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Staff Photo / Bob Coupland Hartford dedicated the new Township Center Pavilion this weekend, which will be available for wedding receptions, bridal and baby parties, class reunions and other events. A grant of $ 40,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources was used for the project, which has been discussed and planned for several years.
HARTFORD – After several years of planning, researching grants, and organizing various fundraisers, the Hartford Community Lodge is complete.
The structure is located on national roads 7 and 305 and was dedicated on Sunday.
Administrator Phil Wilhelm said the community has provided a lot of support through donations and contributions, as well as helping to plan the project with the township park committee.
He said that over the years there have been various improvements and additions to the center, the site of an old school building.
“The park committee met to discuss what to do on the Township Square after the school disappeared”, he said.
In 2014, the first project consisted of replacing the old gaming units, which had aged and had become dangerous, with new equipment. In 2016, a paved walking trail was added with a state grant.
In 2018, plans began to be discussed to add a building at the center that would be unique to Hartford, Wilhelm said.
COVID-19 in 2020 delayed the project. It was completed this summer.
The 30-by-40-foot open-air building is modeled after the old Hartford Academy that once stood on the grounds in the 1800s. Trustee President Rebecca Whitman said local historians have contributed to the design of the building and then had an architectural design carried out.
Whitman noted that the township had secured a $ 40,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the $ 100,000 project. The remaining funds were raised through donations from residents and former residents and fundraisers.
“It was nice to dedicate this building. It looks like we’ve been planning this for eons. We were very lucky to have many generous donations from the community in order to be able to carry out this project ”, she said.
The open pavilion can be used for weddings, weddings and baby showers, family reunions and other events.
“We just finished the building a few weeks ago. Anyone using the park can come here and eat their lunch. It’s a place where people can meet ”, Whitman said.
More than 40 people attended a short ceremony and ribbon cutting ceremony on Sunday to celebrate the finished product.
Tom Keir from Hartford said the pavilion was a great idea and an addition to the park.
Whitman said the park committee was formed in 1996 to discuss various projects, starting with the smallest.
The members of the park committee say they are delighted to have the pavilion as a meeting place in the community. They plan to establish a committee to oversee the programming of events.
“We want everyone to be able to use the pavilion. Whitman said.
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