Small town gets big bucks for renovation

With a population of just 640, Echo, Ore., raised more than $500,000 for the restoration of its historic city hall. Once a central gathering place for residents, the facility’s importance and usefulness had diminished, and it had fallen into disrepair. In 1994, residents and town officials decided to restore the building, to once again make it a center of activity for the community.

Before the restoration began, only about one-sixth of the building was being used (for a library and town offices). It had no viable heat system, and only about 1,200 square feet of the 8,000-square-foot building had been rewired for phones and computers. Built of reinforced concrete, the building was considered structurally sound, but years of leaking roofs had damaged the ceilings and maple floors.

After developing a restoration plan and budget, the town began a two-year fund-raising campaign. Many former Echo residents – including a widow who met her husband at a dance at the town hall – made donations.

More than $140,000 came from private donations; $85,000 came from a community development block grant for handicap access improvement; $72,000 from a Library Construction Act grant; and $75,000 from a Regional Strategies Grant, which uses lottery funds for community development and additional city funding. The city also sold 400 engraved bricks for an average of $50 each.

The restoration of the building took two years. Contractors added restrooms and a kitchen, replaced the roof and applied a stucco and Dryvit exterior. Additionally, a new HVAC system and a new electrical system and wiring were installed; the carpet was replaced; and the building was insulated and replumbed. The facility also was refurnished. The building serves as a mini-museum, with artifacts from the Utilla Indian Agency-Fort Henrietta archaeological site and a large collection of vintage clothing displayed throughout the building.

The building’s library was expanded to serve a population three times that of Echo’s, and its auditorium was renovated to serve as a monthly meeting spot for civic groups and a location for dances, concerts, plays, craft shows and other community events. On May 6, 2000, the new City Hall/Library and Community Center was dedicated with a semi-formal ball.