The Gloucester County School Board plans to limit its designated use of the former T.C. Walker School building to government agencies, although community and other groups may apply to rent certain portions of the facility.
Board members discussed potential uses for the building after a tour on Tuesday of the former school, which was shut down in June as a cost-cutting measure and to cope with declining K-5 enrollment. Although the elementary school program at Walker was shuttered, the board wants to make education a continued focus of the building’s function.
Ultimately, the school division administration will occupy much of the building and vacate the county office spaces it now occupies. Gloucester supervisors requested the school administration relocation to free office space needed for county employees.
School administrators and staff will occupy the former administration area, media center and the front two halls of classrooms. Also, the school division technology department, now located in a small building next to Walker, will move into the former art classroom next to the gymnasium.
The board approved the relocation of local Head Start programs to the building during its July 10 meeting. The four programs will occupy the large former kindergarten classrooms, each containing a restroom, located in the newest portion of the school. That area will be closed off from the rest of the building and have its own entrance at the rear.
On Tuesday, the board tentatively gave its nod to using the classrooms closest to the cafeteria for a daytime alternative education program that would operate during the morning hours. The rooms may also be used for adult education later in the day. That area will also have its own entrance.
Gloucester Community Education will also have use of classroom space in the building, likely in the area of the auditorium and gymnasium, which will be open to community use. Gloucester Parks and Recreation will continue its use of the building for gymnastics and dance offerings.
At the suggestion of board member Kevin Smith, the display cases at the auditorium entrance will be dedicated to preserving the legacy of the former school’s namesake, Thomas Calhoun Walker.
The cafeteria will be maintained and used to provide lunch for the Head Start children. The board is considering having a small cafeteria staff to prepare midday meals available for purchase by school division and other local government employees.
The cafeteria would additionally be available for rent through the usual school division facilities use process, along with the gymnasium and auditorium.
Division superintendent Ben Kiser said the school board should consider moving its meeting place to the Walker auditorium, and that county supervisors are also contemplating moving their meetings to the former school. He said the move was to reduce wear and tear on the colonial courthouse, where both boards now regularly meet.
Head Start will move into the building in September, and the gymnasium will continue to serve the children’s gymnastics program beginning in October after some interior areas behind the gym are cleaned up and remodeled.
School division construction foreman Scott Shorland told the board that a drop ceiling with asbestos containing tiles, located above the present drop ceiling in much of the building, will be removed and electrical rewiring will be required to serve the school administration. Also, old wooden cabinetry in many classrooms in the admin area is coated with lead paint and will be removed.
“Some of the spaces will require more work than others, but we want to do it right before we relocate staff,” Kiser said. He estimated the school administration and staff will ultimately occupy 65,000 square feet of the building. He did not offer a timeline for the relocation.
The required renovations will also require funding, which the school division does not have, but Kiser believes will be forthcoming. “I think the supervisors will be receptive to giving us time and money,” he said. “The cost to make the building ready is well below what the county was looking at for providing more office space.”
The board asked Shorland to draw up a master site and renovation plan with associated costs, and is expected to make formal decisions regarding use of the building at its Aug. 14 meeting.