Needed: a whole lot of mothballs

What’s going to happen to the former Chatham Elementary School? Thanks to the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, the town of Chatham could soon own the closed school building — and be responsible for its future.

Everyone concerned about this issue wants the same thing. They want a new life for the old building.

That could mean turning the school into some sort of apartment or condominium building, possibly a housing project for senior citizens. Another option is for the county or the town to convert the building into government offices, possibly with some of the renovated space set aside for rent-generating offices that could help to pay for the project.

But today, no one has any money to do anything with the old Chatham Elementary School. So the town of Chatham could soon have an old building that it wants to save but can’t afford to renovate.

The first step for Town Council members — and anyone else with an interest in the building — is to watch episodes of the History Channel’s series “Life After People.”

That show tracks the fate of buildings, roads and bridges if the human race suddenly and completely disappeared. Instead of focusing on how that might happen, “Life After People” shows what would happen to the world we would leave behind if people weren’t around to perform regular maintenance on buildings, roads and bridges.

Previously abandoned settlements and cities are used as examples of what happens when time and the forces of nature are allowed to grind against even our most treasured buildings, roads and bridges.

What does that TV show have to do with the old Chatham Elementary School?

Something as simple as a broken window pane or a backed-up storm drain could easily — and quickly — start a chain reaction of events that will damage the building, quickly pushing renovation costs beyond what anyone would be willing to spend.

While there are no developers — or development plans — right now, if Chatham Town Council isn’t careful, the old school could quickly become too damaged to save.

Even though the town doesn’t have the money to renovate the building, it does have the opportunity to ensure that little things — like the occasional broken windowpane or minor roof leak — are quickly fixed to ensure that they don’t get out of hand.

A small amount of preventative maintenance and regular patrols by the town’s employees should help keep the former Chatham Elementary School in the best possible shape. It’s not the best solution, but the careful application of mothballs now could make a big difference in this building’s future.