GREENVILLE — This time two years ago, the verdict on the Bobby Pearse Community Center was clear: demolition.
Too dated to repair for the right cost. Too expensive to replace outright.
It's one of the small, quaint jewels of the North Main Community, a community gathering spot at the edge of North Main Rotary Park for close to half a century, home to popular after-school and summer programs.
And one that the neighborhood wouldn't easily part with.
The center, named after a Greenville World War II veteran, has sat dormant, covered with a tarp ever since a tree pierced its roof during a storm three springs ago — but now demolition is no longer its fate.
In an about-face more than two years in the making, the city has decided to reverse course and renovate the building, constructed in 1972 out of concrete block.
The decision rested on two factors: Finding a cheaper way to rehabilitate the building while also agreeing that, in the end, it wouldn't be terribly cheap to pull off.
The cost: $486,217.
City Councilman John DeWorken, who represents the North Main area and joined the council a year ago, said that movement on rebuilding the center should have come much sooner, particularly given how vibrant it is for after-school programs with Stone Academy nearby.
The council has given initial and will likely take a final vote next week.
"It's a long time coming that it's moving forward," DeWorken said.
A tarp rests atop the roof of the Bobby Pearse Community Center, which has been dormant since a tree tore through in May 2018. January 16, 2021.
In May 2018, a storm felled a large tree onto the center's roof, piercing through and opening the way for extensive water damage. After-school activities were moved from the 35-person-capacity center to the Sears Shelter at McPherson Park.
Bobby Pearse has been closed ever since.
The city discovered asbestos and found that water and structural damage was so extensive that demolition was the only option. At the same time, the cost to replace was estimated to be between $600,000 to $900,000.
The 2,644-square-foot center was built in 1972 from community donations, chief of which came from Pearse's mother.
In 1944, Pearse disappeared in France during World War II and was later determined to be dead, according to Judy Bainbridge, a Furman University professor and Greenville historian.
The discussion over the cost to replace at the time came as council members said they needed to discuss funding for community centers across the city. Even $600,000 seemed too costly, though it's not much more than what the council has agreed upon now.
Multiple options were on the table. The center could be demolished and the location left as open green space. Or perhaps much-needed restrooms only could be built.
A tree tore through the Bobby Pearse Community Center in May 2018.
The North Main community within weeks organized, gathered information and made the case to keep the center open.
In the end, the center will be rebuilt with restrooms designed so that they will be available to the public whether the city is open or not.
Florida-based MHK Architecture, which has an office in Greenville, donated architectural drawings at no cost.
This past March, the city completed interior demolition and removal of asbestos, and awarded a $359,982 bid to Satchel Construction, which both came in the lowest and meets a city goal of providing a portion of contract work from minority and women-owned businesses.
Construction will begin in the coming weeks, and Megan Young, the city's building and projects manager, said the hope is to have the center complete in time for return before the new school year begins in August.
"course" - Google News
January 18, 2021 at 07:00PM
https://ift.tt/2Nh10Cg
North Main community's Bobby Pearse Center will survive after city reverses course - Charleston Post Courier
"course" - Google News
https://ift.tt/35q9ps5
https://ift.tt/35rCFi1
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "North Main community's Bobby Pearse Center will survive after city reverses course - Charleston Post Courier"
Post a Comment