Of the dozens of buildings owned and operated by the city of Richmond, City Hall, the John Marshall Courts Building and the Main Library have the biggest maintenance backlogs, according to Richmond’s director of general services. 

Together, those three facilities are responsible for $115.4 million of an overall $295 million the city estimates it’s facing in deferred maintenance on its buildings. 

That estimate likely undercounts the extent of the need. Most notably, it excludes any facilities operated by the Department of Public Utilities — like the city’s beleaguered water treatment plant, which this week suffered its second major breakdown since January — as well as those run by Richmond Public Schools or Parks and Recreation. (Last year, RPS calculated its 50 facilities need $43.7 million in immediate repairs.) 

City Hall tops the list on deferred maintenance, with $76.9 million in fixes required, followed by the John Marshall courthouse at $19.5 million and the Main Library on East Franklin Street at $19 million. 

All three buildings are classified as being in “poor” shape according to the facility condition index used by Richmond’s Department of General Services, which assigns buildings a value between zero and 1 based on the cost of maintenance that needs to be done and the cost of replacing the building. The higher the FCI, the worse shape the building is considered to be in. 

Richmond hasn’t ignored those needs, Director of General Services Gail Johnson told a City Council committee at a meeting Wednesday. 

“We’ve done work in those buildings” since their conditions were last assessed in 2019, she said. Once the city completes a new round of evaluations that are underway, “these numbers will look a lot better.” 

Johnson attributed much of the maintenance backlog to the need to replace building systems such as those that handle heating and cooling. As an example, she pointed to the need to replace riser valves that are part of the HVAC system at City Hall, which comes with a $20 million price tag. 

“You’re looking at chillers and boilers in these buildings,” she said. “Because the age of the buildings is the big driver.”

All of the “big three” facilities are decades old. City Hall was built in 1971, the John Marshall Courts Building in 1978 and the Main Library in 1930, with an addition in 1972. 

All have also been the subject of complaints. Earlier this year, a man sued the city after he says he leaned against a corroded section of railing on the Main Library porch that gave way and sent him tumbling 6 to 8 feet to the ground with “serious injuries.” He is seeking $10 million in damages. Through its attorneys, the city has denied it was negligent. 

The John Marshall courthouse, which houses the city’s circuit court and handles some of its General District Court cases, also became a significant issue during this winter’s budget discussions after its seven judges sent a letter to Mayor Danny Avula and City Council threatening legal action if the city didn’t address the building’s “untenable” conditions. 

Those problems include what the judges described as “almost daily” plumbing leaks, security fears linked to the all-glass exterior walls, a lack of courtroom cameras and HVAC and accessibility problems. 

The extent of the needs at John Marshall led Councilor Sarah Abubaker (4th District) to compare maintenance investments there to “putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.” 

Funds, however, remain limited. Last year’s budget put $14 million toward general capital maintenance; this year’s calls for $16.1 million. Richmond’s debt capacity is also largely committed to school projects following a 2017 referendum and to paying off the cost of a replacement of the city jail. 

Besides the physical issues that result from deferred maintenance, Councilor Kenya Gibson (3rd District) pointed out putting off work has financial impacts. 

“For residents, the concern is, well, if we’re not paying for it now, we’re going to pay more down the road,” she said. 

Johnson acknowledged that was true.

“The longer we take and continue to defer this maintenance, the higher the cost is going to be,” she said.

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org