BEDFORD CO., Va. – A Montvale elementary school that has sat empty since the late 1990s could soon become a neighborhood gathering place — if a local nonprofit can raise the millions needed to make it happen.
The Montvale School Preservation Foundation is working to convert the former Montvale Elementary School into a community hub featuring retail space, basic health services, a community kitchen, classes and space for small businesses. The project is gaining momentum, but organizers say about $5 million is still needed to complete the work.
A personal mission
For Thomas Bolick, the effort is deeply personal. A Montvale Elementary alumnus who attended the school’s final class, Bolick said preserving the building means preserving a piece of himself.
“I feel honored to have the foundation to try to preserve it because it’s been a part of me,” Bolick said.
Funding slowly takes shape
Roni Sutton, president of the Montvale School Preservation Foundation, said early grant funding is already being put to work — starting with assessing the building’s condition.
“Our first grant was in the amount of $50,000. The county matched that with $45,000 and that money is being used to assess mold and led,” Sutton said.
A significant financial boost recently came from the federal level. Sutton said the foundation received a seven-figure commitment that will go directly toward one of the building’s most urgent needs.
“We have received a $1 million grant from Senator Mark Warner’s office which will be disbursed some time in the fall, and we will begin taking bids to repair the roof with that money,” Sutton said.
What comes next
Donations and grants are slowly closing the funding gap, Sutton said, though the full scope of the project remains a multi-year effort. The community hub is expected to be completed within the next three to five years.