Phase two should be finalized in the middle of October, according to Grayson Atha, chairman of the West Liberty Historical Society Town Hall Restoration Committee.
“We’ve tried to bring it back to what it was when it was first built,” he said. “It’s a wonderful old building that deserves to be restored and be around the next 100 years.”
The second phase began a year ago. The first floor will be a government center with offices of the trustees and village council, who will move in next month. The fire department occupies the back side of the building, which was not involved in the renovations.
The first phase consisted of a new roof, repairing the tower on the building redoing bricks that had deteriorated and installing new windows consistent with the original 1868 design.
Atha said the first two phases have taken 16 years to complete at a cost close to $400,000. The Columbus Foundation and donations from various area businesses and individuals have been main streams of revenue for the project.
Phase three will be the restoration of the second floor, which housed an opera house that hosted numerous arts events up until about 50 years ago. It includes a stage installed in 1895.
“It will be a place to have activities, music, plays,” Atha said. “We want to make it consistent for the West Liberty community, for the next generation.”
Atha estimated the third phase is projected to cost between $300,000-$500,000. The possibility of grants, along with donations, may help it get rolling, he added.
Although the Town Hall Committee had hoped to have phase three completed by West Liberty’s bicentennial in 2017, he admits the goal may not be realistic.
“Things don’t always move as quickly as we’d like,” he said. “This grand old lady deserves to be carefully restored.”
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