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Montville preservation group outlines reuse plan, seeks grants and county support
Summary
Members of the Montville School Preservation Foundation described plans to convert the former school into community uses, told the board they have $23,878 in checking and cited potential grants including a $50,000 DEQ award and a possible $750,000 federal grant pending Congressional budget action.
Representatives of the Montville School Preservation Foundation asked the Bedford County Board of Supervisors during the citizen-comment period to support efforts to save and reuse the Montville school building for community activities, daycare, a farmers market and small businesses.
Roger Jones, co-chair of the Montville School Preservation Foundation, described interest from potential tenants including daycare operators, a barber and food businesses. Jones said the foundation has $23,878 in its checking account from events and donations and currently rents one space for regular meetings. He described two near-term engineering tasks: an upcoming structural roof study being performed by a Lynchburg firm and a previously estimated full roof replacement at about $550,000.
Jones said the foundation had been told the county had received $50,000 in Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) funds that could be used as a match when permits and contractors are in place. He also reported an indication from Senator Mark Warner’s office of a possible grant of “$750,000 plus” pending final Congressional budget approval; Jones and the foundation emphasized that federal funds were not yet guaranteed.
The group emphasized that reusing the building could provide daycare in an area where the preservation group said none exists between Bedford and Bonsack. Jones said the foundation planned to secure letters of intent from prospective tenants once the project’s next steps and permitting path are clearer.
Separately, the board later convened a closed session that the county administrator described as discussion of a lease for the former Montvale elementary school. After the closed session the board certified the closed meeting; the public record in the meeting transcript does not disclose lease terms or whether a lease was executed.
Why it matters: The foundation’s proposal ties historic preservation to community services and economic development; if grants and county cooperation align, the project could produce local daycare, market space and small-business storefronts.
