by Trish Rudder
Renovations of the old Bath District school on Green Street in Berkeley Springs are set to begin at the end of March, according to the new owners of the building.
Last spring, Lotus Recovery Centers, a subsidiary of Lotus Healthcare Group, purchased the old schoolhouse from Morgan County at a price of $200,000 to build an inpatient substance abuse treatment center. They estimate renovations to convert the building into a treatment center will cost $3 million.
We are progressing nicely – we have finalized our floor plans and construction documents are being drawn up, we are in the processes of obtaining the necessary approvals from multiple state agencies, and hope to start construction before the end of the first quarter,” said David Stup, chief marketing officer of Lotus Recovery Centers.
David Stup, spokesman for Lotus.
To convert the building into a residential drug treatment center, renovations could take six to nine months and will provide construction jobs, Stup has said.
Lotus will also need people to fill about 60 positions at the center, with an average salary of $55,000 once the facility is renovated, he said.
“I’d encourage anyone who is interested in a position with us to reach out to us directly so we can discuss what, if any, training needs they may have,” Stup said.
The three-story, 30,000-sq.-ft.-building will house nearly 100 patients for 30-to-60-day stays and provide them with all levels of care, according to company officials who announced the details during a virtual press conference with West Virginia Governor Jim Justice in May of 2021.
Any building and development plans for the large lot will have to be approved by the Town of Bath in order to proceed.
