Old Jail in Fincastle to have a new purpose
Plans to lease the Old Jail in Fincastle for revitalization to Donald and Caroline Naysmith, two historic preservations, moved forward at the February 28, 2023 meeting of the Board of Supervisors. The meeting was held at the Botetourt County Administration Center in Amsterdam.
Jon Lanford, Assistant County Administrator, told the Supervisors that people who had worked with the Naysmiths on previous projects were highly complementary of the couple’s work.
Amsterdam District Supervisor Steve Clinton asked for changes to the lease prior to his motion for approval. Those changes included a dispute resolution clause, a business plan, a method of funding for phase 3 of the project, and a time frame for completion of certain aspects of the project.
The Supervisors held a public hearing on the proposed lease in December 2022. At that time, members of the Town of Fincastle’s council as well as historic groups spoke in favor of the project.
The Naysmiths intend to install a gift shop in the lower level of the Old Jail and use the upper stories as a museum.
The lease would be for 40 years, which is a requirement for certain grants and historic structure credits. The lease would be $1 annually.
The Naysmiths said in December that they plan to cover all costs using private funds, grants, and historic credits. The project lease lists three phases for renovation: a project planning phase, which would include a review and evaluation of the structure, a restoration phase for the first floor to include the start-up of a gift shop, and a restoration phase for the second and third floors and the cupola.
The Naysmiths recently moved to Fincastle and live in the Flatwoods area. They own Cardon Development and Cardon Consulting, which are real estate development and consulting companies specializing in historic restoration. They have restored 17 separate structures in projects all over the eastern coast.
— Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee
