HAMBLETON – The Mayor and Town Council of Hambleton unveiled updates and repairs completed on the Hambleton Town Hall Sunday during an open house. Mayor Linda Bates said the fixes help make needed repairs, make the building homier, safer and more visibly appealing and helped assure it could be used as an emergency shelter if the need should arise again.
“During Superstorm Sandy, we had 30 people in this facility,” Bates said. “They did not want to travel to Camp Kidd, so they would come to the Town Hall at 7 a.m. and stay until 10 p.m. We borrowed a generator from Parsons, and we would come and let folks stay all day, and they went back to their homes at night. So we decided to start raising money to fix up our Town Hall in case we needed to use it again as an emergency shelter.”
Bates said they started having yard sales to raise money to make Town Hall comfortable, and she said she feels they accomplished that goal.
“We have room upstairs to sleep 30 people,” Bates said. “We now have our own generator and a handicap accessible bathroom. We received some money from the Tucker County Commission and we get lottery money each month, so we used that to fix up Town Hall.”
But as they were making repairs, they encountered some bumps in the road.
“Our sidewalk was busting up and at the time, I did not know we had a water cistern under the ground,” Bates said. “We needed fire doors, emergency lighting and an electrical update. So we got estimates and the Tucker County Commission said they would help with.”
Bates said the first task they tackled was the cistern and the sidewalk – because Hambleton Town Hall is a polling place.
“We had to tear the cistern out, pump out the water and fill it in,” Bates said. “Then we poured the concrete out front. After that, we upgraded the electric, put in emergency lighting and put on the fire doors.”
Bates said Hambleton residents express their thankfulness that the repairs have been completed and say they are pleased with the results. The building, which was completed in 1905, originally had a gymnasium upstairs where they shelter is now located.
“If something else happens, residents can come here,” Bates said. “It gives the residents great peace of mind and if something does happen again, the Methodist Church on the hill will prepare our meals. The Rev. Sue Metzner and I have been working together. God has brought us together.” Tucker County Commissioner Diane Hinkle said she is very impressed with the upgrades.
“Each time I come to this building it feels more and more like home,” Hinkle said. “It is the ultimate in comfort stations in Tucker County. I give a lot of credit to the Mayor and everyone else who is helping her because bit by bit, it is being completed. To see where it was and where it is now is impressive.”
Hinkle said Bates was to be commended.
“She is an asset to this community,” Hinkle said. “She identified a need and we, as a County Commission, did what we could. Bates is going a great job.”
Hambleton Councilman Glenn Summerfield said the upgrades make Town Hall a nicer place for the community.
“It is a nicer place for residents to vote,” Summerfield said. “The upgrades will help if we have an emergency. These were the mayor’s idea and it has made it nicer for the town. We aren’t ashamed of the building anymore, which is a big benefit. It had been in bad shape, being built 110 years ago. The upgrades have made it more functional.”
