VANNOSTRAND ARCHITECTS PLLC

29 East Main Street, Ste 4

Buckhannon, West Virginia
26201

September 10th, 2020

Mr. Matt Ford

Meadow River Valley Association
mfordwv@gmail.com
732 Main Street, Suite 1
Rainelle, WV 25962
304-646-7616

RE: Rupert Elementary School, Rupert, WV

Dear Matt,

Pursuant to your request, I traveled to Rupert, WV on January 9th to meet with you and Dave Lumsden to evaluate
the feasibility of renovating the historic Rupert Elementary School. At that visit, I took measurements of all three
floors, and also met with Scot Mitchell, CEO of the Robert C. Byrd Clinic and discussed his programmatic needs for
a new clinic. I revisited the RES site again on January 14th to complete my building measurements. Subsequently,
my firm produced “as-built” drawings of each floor (see attached drawings AB.1, AB.2, & AB.3), and met with you
and Dave again on January 28th, at your office in Lewisburg, to review them. Momentum on this project was slowed
as the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world. On April 11th, we shared with you and Scot a preliminary floor
plan for the 1st floor clinic (see attached drawing A.1). Efforts were rekindled on May 22 nd, when I joined you and
other potential team members (virtually) to discuss our separate roles with moving the project forward. Since that
time, we have produced preliminary floor plans for the 2nd and 3rd floor apartments (see attached drawing A.2). By
now, we have developed a solid understanding of the existing building conditions as well as strong reuse
recommendations. Below are our findings.

Existing Building Conditions:

1. The building is a three-story structure with no basement. The 1 st floor is partially below grade, varying
from 21 to 60 inches below the sloping grade.
2. Its use is classified as an Existing Education occupancy on all three floors. It is an historic structure that
was constructed circa 1930, with a three-story addition added to the rear of the building circa 1950. The
building may be individually eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, although it
is not currently listed.
3. Pursuant to the WV State Fire Code, its construction type classification is III(200), which means that the
existing perimeter walls are constructed of non-combustible materials that provide two-hour fire ratings,
and the existing interior floor and ceiling assemblies are constructed of combustible materials that provide
no fire ratings.
4. Each floor is approximately 7,250 gross square feet, and currently has the following occupant load:
a. 1st Floor (7 classrooms, girls and boy’s toilets): 190
b. 2nd Floor (7classrooms, offices, and boy’s toilet): 190
c. 3rd Floor (7 classrooms, offices, and girl’s toilet): 190
5. The building is constructed from brick masonry perimeter walls and load-bearing corridor walls, with wood
joisted floors, and plastered walls throughout all areas. It is notable that the 2nd and 3rd floor corridor and
toilet room floors are structural cast concrete slabs. The attic is constructed from wood framing, with both
flat membrane roofing and sloped standing seam metal roofing. Ceilings on all floors are original plaster
over wood joists, and all classrooms and offices also have modern suspended acoustical ceilings.
6. The site slopes gently upward from the front to the rear of the building, which has resulted in some
previous site construction efforts to mitigate stormwater from entering the 1 st floor.
7. The exterior masonry walls of the building are in good condition, and show no significant deterioration.
One isolated area of deterioration on the rear elevation is a result from years of storm water washing down
the exterior masonry face due to the failure of a downspout.
8. All but one of the original classroom windows have been recently replaced with modern, energy-efficient
double-hung units, that are in very good condition.
9. Each floor plan includes a front stairwell, a central corridor, and a rear stairwell. Typical classrooms and a
few offices are located along both sides of the corridor. All classrooms have large double-hung windows
located on the perimeter wall that allow ample natural light and ventilation into each space.
10. Original ceiling heights are 11’-0”.
11. Each floor of the building has had only minor interior renovations in the past, with most of the interior
spaces remaining as originally constructed.
12. No automatic fire suppression system exists.
13. Heating is provided by a hot-water boiler, located in an adjacent building on the campus, that is piped
throughout the Schoolhouse to wall-mounted radiators on the perimeter walls. No air conditioning or
ventilation system exists.
14. The electrical service to the building is fed by overhead cables on the West elevation from another building
on the campus. Original electrical panels are located inside the rear stairwell, recessed into the load-
bearing masonry wall. The electrical service was active at the time of my visit.
15. Most sanitary and supply piping is exposed to view, and is believed to be in working order.
16. A paved driveway and small parking lot lies to the South of the building, near the main entrance. A large
paved parking lot lies immediately to the North.
17. There are other buildings on the RES campus, which have not been included in this evaluation.

