The community of Mt. Hood’s cherished Town Hall is gearing up for a celebratory open house Feb. 3, after having been closed for 15 months while its lower level got an extreme makeover.

Fund raising began two years ago with a stated goal of making the 93-year-old building “safe for our seniors, fun for our children and accessible for everyone.” Thanks to numerous grants (see sidebar page B2), donations from the community and 1,120 hours of volunteered labor, that goal has been met.

The Mt. Hood Town Hall basement now boasts new heating and fire suppression systems, sewer and main water lines, interior and exterior concrete work, framing, insulation and electrical and plumbing systems.

The building also now has new north and south entrances to the lower level, one of which is ADA-compliant; new lower-level bathrooms; an additional classroom/arts and crafts studio, and facilities to qualify it as an Emergency Mass Care Shelter.

“Not only did we stay within the budget; due to the generous in-kind contributions from contractors and the invaluable efforts of volunteers, we have accomplished many projects not originally in our scope,” wrote board chair Revelyn Rawdin in a November letter to grantors.

“We are deeply indebted to Dean Guess, director of public works for Hood River County,” she said. “It is through his shrewd management as our general contractor that we have received $23,000 in contractor/supplier discounts.

“These donations along with Hood River County’s $29,000 in-kind donation, which covered the general contractor fee, allowed us to install a fire suppression system, raise the stage and floor of the utility room (to meet fire code) and add a new roof and gutters; tasks which were slated for future phases of renovation.”

This has been phase three of a six-phase master plan. The next three phases will concentrate on repairing and/or weatherizing the windows; rebuilding the four chimneys, which currently present safety hazards; repairing and refinishing the original fir floors and maple gym floor; and restoring the walls, ceilings and doorways to their original historic state.

The landscape committee is also creating a master grounds plan to accommodate increased parking requirements; additional outdoor event space for summer theater, weddings and family reunions; a children’s play park and space for farmers/artists markets.

The Mt. Hood Town Hall was built in 1914 as a two-room community school. Over the years two additions brought the building to its present size. It, along with many other community schools, closed in 1961 with consolidation of the school district.

The building was privately owned and was used as a church until 1973, when it was bought by the Hood River County Board of Commissioners to provide a social gathering place and community center for upper valley residents.

Since that time a dedicated group of volunteers has logged many hours on the upkeep of the building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It was found to be significant “since it is architecturally intact, is currently utilized for functions similar to its original purpose and anticipates an expanded future role within the community.”

The Town Hall has long been a vibrant community center, with a senior meals program, Community Education and other classes, recycling, town hall meetings, weddings, family celebrations, and events like Enchanted Evening, Blossom Festival quilt show, Neighborhood Fair and the Parkdale Film Festival.

With these new improvements — “adequate restrooms, plumbing that drains without backing up, a comfortable, welcoming warmth and space available for multiple uses where once only cluttered storage existed” — the board of directors anticipates being able to draw far more users into the building.

The board envisions “an inclusive center, where all community members can engage each other on equal terms in a historic building dedicated to performance space, the arts, community events and meetings, historical collections, social services, creative and educational opportunities and a marketplace for locally grown, produced and crafted goods.”

The “creative and educational opportunities” are soon to be offered: There are already exercise, yoga, tai chi and art classes scheduled to begin in February. There are plans for book discussions to go along with the upcoming “Hood River County Reads” project, and the Hood River Valley Playhouse has arranged to use the facility for classes, workshops and performances.

With the improved accessibility of the lower level, it is hoped that the senior meal program can return to the building; and the addition of a “wet crafts room” makes an after-school art program a possibility.

The Feb. 3 open house will be held from 2-4 p.m. and will give the public an opportunity to see the renovation and upcoming happenings at the Town Hall.

There will be cake and refreshments, sign-up sheets for classes and the Town Hall mailing list, and a drawing to win free rental space or discounts on upcoming classes and programs. For more information, visit the new Web site: www.mthoodtownhall.org.