Trust steps up plan to build new Recluse community hall
By KIM PHAGAN-HANSEL - Star-Tribune correspondent | Posted: Monday, November 30, 2009 12:00 am
GILLETTE -- Members of the Recluse Community Trust will meet again at 4 p.m. on Dec. 4 at the Recluse School to move forward with the plan to construct a new community building to replace the Recluse Community Hall built in 1934.
For the past five years, the Recluse Community Trust has worked to raise the money to restore the old building through grants and donations. But after several setbacks and rising construction costs, the group recently decided to move away from the restoration project and focus on constructing a new community building. That decision has caused debate among area residents, as some would like to maintain the community hall.
During a meeting Nov. 21, several committees reported to the Recluse Community Trust board regarding potential design plans for the new building, which will be adjacent to the community arena. In addition, another committee presented ideas for incorporating elements from the old building into the new structure. "We looked at a couple of different designs," Recluse Community Trust President Marilyn Mackey said.
When the group meets again in December, Mackey said it will focus on finalizing a design for the building so the group can move forward with the project. Included in that will be determining ways the old building can be incorporated into the new one -- from using the old flooring as a dance floor to incorporating the bar into the kitchen design. "We're looking at salvaging as much of the old building into the new to keep that history," Mackey said.
But one of the biggest projects at the most recent meeting was creating a new mission statement for the Recluse Community Trust and discussing ways to update the community on the new direction. Mackey said the group was successful in creating its mission statement: "The mission for the Recluse Community Trust shall be to utilize the assets of the trust for the public benefit and use of the Recluse community and the encouragement of historical, educational, charitable and literary activities."
While the Powder River Breaks Foundation has not yet formally contacted the Recluse Community Trust board with its desire to obtain the building and move forward with the original restoration plan, Mackey did say the Recluse Community Trust composed a letter asking members of the Powder River Breaks Foundation to continue working with the community. "We did approve a letter we sent to the Powder River Breaks Foundation and asked them to join us," Mackey said.
The Recluse Community Trust also received notification from the Wyoming Business Council that a grant originally obtained by the Recluse Community Trust for the restoration of the old hall would not be transferable to the Powder River Breaks Foundation, Mackey said.
Because the $300,000 grant will have to be forfeited, the Recluse Community Trust is going to have to return funds that have already been spent, as well as raise enough funding for the new building project. Mackey said a new fundraising committee will be created at the next meeting. Overall, Mackey said she is pleased with the direction things are going and hopes that the community will once again come together to create a new facility that will meet its needs. "I hope that we can come together and move past that," Mackey said.
Foundation moves forward
Even though the Powder River Breaks Foundation learned that the grant is not transferable, it is not giving up on its mission to save the Recluse Community Hall. "We knew it was a long shot ... but it was nonetheless a disappointment," said Sue Wallis, a member of the Recluse Community Trust who is helping establish the Powder River Breaks Foundation.
Wallis is pulling together paperwork to establish the foundation and move forward in the attempt to save the Recluse Community Hall. Now an affiliate of the Wyoming Community Foundation, the Powder River Breaks Foundation is applying for grants and loans that will enable the organization to purchase the hall and move it to another location, where it will be restored. "We're going to do our darnedest to keep this building intact and open to the public," Wallis said. "If we can do it, we're going to save this old hall."
However, the fate of the building rests with the Recluse Community Trust, which currently owns the building. In the near future the members of the Powder River Breaks Foundation will present its proposal to the trust in the hope that it will allow the foundation to continue with the original plan to restore the hall.
Also, AHW has teamed up with Public News Service to get this story out through radio outlets. Listen to it on AHW's website.
No comments:
Post a Comment