KING GEORGE, Va. — If Ralph Bunche High School was once the hub of the Black community in King George County, then the school gymnasium might have been the heart of the facility, given the many activities held there.

And even though the old gym floor probably will have to be replaced with modern hardwood if the school does get restored, according to plan, there’s one key part of it that will be preserved.

That’s the original “B,” a circle in the gym floor, decked out in the school colors. The orange capital letter is set against a background of dark blue—and although the hues have faded, the item will find a place of honor in the renovated facility, said Claudette Jordon, president of the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association.

“The ‘B’ has been here since 1949 and it will remain,” she said as she led members of the Ralph Bunche Advisory Committee on a tour of the school. “Anything can be refurbished.”

Annie Cupka, the at-large member of the King George Board of Supervisors, said the circle probably will be cut out from the floor and framed for display, then a replica of the “B” can be installed in the refurbished gym.

Giving the “B” top billing is but one of many issues discussed by the Advisory Committee as members come up with a restoration plan and resources to pay for it. Cupka got permission from fellow members of the Board of Supervisors recently to resurrect the group, saying there’s a “new ambition” in the community to save the building.

“If the county has a plan, someone is going to see it and say, ‘Well they’re not just waiting around for someone to do it for them,’ and I feel like that’s going to start … attracting investors,” she said.

Former School Board member Renee Parker chairs the group. She served on the original committee, tasked with the same mission more than a decade ago, and believes the current effort is more attuned to making the restoration a reality.

She said there’s support from the Board of Supervisors “which is huge,” and a new…