VERMONTVILLE — A new community center, long needed here, is going to be built at last.
To raise money for the facility, some Town of Franklin officials created the committee "the Future is Now" to set up various events throughout the year, such as community dinners and a golf tournament.
"We do lots of events all year long," Town Clerk and Future is Now Chair Lauren LeFebvre said Tuesday.
One of those, the Pumpkin Heaves and Autumn Leaves Festival, has been canceled due to too few participants, she said. But it will be back next fall, she said.
And a lasagna dinner has been planned for early December, with discussion ongoing about other events.
DRAWINGS COMPLETE
The community center will be located at Kate Mountain Park, the town's recreation center.
There are ball fields and a pavilion there that are used, among other purposes, for the summer youth program.
It will be great to have some indoor space, LeFebvre said, for inclement weather.
“We already have the drawings and the plans (for the center),” she said. “We want a place where the community can get together, whether it’s a book club, Boy Scouts, a wedding, anything.”
SHRINKING SPACE
Building such a facility has been under discussion for about 20 years, and for good reason.
The space available for events in the Town Hall is too small, LeFebvre said.
"The capacity for people to eat here (at a public dinner) is 40 at most," she said, adding with a laugh: "And that's 40 good friends. It is tight in here."
In fact, for an afternoon gathering — say a reception after a funeral — employees in the building must vacate the building to clear space.
"We close the offices," LeFebvre said.
And it seems space in the Town Hall keeps shrinking, as more tends to be needed to conduct the business of the municipality year by year.
"I used to do a haunted house in here years ago when the room was empty," LeFebvre said.
It would be way too small for that now.
BOND OK'D BY VOTERS
The new community center, by contrast, will offer plenty of space.
Capacity for events will be about 125, and the facility will feature a commercial kitchen and full basement for storage.
“We already have the drawings and the plans,” LeFebvre said. “We want a place the community can get together, whether it’s a book club, Boy Scouts, a wedding, anything.”
She didn't yet know how much the building will cost, but the Future is Now committee has raised close to $42,000 so far, and the Town Council set aside money in a capital building reserve for the purpose.
Also, voters approved having the town bond for as much as $700,000.
"We will not go over that, of course," LeFebvre said. And the more the committee can raise, "the less we have to borrow."
The Pumpkin Heaves and Autumn Leaves Festival, which raised about $2,000 in 2016, will be back next fall, she added.
SPRING CONSTRUCTION
Construction is expected to start next spring, with hopes the community center can be hosting events by fall or, at most, early winter.
LeFebvre thinks about that as her committee hosts various events in the close confines of the Town Hall.
They could really use a community center to raise money for the community center, she reflected on that irony.
"This would be so much easier if we had a bigger building," she said, laughing.
Email Suzanne Moore:
Twitter: @editorSuzanne
HOW TO HELP
Donations are being accepted for the Town of Franklin community center. Make out checks to the Kate Mountain Special Reserve Fund and mail to: Town of Franklin, Attn. Lauren LeFebvre, P.O. Box 209, Vermontville NY 12989.
The Future is Now committee is hosting a lasagna dinner starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Town Hall, 7 Cold Brook Road in the hamlet of Vermontville. Cost is $10. It's a popular dinner and sells out fast, organizers say, so get there early or order ahead by calling 891-2189 after 3 p.m. that day.
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