John Dickey: Support money to restore Gilmanton’s Old Town Hall

To The Daily Sun,

Voters at Gilmanton’s Town Meeting on March 9 will be asked to support an article requesting funds to restore the Old Town Hall.  Both the Selectmen and the Budget Committee support this article.

Voters will recall that a similar article for funding appeared on last year’s Town Meeting warrant for $194,000, which was approved by a wide margin. Written so that the town would only expend half of the requested amount, the balance would have come from grants – 50% from a state LCHIP grant. Unfortunately, the town narrowly missed receiving grant approval so, in a move to reduce the impact on taxes, the Board of Selectmen transferred the approved $194,000 into the general fund.

Consequently, it is now necessary to again request funding. The amount requested this year has been reduced to $170,000, as some of the work will soon be completed using a combination of donated funds and regularly budgeted town funds.  The town plans to again submit an LCHIP application so that the amount of town funds expended would be $85,000.

This important Gilmanton building was built in 1902 as an Odd Fellows hall. The Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization, used the building as their meeting place until 1926, when the property was offered to the town for use as a Town Hall. The Town Meeting that year approved the purchase and the building subsequently housed town offices until 1989, when, having outgrown the available space, offices were moved to the renovated Gilmanton Academy building.

Located in Gilmanton Iron Works, the Old Town Hall was one of only two public buildings to survive the devastating 1915 fire that destroyed much of the center of the village. It is an important feature in defining the character of the Iron Works village. Its significance is recognized by the fact that its is listed on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. The building has a large auditorium on the first floor that has wonderful acoustics as evidenced by the many public meetings and events that have been held there over the years. The lower level of the building houses the Gilmanton Historical Society’s museum.

Please consider voting to support Town Meeting Article 14 and help restore one of the town’s most important public buildings.

John Dickey

President

Gilmanton Historical Society