Scout Hall Repairs on Horizon

The Community Meeting Place has Severe Structural Damage

By Jim McConville

Gulfport’s Scout Hall has a roof leak – because the foundation shifted, which made the walls move, which caused a roof leak.

Abby Baker

Repairs on Gulfport’s Scout Hall, a community meeting place, could begin in the next 90 days. Gulfport Public Works Director Tom Nicholls said the city’s structural engineer is assessing the hall and will give a list of needed repairs to the city this week. Located at 5315 28th Ave. S., Scout Hall closed after city employees found a severe roof link on Sept. 15.

The community uses the hall as a meeting place.

Nicholls said repairs will start soon – if the city’s insurance company will pay for it.

“We’re still trying to work through the city’s insurance company, hopefully, to pay for those repairs,” Nicholls said. “After that, we’ll begin.”

If Scout Hall repairs aren’t covered by insurance, Nicholls said he’ll likely have to go out to bid on the project.

“Either way, I’d say the repairs, with the bidding process, will be within the next 90 days,” Nicholls said.

Nicholls said repairs will include more than fixing its collapsed roof.

“It’s a foundation issue, where the foundation has shifted, causing the roof to be displaced and the wall

to move,” Nicholls said. “Obviously, we are going to find the root cause and then repair everything up from it, once we stabilize the foundation, we’ll make the other repairs.”

Gulfport’s Sea Scouts Program Director Tony Angel appeared before city council Dec. 7 to ask whether the city had planned to budget for the roof repairs to the building. Angel said city officials told him the city hadn’t budgeted to fix the building’s roof.

“I wanted to come before you to suggest that we at least budget money in the future to make the repairs, so we can get back to using it,” Angel said.

Renovated in 2008, Scout Hall features a stage, small kitchen, brick patio, a fire pit and benches. The Gulfport History Museum shares the fire pit and patio.

Scout Hall can hold 63 people and gets used by churches, for private parties, showers, funerals, town hall meetings and community events.