Building Code Requirements:

1. Modifications are needed in the existing stairs, regarding guards, handrails, and door openings.
2. A new elevator will need to be constructed to provide an ADA-compliant accessible route to the 1 st, 2nd and
3rd Floors.
3. Depending on the final use of the building, an automatic sprinkler system and fire alarm system may be
required.
4. All HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems need to be completely replaced.
Reuse Recommendations:

Health Clinic:
An existing health care business in Rupert has expressed interest in relocating to the 1 st floor of the RES. It
would be an ideal anchor tenant for the building, as well as the entire campus, as it would bring many community
members to the property on a daily basis, and would provide essential primary health care services.

Housing:
Rehabilitation of the 2nd and 3rd floors into new apartments, probably serving a senior population, would be
the most practical and likely reuse option, given the senior housing shortage across all of West Virginia’s rural
counties and the available funding opportunities for new housing units. Each floor is capable of providing six one-
bedroom units and two two-bedroom units, which would be a total of sixteen units.

Pursuing Historic Tax Credits for this project appears at this time to be a difficult path, given the significant interior
changes to the building that would be necessary to accommodate the new uses. This is especially obvious with the
proposed health clinic 1st floor plan, that calls for elimination of the central corridor.

Preliminary Project Budget:

There are many construction details to resolve before a final renovation cost can be developed. Also, the delivery
method of the construction will have a significant impact on the overall cost of the project. Specifically, if the
project is developed by a single non-profit organization, which utilizes private banks for funding, the overall costs
will be the lowest. If, however, the project is developed by a partnership of owners, who utilizes tax credits and
subsidized funds, the overall costs will be substantially higher. Without that delivery method being determined at
this time, projecting an overall construction cost is difficult. Nonetheless, I believe that the following preliminary
budget includes reasonable cost projections, given what we know at this time. These numbers anticipate the
complete renovation of all interior spaces on all three floors.

Architectural & Engineering Fee…………………………………………………………. $130,000

Vehicle Parking…………………………………………………………………………… Unknown

Site Utilities………………………………………………………………………………. $ 35,000
New Elevator (access to all floors)……………………………………………………….. $160,000
Selective Demolition……………………………………………………………………….. $ 60,000
1st Floor Interior Renovation (Clinic).……………………………………………………. $576,000
Fire Stair Upgrades……………………………………………………………………….. $ 40,000
New Automatic Sprinkler System………………………………………………………... $125,000
New Fire Alarm System………………………………………………………………….. $ 28,000
2nd Floor Interior Renovation (Housing)…………………………………………………. $342,000
3rd Floor Interior Renovation (Housing)…………………………………………………. $342,000
Contractor Overhead……………………………………………………………………… $115,000
Contractor Profit………………………………………………………………………….. $130,000
Construction Subtotal $1,953,000

Legal Fees………………………………………………………………………………… Unknown

Developer Fees……………………………………………………………………………. Unknown
Debt Service………………………………………………………………………………. Unknown
Taxes……………………………………………………………………………………… Unknown
Insurance………………………………………………………………………………….. Unknown
Conclusion:

The Rupert Elementary School is a robust institutional structure that has been adequately maintained by the Board of
Education, and is well-suited for several reuse options. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to help revitalize the
Rupert community, and I look forward to working with you, and any interested developers, to breathe new life into
this significant building.

Respectfully,

Bryson VanNostrand, AIA

bryson@vnarch.com