about four months.
Scrabble School is located in the southern part of the county near the intersection of Route 522 and Scrabble Road. The county’s Senior Center plans to move its program to provide meals and a gathering place for senior citizens to the Scrabble School site, which also will hold historic memorabilia commemorating its past as a school.
The restoration project has been spearheaded by the Scrabble School Foundation, a nonprofit organization made up of alumni of the school and other interested citizens who led a drive to save the building from demolition.
-- James P. Gannon
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