Accomack Board hears report on planned construction projects

By Linda Cicoira

Deputy Administrator Stewart Hall discussed major local government construction plans with the Accomack Board of Supervisors Wednesday night including a $700,000 undertaking to remodel the former library in Accomac for county administrative offices.

Initially, the supervisors wanted Accomack County Public School’s central office staff to move there after the new library opened in Parksley last year. Now the school division is preparing to renovate the former Accomac Primary School building for office space. Meanwhile, both county and school leaders continue to work on the overcrowded second floor of the administration building.

County Administrator Mike Mason said, “The preliminary plan (for the former library) is for Planning, Zoning, and Environmental Programs to move there once the building is fully renovated. Additional funding is needed,” he said. Mason did not say how much more money would be requested or how the other offices would expand in the main building once the move is made.

The plan for the old library includes repairing and replacing the roof, masonry work, HVAC, and remodeling the interior into offices. Work is anticipated to be advertised in February or March.

Hall said, “Right now a lot of landscaping and security lighting has been erected,” at the old library. “The reading room would be a nice conference room.”

Hall said the original estimate to renovate the structure was $1 million. “We’ll certainly do the best that we can. We’re doing it in stages … “This building,” he said of the administration office complex ” is slam-full.”

At the county airport, a project includes the construction of a paved taxiway and aircraft holding area at the north end of the runway in Melfa. The total cost is $1,364,600 including $27,292 in local funds. Construction is slated to begin in March.

Another airport project received state funding of $2.6 million and is directed through Virginia Space. It involves an 80-by-100-foot hangar for aircraft storage, maintenance, and or assembly and will be erected south of the existing terminal.

Parking lots at the administrative building, the social services office, the 911 center, the Grangeville Convenience Center, and the county garage will be milled and repaved for an estimated $800,800. Bids are expected to be accepted in the spring.

Nearly $155,000 will be spent on a new apron and stone road with a security gate and fencing at Sawmill Park. That project should begin in March.

At Ann’s Cove, the concrete ramp will be replaced in the existing footprint, and repairs to the bulkhead are planned for $224,714. Construction is anticipated to start in February or March.

At Johnson’s Wharf, a wooden drive-on dock will be replaced at an estimated $318,000. The project is in the design and permitting phase and is expected to begin in the summer or fall. Hall said commercial enterprises will be permitted to tie up or moor at nearby areas during construction. “We’ll make accommodations,” he said.

Renovations to parking at the Greenbackville Harbor include constructing a stone area on the recently acquired property with concrete parking stalls, stormwater features, and a picnic area. The project is currently in the design phase. Construction is estimated at $275,000 and is expected to begin in the fall.