Henry County seeks sign-off on $1 million for Fieldale Recreation Center renovations

Henry County this week will continue the process of convincing state officials to sign off on $1 million in renovation funding for the Fieldale Recreation Center.

On Friday, the county administrator will submit a request to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development for access to $1 million that has been earmarked for renovations to the center.

The renovations, according to county grant administrator Cindy Adams, would include work such as adding Americans with Disability Act accessibility features, updating the building’s security system, repairing doors and windows and constructing bathrooms.

The planned renovations would be the first for the building, which was constructed in the early 1900s. The facility began life as a mill before later becoming a community center.

In 2020, county officials started the process of renovating the center. It started, Adams said, with a feasibility study funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Soon after, the county sought a number of grants to help pay for the renovation project. First was an ARC grant totaling $500,000, which covered about a third of the project’s $1.5 million estimated cost. In 2022, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development awarded $1 million toward the project, with a caveat: A study gauging the site’s environmental impact was a prerequisite to receiving the funds, and remained one of the project’s bottlenecks.

Adams said the environmental review was a monthslong process.

The review detailed a number of findings but found no concerns that would keep the renovation from moving forward. The review also specifies findings on environmental justice and the project’s lack of an impact on adjacent communities.

Now that the county believes it is done with the review, it wants to move forward with the renovations. If approved, funds will be allocated piecemeal.

Anyone with concerns about the project after funds are released to the county can make a written appeal by June 8 to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, 600 E. Main St., Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23219-2430.

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