A problem with bats invading buildings at the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s conference center near Winnsboro, in Fairfield County, has already cost $48,000 and still persists.

In the past few weeks, bats have been found inside guest rooms at White Oak Conference Center on four occasions, almost a year after professional exterminators displaced “thousands” of bats that were discovered roosting in the attic space above the guest rooms.

The most recent episode occurred Sunday night, April 6, when a member of the SCBC Executive Board and his wife discovered a bat in their room. They opened the door, and the bat eventually flew out.

The problem is being addressed “aggressively” by White Oak officials, and guests who are scheduled to visit the conference center in coming weeks are being notified and given the option to cancel their reservations, said Roger Orman, an SCBC associate executive director who oversees White Oak’s operations.

“The health and well-being of our guests is paramount,” said Orman. He said a “multi-pronged approach” is in effect, including the use of ultrasonic annunciators to repel the bats and contacting the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control to request “coaching” and suggestions for an exterminator to “remedy the situation.”

“We want to do what is right for our guests and their safety,” said Orman. He stressed that no one has been bitten by a bat.

The conference center’s summer season, which includes camps for children and teenagers, starts in June, but Orman said that “unless something goes on that is way beyond my control, this will not be an issue in June,” adding that solving the bat problem is his “top priority.”

In April 2013, a large colony of bats was discovered roosting in the attic space of buildings A, B and C at White Oak. Those buildings house motel-type guest rooms and are located on the western periphery of the campus.

At the time, SCBC officials contacted DHEC and hired an extermination company, Wild Thingz, based in Columbia, to remove the bats and install screening to prevent them from reentering the attic space.

Afterward, there wasn’t another problem with bats until the events of the past few weeks, said Orman. “We thought it was totally fixed,” he said, adding that “these four or five pesky little rodents … have created a lot of fear and concern, and rightfully so.”

Orman said guests scheduled to stay at White Oak in the next few weeks will be given the option to cancel their reservations without penalty. Also, White Oak workers are posting notices on campus with instructions about proper procedures to follow if someone encounters a bat.

Orman said he doesn’t want to “scare people off” but does want to provide “clear, definitive information” in case visitors decide to cancel their plans.