With the recent grant funds, the Memorial Hall Renovation Committee will begin work on repainting and replastering the ceiling and walls of the building.
Reminder Publishing photo by Laura Mason
MONSON — Monson’s Memorial Hall Renovation Committee was recently awarded two grants to support the upcoming project to repair the building’s ceiling and walls.
The project is one of “a laundry list” of repairs that the committee is looking to complete, including work on lighting and the sound system, refinishing the floors, and repairing windows, Chair Peter Warren told Reminder Publishing.
Through the National Park Service’s Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Program, Monson was awarded $100,000 toward work at Memorial Hall. The town received the money as part of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s Pioneer Valley Regional Ventures Center, which was allotted $650,000 by the Historic Revitalization Program to distribute to local towns, according to the PVPC.
Monson was one of seven towns to receive an allotment. The other projects included $95,000 for Hardwick’s Town House and $100,000 for Ware’s Methodist Episcopal Church as well as work in Blandford, Goshen, Hadley and Spencer, the PVPC stated.
According to Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Kimberly Robinson, this year’s Historic Revitalization Grant is the first to be awarded to Massachusetts.
In addition to the Revitalization subgrant, the Memorial Hall Renovation Committee also recently received a $125,000 grant through the Community Preservation Committee, Warren said. Together these two grants are expected to fund the entire ceiling and wall repair project.
In this project, the committee is looking replaster and repaint the ceiling as well as repaint the walls in the building’s main chamber. Although the need for renovations at Memorial Hall was first identified “a number of years ago,” the committee has made notable progress over the past year and a half through identifying specific needs of the building, Warren said.
He explained that the building in its current state was resulting in a loss of money for the town when it was rented, due to the cost to maintain and restock the building with each use. With the repairs, Warren stated that the hope was to prevent financial losses through a rental fee and other costs as well as renting for larger events, such as weddings, birthday parties and retirement parties. The committee is also expected to continue applying for grants to support additional projects at the hall.
“Memorial Hall is the centerpiece of the town,” Warren said, explaining that the building was used for elections, art shows, fairs and other local events. While certain needed repairs had been previously “overlooked,” Warren emphasized that the building had “good bones” and that the committee was looking to maintain more regular, proactive updates in the future. The building was first built in 1884.
With the two grants secured, the committee plans to begin the bidding process in the “next month or two” with the project’s anticipated completion date during the first quarter of 2025, Warren said. The building will not be open for use during construction.
Warren emphasized his appreciation to his fellow Memorial Hall Renovation Committee members and other town employees for their part in helping to move the Memorial Hall renovation project forward. Specifically, he highlighted Alan Morin, Bill Dominick, Gerry Depace, Glen Colburn, Justin Larivee, Mary Watson, Ray Possick and Reed Coles.
In addition to the grants, Warren also noted that the committee is hosting a fundraiser at Adam’s Hometown Market between Sept. 15-28 where residents can decide to round their receipt’s total up to the next dollar and donate the added amount. Funds raised at this event will go towards supporting general renovation projects at Memorial Hall.
