Jefferson School panel selected

Twelve Charlottesville residents have been selected to serve on a private, nonprofit partnership that will guide the restoration of the Jefferson School.

The group, called the Jefferson School General Partnership, will spearhead the fundraising for the renovations, oversee the design process and decide what organizations can use the space.

"This is a major milestone for this project," said Rochelle Small-Toney, assistant city manager.

The Jefferson School was built in 1926 and served as an all-black high school until 1964. It then was used for a variety of purposes until it was closed as a school in 2002.

Charlottesville officials estimate the redevelopment will cost approximately $30 million, with the city having already set aside $5 million, Small-Toney said.

To draw upon $8 million in federal and state tax credits, the city is required to hand over the project to a nonprofit partnership. The partnership will then sell the tax credits to financial services companies and use the proceeds to pay for Jefferson's restoration.

The City Council was barred from naming the members of the general partnership, and hired Dan Gecker, a lawyer specializing in historic preservation projects, to vet potential candidates.

During Monday night's City Council meeting, Gecker was set to announce the 12 partners, including councilors Kendra Hamilton and Julian Taliaferro. The presentation, however, occurred after press time.

Taliaferro said in an interview that it was imperative the members of the partnership come up with a good plan to preserve the school.

"The Jefferson School represents the legacy of the African-American community in Charlottesville," Taliaferro said. "It's a landmark, and an important part of our history."

Though the partnership will have to hire an architect to design the new facility, several potential tenants already have been identified.

The new building is likely to house a black heritage and cultural center and a renovated Carver Recreation Center.

Piedmont Virginia Com-munity College has expressed interest in relocating some programs and offices to the Jefferson site, and Central Library officials are considering the facility as a new home.

"A number of what-ifs have been contemplated," Small-Toney said. "The challenge for the general partners is to sort through what are the best uses for the community, and what makes financial sense."

The greater challenge will be raising the additional $17 million needed to complete the renovations. The partnership will seek donations from the community and is contemplating public-private partnerships to offset building costs.

"As exciting as this is for the community, I don't think it will be an impossible task raising the funds," Small-Toney said.

The city does not anticipate allocating more funds for the project, but is not ruling out the possibility, she added.

Several community members at the council meeting said they were thrilled the partnership was finally named, and that the redevelopment process would soon move forward.

But no one in the room had as vested an interest as Lelia Edloe Brown. Brown was a member of the last class to graduate from Jefferson High School in 1951, and later taught at the elementary school on the site.

"I'm just happy to see it come to fruition," she said.