La Plata moves toward phased reopening of firehouse as town museum

La PlataHistoric Preservation Commission members on a recent meeting discussed a feasibility study and a phased plan to restore the townfirehouse and reopen it as the "La Plata Town Museum," possibly with a limited "soft opening" later this year.

The feasibility study, prepared by Lisa Holmes through her company (listed in the report as Aldi Homes Architect Corporation), identified mold and other environmental issues in the single-story section, multiple ADA-access challenges and a range of construction and design options. Commission volunteer Ron Rosenthal, who is leading renovation planning, summarized the townconsultantfindings and urged a phased approach: a limited cleanup and reopening of the two-story portion first, followed by more extensive work on the one-story/community-room side.

Why it matters: the firehouse sits on town-owned property but currently operates under a use and occupancy arrangement tied to the Southern Maryland Firemen's Association; the building houses community artifacts, a garden area used by local groups, and limited on-site parking. The project affects public access, ADA compliance and town budgets, and will require coordination among the commission, town staff, the volunteer fire association and private property owners near the site.

Most important facts

- Feasibility study: The commission reported preliminary cost lines in the consultantmaterials. The study listed about $55,000 of items tied to the one-story "community room" options and roughly $43,000 of items for the two-story museum portion; commissioners described those figures as preliminary and said many line items could be reduced when the commission chooses specific options.

- Phased plan and soft opening: Rosenthal and others recommended a two-phase strategy: (1) a quick, limited "soft opening" focused on the two-story side using existing use permissions and volunteer labor for cleaning, painting and minimal display work; (2) a longer-term, fully ADA-compliant build-out tying the single-story community room and the museum into one cohesive site. Rosenthal said it "could conceivably be done by November if we if we get aggressive and we get the volunteer work that needs to be done and we can get a small amount of money" (Rosenthal).

- Accessibility and building work: The consultant reviewed multiple ADA options. One recommended approach for the one-story side was cutting an entrance at the rear of the building to allow a ramp and restroom access while minimizing front-facing alterations. Commissioners also discussed alternatives to installing a full elevator for second-floor access, including a virtual display and other mitigations.

- Environmental and safety concerns: The architect flagged a "significant amount of mold" in the one-story section, and commissioners stressed the need for lead-paint and asbestos testing before any interior work. Commission and staff repeatedly recommended bringing in a qualified building inspector and hazardous-materials tester before construction begins.

- Ownership, permits and operations: Town staff said the deed to the property is held by the town, but the existing use-and-occupancy permit is recorded under the Southern Maryland Firemen's Association. Commissioners asked staff to investigate whether that permit can continue to be used for a soft opening, whether the permit can be transferred, and what formal agreements would be required if volunteers or non-fire-association personnel staff the museum.

- Parking and access: Town planning staff cautioned that changing a buildinguse to a museum will trigger parking requirements under town code. Don Dooley (planning director) said, "you're going to have to provide parking if you're changing the use fundamentally ... to a museum" and offered to research reciprocal-parking rules and variance routes that could apply (Dooley). The feasibility study noted limited on-site parking and adjacent privately owned spaces.

- Funding and partnerships: Commission members agreed the project will require external funding in addition to the Historic Preservation Commissionannual operating allotment (historically about $5,000). Members discussed an $8,100 request in the current budget cycle and pursuing corporate gifts and grants; one commissioner suggested outreach to the local utility, SMECO, for possible contributions toward HVAC or electrical upgrades, saying "we should talk to SMECO and see if they'll donate" (Rich Gilpin).

What commissioners decided or directed

- Discussion/direction: Commissioners asked staff to circulate the consultant's full report and cost slides and identified the near-term tasks: (1) produce a refined scope and a materials budget for a limited soft opening; (2) arrange environmental and hazardous-material testing; (3) research use-and-occupancy options and any required agreements with the Southern Maryland Firemen's Association; (4) investigate parking-code implications and reciprocal-parking or variance options; (5) sketch a volunteer-versus-contractor work plan.

- No formal votes: The commission did not adopt a binding budget appropriation or award contracts at the meeting; members expressed general support for a phased approach and a soft opening concept but made no final funding decisions.

Details and context

- Building history and condition: Members traced the sitehistory: an original two-story firehouse built circa the late 1920s with a later single-story lean-to replaced by a cinder-block structure in 1992 (the consultant's report mistakenly listed 1972; participants corrected the date). The two portions are separated internally by a cinder-block wall; the one-story side shows more acute environmental issues.

- ADA trade-offs: Commissioners discussed several ADA-compliance options the architect presented, including adding ramps through rear entries, altering thresholds, and potential external lifts. Several members preferred minimizing exterior changes and using a rear entry plus interior adjustments to avoid costly elevators. Because drainage flows toward the building in some corners, commissioners agreed to seek engineering advice about French drains or low retaining walls if thresholds are lowered.

- Operations: The two-story area houses many of the historical fire artifacts and could remain the primary fire-related display. The town and volunteers discussed whether the volunteer fire association's liability coverage, staffing expectations and memoranda of understanding should be formalized before public openings.

- Next steps and timeline: Staff will distribute the full feasibility report and cost estimate. The commission expects to refine a materials budget for a soft opening and to identify likely volunteer labor vs. paid work. Commissioners discussed an aggressive timeline for a limited reopening in fall if testing, permissions and modest funding align.

Quotes

"It could conceivably be done by November if we if we get aggressive and we get the volunteer work that needs to be done and we can get a small amount of money," said Ron Rosenthal, the volunteer leading planning for the firehouse renovation.

"You're going to have to provide parking if you're changing the use fundamentally ... to a museum," said Don Dooley, planning director for the town of La Plata, who agreed to review town code on reciprocal parking and variance paths.

"We should talk to SMECO and see if they'll donate towards whatever we wanna do and actually come up with a theme for the town," Rich Gilpin, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, said when discussing possible corporate partners.

Ending

Commissioners asked staff to circulate the architect's full feasibility report and cost slides and to return with a short list of near-term tasks and an initial materials budget for a soft opening. They emphasized environmental testing and parking research before committing town funds or signing agreements with outside groups.