Jefferson Pools Restoration Press Conference

On Tuesday, February 25th details on the plans to restore and reopen the Jefferson Pools were released by representatives of the Omni Homestead Resort, 3 North and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

The teams focused on maintaining the existing character of the Jefferson Pools while, “referencing the structures to the way they were when the resort acquired them in 1925”.

John Hess, the Omni Homestead’s Director of Sales and Marketing, introduced the speakers.

“Today, we celebrate and embrace a long history in in this valley. This project has taken four years of research, study and planning to bring us to where we are today. Thank you all for being here on this momentous occasion. We have several special guests with us today. Ed Pillsbury is from 3 North and Julie Langan from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.”

Ed Pillsbury, an associate senior architect for 3 North, talked about the process of studying the buildings and finding out what work needed to be done.

“The next thing we did after we learned about the history was really digging into what these pools are and to start we laser scanned everything so that we had very accurate documentation of what’s there, and then we built architectural models in the computer that filled in the finishes. In addition to all of the computer work, John Maddio and I spent a good amount of time climbing up ladders stabbing and probing things. We came up with a pretty detailed analysis of what members were structurally sound what members are not. Certainly, a lot of it needs to be replaced but we are also very committed to saving everything we can.”

The final speaker was Julie Langan.  Mrs., Langan serves a Director of the Department of Historic Resources and is also the State Historic Preservation Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“Omni made the decision that they wanted to use the historic rehabilitation tax credits, and there are two of those that my office administers. One is a state tax credit and the other is a federal tax credit… And this was something that I felt was important for a couple of reasons. First of all, it helps cover the costs, but secondly, it’s like taking out an insurance policy that the outcome of the project is going to be one that meets all of the preservation standards.”

There’s a 12 to 18-month tentative timetable for the project. At this time, the architectural firm is soliciting bids from contractors capable of doing the kind of work necessary to restore the structures. There has been no public release of the budget for the project; work is expected to start later this summer.

 

Story By

Danny Cardwell

Danny is the Station Coordinator for WCHG, and the host of our gospel and country hours on Wednesdays 10:00 am to noon. He and his wife Renee Cardwell live with a spoiled dog (Toddie) in Hot Springs. Danny is a Deacon at Piney Grove Baptist Church in Hot Springs. He operates Thoughtwrestler.blogspot.com and is a site administrator and featured writer for the website Dagblog.com. He has been a frequent contributor to The Hal Ginsberg Morning Show, All Politics Are Local, and Politics Done Right. Danny has tutored, lectured, and mentored at risk youth in churches, group homes, and inside the Virginia Department Corrections. He serves on the board of directors for Preservation Bath and chairs the Bath Community Hospital Patient Advisory board. danny@amrmail.org

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