(This article, reprinted with permission and featuring the Jeffrey Mansion renovation, appeared in Bexley News on November 25, 2009)  12/20/09

Grant will revitalize mansion

Bexley has secured funding for a number of upgrades at Jeffrey Mansion, with plans to start work early next year.

The state of Ohio approved Bexley as the recipient of a $475,000 grant Tuesday, Nov. 17 for renovations to its Jeffrey Mansion.

The grant comes from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission, which distributes capital improvement funds appropriated in the state's biennium budget.

Bruce Langner, Bexley's development director, said the city applied for $500,000 in state funds in the middle of 2008 and learned it will receive most of it.

Improving, reclaiming space

The grant will go toward interior improvements at the more than century-old building. Some of the items on the to-do list include: heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades; removal of asbestos from the basement; fireplace restoration on the first floor; kitchen and bathroom renovations to meet standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act; replacement of floors on the second floor; and a remodel of the third floor.

"These are improvements that would improve our programming," said Mike Price, the city's recreation and parks director.

Price said renovations will give the city's recreation and parks department more space for its programs.

The city cannot use the mansion's third floor due to lead paint and water damage problems. The grant will allow that floor to be remodeled, providing a multi-purpose room.

"Right now, (the third floor) is just an unused space that we stay out of, but hopefully that will all change," Price said.

The third floor needs new drywall, exterior wall insulation, electrical repairs, bathrooms and a new floor -- at an estimated cost of $220,000 -- before the department can use the space.

The city hopes to add more art classes, such as sculpting, when the work is finished, Price said.

Renovations also will improve interior aesthetics of the mansion.

"With the mansion having a number of different uses, including rentals for weddings and private events, it's important to keep the floors in shape," Price said.

Construction is expected to start early next year and finish by June.

"We're still in some of the design phases, so it's hard to say for sure," Price said.

Additional goals

The renovations are part of a $10 million master plan to rehabilitate the mansion, drafted a few years ago by the Jeffrey Mansion Heritage Fund.

Price said the city still references the plan, which gives a long-term vision for possible use of the mansion and city parks.

After this round, the next big renovation project for the mansion will be the addition of an elevator.

"That would be our next goal. Refinishing the third floor gives us additional use for programming, but it can be difficult for people to get to the third floor, so we'd like to have better accessibility," Price said.

Other goals are to have more space set aside for senior citizen activities, a multi-purpose room for dance classes and a mirror room for fitness classes.

 

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