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Venture Architects: Richland County campus needs millions in repairs; options range from targeted fixes to $69.5M rebuild
Summary
Venture Architects reported widespread deferred maintenance across Richland County's campus buildings, estimating building-specific deferred-maintenance and renovation costs and recommending a space-needs analysis and near-term winterization steps. The committee set follow-ups and a board update.
Venture Architects told the Richland County Campus Reconfiguration Committee that a countywide facility assessment found extensive deferred maintenance and several buildings with limited reuse potential without substantial renovation.
Kyle of Venture Architects said the assessment used interdisciplinary reviews and a condition-rating dashboard to assign costs and priorities. "Our feeling is that building has the greatest potential right now for reuse for the county," he said of the building identified as a strong candidate for repurposing, while noting other buildings are technically and physically constrained by their original uses.
The consultant summarized key findings: roughly 38 percent of assessed assets were rated "fair," while only about 28 percent were rated "good"; many mechanical systems had been replaced with residential equipment that is now at end of life; single-pane aluminum windows and asbestos-era floor adhesives or tile were common across the campus; and ADA upgrades for restrooms and circulation would in several cases require building additions rather than modest repairs.
The presentation included several building-level cost estimates supplied by the consulting team. Building B (structurally divided by load-bearing masonry walls) carried an identified deferred-maintenance estimate of $632,000 and a full renovation budget estimate of about $3,500,000. The gymnasium building's deferred-maintenance estimate was reported near $1,810,000, with a like-for-like replacement estimated at about $9.7 million. For the courthouse/sheriff/jail complex, the team estimated a greenfield replacement cost of about $69.5 million; renovation scenarios addressing jail classification requirements (DOC 350), courtroom guidance (SCR 68), ADA access and elevators were discussed with a renovation cost figure reported at about $54.5 million.
The consultant emphasized code and accessibility impacts on costs: while minimum fixture counts met the 2015 International Building Code in place today, restroom layouts and newer turning-radius expectations in later codes would drive significant renovation scope in some historic buildings.
Supervisors asked for clarification on line-item assumptions after some deferred-maintenance estimates were revised following engineering follow-ups; the consultant agreed to verify remaining-life assumptions and specific mechanical-cost entries with the engineering team.
Why it matters: the assessment frames a near-term decision set for the county: winterization and operations (heat/water options), whether to invest in targeted deferred-maintenance to buy 10—15 years of life, or to pursue larger renovation or replacement options that would require substantially larger capital investments and board-level decisions.
Next steps: the committee asked for a focused space-needs analysis and invited department heads to the next meeting so the consultant can produce prioritized reuse scenarios; staff will bring a fuller briefing to the November county board meeting. The committee also requested engineering follow-up to advise short-term winterization (boiler/mechanical) choices.
