COURTLAND

Representatives from Moseley Architects will present on the next steps for the renovation of the Southampton County Courthouse during the county’s Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday.

According to the board’s agenda, their presentation will summarize all planning work to date; the conceptual plan “Option 2,” endorsed by the Courthouse Planning Committee; “Option 2A,” the reduced scope project rejected by the courts; Moseley’s experience with projects that have proceeded under court order; various procurement and delivery methods available to local governments and options for next steps.

They will also present a proposal to proceed with confirmation of the program and conceptual design endorsed by the Courthouse Planning Committee for $8,600. This involves additional on-site meetings with individual members of the board, as well as other project stakeholders to confirm the conceptual plan for Option 2. Should these meetings result in substantial requested modification to the program design or conceptual plan, Moseley has agreed to provide additional services on an hourly basis, not to exceed $10,000. The total contract for basic and additional services, if necessary, is $18,600.

Also on the agenda for the night is a request by the Town of Courtland for Southampton County to share in the preliminary costs associated with the town’s pursuit of a designated historic district within its borders.

According to background information included in the board’s agenda, Courtland Mayor Danny Williams sent a letter to County Administrator Mike Johnson on Nov. 14 on behalf of the town’s council, requesting financial assistance with the cost of a historic resources survey and inventory, which the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register both require before either will grant their organization’s official recognition of a historic district. The letter estimates the cost of the survey to be between $40,000 to $50,000.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources operates a cost sharing program to assist localities in performing the required surveys, but the program is highly competitive. Proposals by municipalities must be submitted by next spring. For those communities selected, the VDHR will match the amount of money the locality is willing to commit to the project. If Courtland’s proposal is approved for the DHR’s cost-sharing program, the local share is expected to range between $20,000 to $25,000.