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Contractor outlines roughly $1 million plan to renovate Leesburg Heritage Museum; commission urged to weigh parking, budget options
Summary
A contractor proposed a renovation and two‑story addition to the Leesburg Heritage Museum that would make the building ADA‑accessible and add event space. City staff and commissioners discussed funding timing, parking impacts and an alternative to relocate the museum to the nearby Center for the Arts.
Daniel De Venonzo, a contractor with Jacob E. Smith Building Company, told the Leesburg City Commission on March 24 that his firm’s estimate for renovating the Leesburg Heritage Museum would bring the building to roughly 5,000 square feet and cost about $1 million.
De Venonzo said the work would add roughly 1,000 square feet in a two‑story addition, install an ADA elevator and new restrooms, and replace interior systems. “When the building is done, it’s gonna be, right at 5,000 square feet, a little better,” he said, and added that the plans assume complete interior removal except for the floor.
Why it matters: the project would both restore a downtown historic building and create rentable event space, but it also would use substantial city or tourism‑development funds at a time when commissioners are weighing other downtown infrastructure needs, notably a long‑planned parking project.
City Manager Al framed the next step as a budget issue, saying the commission should consider the project during the fiscal‑year‑26 budget process. “I would propose to the commission for your consideration is that you consider this topic during your fiscal year 26 budget process,” he said, noting that the budget process begins in July and suggesting the city’s DST (tourism) funds as a likely source.
Commissioners and the presenter also discussed technical requirements that affect cost. When asked whether an elevator was strictly required, De Venonzo said: “If you’re going to utilize the Second Floor, you have to have an elevator. It’s an ADA requirement.” He said the price estimate includes the elevator and that the construction total works out to “just under $200 a square foot.”
Some commissioners suggested lower‑cost alternatives. One commissioner noted the nearby Center for the Arts is larger and would require less vertical accessibility work, and suggested the city consider moving the museum into that building and selling or repurposing the historic structure. The city manager said the commission could pursue that alternative but recommended that the museum topic be addressed in the upcoming budget process or brought back on a future agenda for more discussion.
Commissioners asked the museum and staff for more data before a policy decision: attendance and participation figures covering recent years and a clearer appraisal of the current building’s market value if the city were to sell or repurpose it. De Venonzo said the museum has paid for preliminary drawings and a written scope of work and proposed using an RFP process once the commission approves a budget allocation and formal scope.
What’s next: the city manager said staff will provide cost comparisons and visitor data as part of the budget discussions. Commissioners directed that the renovation remain under consideration during the fiscal‑year‑26 budget process; no formal funding decision was made at the March 24 meeting.
Ending: De Venonzo said his firm has experience with historic downtown restorations and is willing to prepare detailed bid documents if the commission directs staff to include the project in the budget cycle.
