Scotland gets to work preserving Town Hall

One of the most enduring nicknames for the White House is “The People’s House,” in large part because it is representative of the will of the American people, where they say they “hope all Americans feel a sense of inclusion and belonging.” And while this is sentiment is writ large when talking about a nation, it is still true of every state capitol and town and city hall in this country. In Scotland, they are looking for volunteers to oversee the restoration of their people’s house.

Built in 1896, the building was originally the town’s school, and became the first consolidated school in the state, and eventually being designated as the Town Hall in the 1960s. Unfortunately, time takes its toll on everyone, and in the over 125 years since the building was first erected, many areas have finally failed and need repairing.

The project will upgrade the electrical, mechanical, septic, heating, venting, air conditioning and plumbing systems of the building, while improving accessibility to all areas of the structure, according to the Willimantic Chronicle. Three million in funding will come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Project Fund, the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office and the Connecticut Department of Housing’s Community Development Block Grant, and will be chaired by Gary Greenberg, the immediate former First Selectman under his new title of Director of Special Projects.

On the town’s website calling for the committee, it notes the committee will interview architects and award the bid, as well as review the ongoing construction once it hits that phase, which will likely be in summer of 2024. The committee will be five members plus Greenberg, and he says that “this is going to be a very interesting project, one that will turn the Town Hall into a building of which we can all be proud, and which will serve the community for many years to come.”

Considering that the building has stood for over a century of steadfast service to the community, it’s hard to imagine how much more value you can get out of the building in a world where so much seems temporary. Preserving and restoring our town halls (not to mention the State Capitol, which is going through renovations of its own) is an important project. Fortunately for Scotland, if they wanted to get their hands dirty and use period accurate tools, they can access the D’Elia Antique Tool Museum located in the Scotland Public Library.