Contract Modification No. 2 with Ethos Preservation is for design services​ that specifically address the additional structural engineering services required for both the new restroom building and the rehabilitation of the historic structure for the Springfield Terrace School Rehabilitation Project in the amount of $35,000.  

Springfield Terrace School (also known as the Pearl Lee Smith School) was built in 1926 to educate African American students excluded from most of the resources of Chatham County’s public education system at the time. In 2022, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its significance in Education, Ethnic Heritage-Black, and Architecture. In 2023, the City of Savannah was awarded a National Park Service (NPS) Historic Preservation Fund African American Civil Rights grant to support the planning phase of the Springfield Terrace School Rehabilitation Project, following the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Restoration. The project will physically restore the historic building and return it to an active community asset. 

Contract Modification No. 2 is needed to cover additional design services for two primary items. First, it includes the design of a new standalone restroom building adjacent to the school. This allows us to restore the original building layout by removing later alterations, including the 1999 conversion of interior spaces into restrooms. Second, it covers expanded structural engineering services resulting from damage sustained during the ice and snow events in early 2025. The full extent of this damage was not known until debris was cleared and wall coverings were removed, which required a more comprehensive structural design effort than originally anticipated. 

Contract Modification No. 1 was approved by City Council on August 14, 2025, for additional architectural services to document existing conditions, assess damage, define the repair scope necessary to return the building to a habitable state, and provide extended construction phase services due to a longer project duration.

Capital Projects Management recommends approval of Contract Modification No. 2 in the amount of $35,000. This will bring the total design services contract amount to $360,226. Design is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026. The rehabilitation of the Springfield Terrace building directly supports GPS Goal 4, Objective 3, Strategy 5 – Strengthen and expand existing initiatives to preserve historic sites, restore historic buildings, and further promote Savannah’s cultural history. 

Approval