THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 13, 1995 TAG: 9504130433
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
In a suggestion designed to please many, the city's staff has proposed moving the Suffolk housing authority and two other city agencies into the long-abandoned Suffolk High School building.
The move would end one controversy by bringing the housing agency nearer downtown as well as revitalize a landmark building that Suffolk residents have clamored to put back in use.
The Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority caused an uproar earlier this year when the agency bought another building without consulting the City Council. Matters were made worse when the new building was located outside of downtown Suffolk, an area the City Council is trying to revitalize with the construction of a $13 million courthouse facility.
The housing authority and the City Council later agreed to seek a downtown site, if one could be found.
The announcement, made late Wednesday, proposes to move the city health department, housing authority and social services department into the abandoned high school, located in a wooded alcove off Freemason Street.
The high school has long been a topic of discussion in Suffolk. It closed in 1990 after 68 years of operation. Since then, the structure has remained boarded up. The three-story, tapestry-brick school opened its doors in September 1922.
The council has long debated putting it back in use. In 1992, then-Councilman Andrew B. Damiani asked the city to take over the building for use as headquarters for the School Board and administrative offices.
At that time, the renovations were estimated at $1 million, to cover the cost of removing asbestos from the building and installing air conditioning and new windows. The renovations are expected to be more expensive today.
The cavernous building, filled with large rooms, grand staircases and wide hallways, has sustained several fires while vacant but there was no serious damage.
``It is architecture of a vintage that has long since passed,'' said City Manager Myles E. Standish. ``People simply don't build buildings like that anymore.''
The City Council has yet to consider the proposal. The matter is expected to be discussed with the council next week.
If the council should adopt the plan, all three agencies would be able to remain near downtown Suffolk and have ample room for their operations.
The health department is now in cramped quarters on North Main Street. The housing authority and social services are across the street from City Hall on Market Street. That building has grown too small for those agencies.
There are several caveats to the proposal, the main one being whether the old high school can be ``feasibly renovated,'' according to a city press release.
Other considerations include whether the building can be renovated in time to suit the three city agencies and whether the Paul D. Camp Community College building - which the housing authority had already bought for its new headquarters - can be resold or leased.
The city will also consider whether lease payments from the three agencies can defray a substantial portion of the renovations.
Standish said the proposed move would help the city consolidate more city services under one roof without paying for new construction.
``Overall,'' he said, ``this proposal, if we can get the timing right, might mesh very nicely with the new courts facility and potentially provide quite a bit of space, possibly for several decades, without any new construction.'' by CNB