Old Town Hall Renovation nears completion

ODESSA - After six months of a grass roots effort by the Lion's Club, High School FBLA, the Town of Odessa maintenance crew and dozens of community volunteers, the latest renovation to Odessa's Old Town Hall is nearly complete.

The entry and bathrooms have been restored to their original 1920s grandeur and are now safer and more functional for all who use the building...especially senior citizens who use the building frequently for senior meals and exercise classes.

With a vision to update this area of the building that was last remodeled in the 1970s, the Old Town Hall Rejuvenation Society (OTHRS) consulted construction experts for advice, developed a plan and began a grant writing campaign to fund the many components needed to complete the renovation.

The first $14,000 grant came from the Innovia Foundation to replace the torn vinyl flooring with tile and hardwood. Next, the Columbia Basin Foundation awarded a $3,000 grant to update bathroom fixtures and vanities.

Avista awarded a $2,500 grant for the installation of sound panels, the Lincoln County Economic Development Committee awarded a $10,000 Community Grant for the project and a $2,000 Rural Community Grant was received from AgWest Farm Credit to install a new energy efficient front door.

When the Lincoln County Health Department awarded $40,000 to each senior center in Lincoln County last summer, the OTHRS was thrilled to finally move forward with a full renovation: restoring the entry back to the original 15-foot ceilings, replacing all the doors, flooring, vanities, trim and light fixtures, and making the space more energy efficient.

A 100-year-old building created many challenges. The Lions Club spent many days removing layers of flooring only to discover a concrete slab where a vault once sat; It took nights of jackhammering to remove it.

It was discovered that an entire section of floor joists had rotted away in the men's bathroom from leaks in the wall, and the water pipes coming into the building were rotted.

With every challenge, the community and the Town of Odessa maintenance crew found a solution and the project moved forward. FBLA members spent countless hours removing debris from demolition, scraping ceilings, hauling supplies in and junk out, and cleaning up the mess after each contractor finished.

Odessa senior citizens were very patient with the project, exercising around toilets and all the building materials for months.

The project is now 95% complete and a grand opening and celebration for all the volunteers and grantors will be held in March.

With nearly 100 volunteers, it is doesn't seem fair to single out a few, but this project would have cost twice as much or would have never been accomplished without the expertise and time given by Roger Sebesta, plumber and expert on all aspects of the Old Town Hall building, Dale King, carpenter, engineer, and project adviser on all construction decisions, Brenik Iverson and Shaun Steward for leading the Lion's Club volunteers, Zach Claassen and Jacob Scrupps for leading the FBLA work sessions, Bill Crossley, Gerald Greenwalt and the Town of Odessa for showing up when help was needed most, Landon Lobe for painting and hauling doors, and Todd King for finding solutions to so many challenges.

The OTHRS is very thankful for every grant dollar that made this project possible. Those grant dollars were stretched to the maximum to give the most benefit to our community.

The citizens of Odessa built The Old Town Hall in 1920 to serve the community, and 102 years later, the Odessa community is still working together to ensure our seniors and the entire community have a safe, functional, and beautiful space to gather.