Seminary Hill homes slated for rehabilitation under $600,000 grant awarded to VUL

Beverly Cheagle, 66, sits on his small porch overlooking Campbell Avenue, his eyes shaded by a “Vietnam Veteran” cap.

Cheagle is a fixture in the neighborhood. He has lived on Campbell Avenue for most of his life, and his red-roofed house has been in the family for three generations.

Now that Cheagle has retired from Centra Health, he passes hours on his porch, chatting up the neighbors and waving to pedestrians.

Over the decades, though, his century-old home has fallen into disrepair. The infrastructure is rotting and the cost of making the necessary repairs is higher than tearing it down and building a new house.

That’s where the Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL) comes in.

Last year, VUL received a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to revitalize the surrounding community. As the city’s only historically black college, VUL qualified for the grant because it serves a minority population.

The area is known as Seminary Hill, a predominantly black neighborhood that straddles Campbell Avenue and includes approximately 130 homes, said Dave Evans, project manager at VUL.

“We’re excited by all the potential this area has,” Evans said.

This summer marked the beginning of the project’s construction phase — the culmination of countless hours devoted to grant writing, planning and research.

In June, construction workers demolished a house on Campbell Avenue and installed a modular home in its place.

Eight other homes are slated for rehabilitation work, without any cost to the owner. The renovations range from adding a new roof to a complete overhaul, as in the case of Cheagle’s.

“The net impact of all this is tremendous, based on all the people served,” Evans said.

If all goes as planned, Cheagle will receive a new home built on his old foundation, Evans said. Preliminary plans include a front porch, accessible by a ramp, a benefit for Cheagle, who has undergone two hip replacements.

“I’ll miss it in a way, in another way I won’t,” Cheagle said of his childhood home.

The university also is buying up vacant houses to renovate for university use or, if beyond repair, to demolish.

The most recent demolition occurred Friday when workers took down a condemned two-story house adjacent to the university’s main quad. With its shattered windows and peeling paint, the house was an eyesore and magnet for vagrants and vandalism.

The Seminary Hill neighborhood has undergone periods of prosperity and decline since the Virginia University of Lynchburg was established in 1886, said Doris Crawford, vice president of institutional advancement at VUL.

Recent years have brought some crime problems, including drug activity, Crawford said.

Even so, Cheagle believes the area is safer than it was a decade ago.

“It was more like a slum area, 10 years or longer ago,” Cheagle said. “People didn’t want to come here because there was a little drug activity.”

Cheagle credits the leadership of VUL President Ralph Reavis for the turnaround on Seminary Hill.

“I’m proud to see this man is doing something to bring something back and help the economy here,” he adds.

Tony Brown, 60, a truck driver, has lived in his century-old home on Campbell Avenue for more than 20 years.

Last week, his backyard was a construction zone as contractors hired by VUL began long overdue repairs. The grant money is funding a renovated bathroom, along with new windows, a roof and siding — free of charge.

Brown, a father of four, said he’s grateful for the renovations. He saved up money to fix up the front porch, but could not afford the bigger overhauls with more immediate bills to pay.

“I think it’s great that they’re doing this,” Brown said

The revitalization project is a win-win for the neighborhood and the university, Crawford said.

If the community’s safety and quality of life improves, VUL becomes more attractive to prospective students, she said.

The revitalization project coincides with a period of marked growth at Virginia University of Lynchburg.

On-campus enrollment has more than doubled in the past two years, with about 428 students attending last semester. The school also is expanding its reach with online degree programs.

But as the school grows, so does the demand for updated facilities. To that end, VUL launched a $5 million restoration campaign to upgrade its historic buildings.

Meanwhile, Virginia University of Lynchburg officials are in the process of applying for a second HUD grant, and could receive an additional $800,000 to continue community revitalization efforts.

“We want to be a signature part of the community over here,” Evans said. “Everything that happens here, happens around this campus. We want to take on that role of leadership and really nail it.”