County briefs planning commission on $1.5M Accomack library rehab and $125,000 septic request

Staff told the Accomack County Planning Commission that work to rehabilitate the old Accomack library into new offices for the Community and Economic Development Department is underway and that public-works staff expect construction to begin in April with a seven-month window to complete most work.

Lee Panda said exterior brick cleaning, new windows and doors, roof replacement and interior asbestos-abatement work are complete. Panda said the initial project budget was about $1.5 million and roughly $962,000 remained in the appropriation. Public Works has requested a $125,000 operating-budget item in the next fiscal year to cover an unexpected septic-system cost, Panda said.

Plans are at 100 percent and Dills Architects of Virginia Beach prepared the designs; the septic-permit submission to the Virginia Department of Health was expected. Panda described proposed meeting-room layouts and public-access areas, and said that once Community and Economic Development staff move in, space will free up in the existing building. Panda also noted the possibility that some county meetings could be held at Accomack Primary School while renovations continue.

Commissioners questioned whether a sewer connection to a nearby pump station would be more cost-effective over time; staff estimated the distance and expense to connect to an Accomack pump station could be roughly $250,000 and said the septic option represented a nearer-term solution. Staff committed to follow up with public-works cost analyses if requested.

Next steps: public-works and procurement will finalize contracts and the county will pursue necessary permits for the septic system and building work.