HAMPTON, Va. — Walking through the gates to the south side of the former Virginia State School for the Deaf and Blind in Hampton, you can see the property needs a lot of TLC.
As of June 3, possible options for renovating the property were expected to be presented to the community in the summer and work could begin as early as the fall.
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The city has $1.5 million from the sale of land on the north side of the property set aside for the initial work.
“We’re looking to do something that’s ultimately a public benefit, something that’s open to the public, but also that’s specific for folks with all abilities," said Monica Meharg.
Meharg is the community engagement manager for the City of Hampton's Community Development Department and is spearheading the effort.
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"We know a lot of what uses and what our residents want to see. What we don't know is where we have current hookups, where is there water, where is there lighting, where do we have plumbing," Meharg said.
The work will be done in phases, according to Meharg. What will be done in phase one hadn't been decided as of June 3, but Meharg said work could start with either a walking trail with historical markers or an all-abilities playground.
The work on the south side of the property is just part of that effort, though. On the north side, a warehouse has been built with job creation in mind.
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“There’s some space that we’ve set aside for that job ability and to create some opportunities for Hamptonians to be the first to get interviewed for the jobs, which is really exciting and really a unique kind of agreement that we came to with the developer," Meharg explained.
On the north side, there’s also a historical marker for the school.
That’s where News 3 met Aaron Weaver. He was born and raised in a nearby neighborhood and his grandfather was a bus driver for the school.
“This just gives me a whole bunch of good memories," Weaver said, looking at the historical marker.
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But, there are also some bad memories.
Weaver said people who live near the school have long been frustrated with the city for allowing the property to become blighted and for building a warehouse on the north side when residents had been asking for affordable housing.
“This neighborhood has been neglected in terms of resources and taken care of for a long time. I'm talking 20, 30-plus years. So there’s a lot more to do. But with the staff, the Hampton city staff including Miss Monica, they’re doing a good job in terms of trying to build this trust back," Weaver said.
Small steps, but ones that could have big results.
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He would like to see farming incorporated when the south side of the property is renovated.
"That land used to be farmed by the students back in the day and the tree pattern, how it was and is, it was actually braille. These are the things that people don't know," said Weaver. "So I want to get that back in there in terms of the farming and everything else like that. So a food forest, something that can give back to the community along with park and stuff."
At the Hampton History Museum, two informational panels were recently put up to bring awareness to the school. One panel is about the school itself, the other is about the school's founder.
Watch: Museum specialist discusses history of deaf and blind school, new informational panels
