Richland County committee recommends mothballing two campus buildings after costly assessments

County officials told the Richland County Board that consultant assessments show two campus buildings have such extensive problems that repairing or reconfiguring them would be prohibitively expensive.

The board heard that water shutoff valves are leaking both inside the buildings and at the utility connection, causing moisture problems, and that asbestos was found under the library flooring. "The issues they identified in those 2 buildings add up to a lot," the chair said, adding that repair costs were reported as being "in the millions." Staff recommended closing off services to the two buildings and maintaining only minimal heat in parts (for generator/maintenance closets) to prevent freezing.

The campus reconfiguration committee also reported progress on a separate item: working with the local school district on a memorandum of understanding to allow school use of the county gym. The administrator said the insurer raised no objections and that the county would secure locker rooms and select access points.

Officials said they will inventory and preserve valuable contents this winter and address disposition options in the spring once they have more complete cost estimates and proposals. The board asked staff to coordinate with the city on utility responsibilities and to continue consulting on demolition and asbestos removal costs.

What’s next: staff will post detailed assessment reports on the county website, continue community engagement in January on facility needs, and return to the board with options for reuse, sale, or demolition.