More than eight months after shuttering the Altavista Armory, Campbell County will purchase the building from the state and transfer it to the town. The move was approved unanimously during Monday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
The county will pay $213,000 for the property, which needs between $500,000 and $1 million in repairs to bring it into “top condition,” said county public works director Clif Tweedy. The money to pay for it will come out of the undesignated fund and closing is expected within 60 to 90 days.
During a February meeting, Altavista Town Council agreed to take ownership of the property in its current condition as well as operate and maintain it, county administrator David Laurrell said. The heating system needs to be replaced and the roof leaks.
The armory was shuttered in December after supervisors said they did not want to sink any more money into a decaying property not owned by the county. The 13,000 square-foot building is located in a residential neighborhood and was used by community groups for recreation and senior health services. “Now that the air is clear, there will probably be people coming out of the woodwork wanting to use it,” said Altavista District Supervisor Stan Goldsmith.
The armory was built in 1959 to house a National Guard unit. Supervisors at the time said they didn’t want the building, so the board had the state take out a clause reverting the building back to county ownership after 30 years, Laurrell said. After the guard unit was decommissioned in 1995, the county tried to purchase the property but negotiations kept going in circles, he said. The county maintained the building until December 2008, doing the bare minimum of work needed for upkeep.
As part of the transfer agreement, the county can use the armory for special events without cost, but will pay the going rate for regular usage or events.
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