Kentucky Memorial Hall committee members Chris Eveleigh, left, Treasurer Beatrice Bashford, Margaret Ward, Vice President Fay Lulham, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall and President Daniel Ward outside the iconic hall.
Wednesday, 14 February 2018
KENTUCKY’S Memorial Hall will soon undergo much-needed repairs to its weather-beaten walls, windowsills and timber roof trusses thanks to a $22,600 State Government grant, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announced today.
Mr Marshall said the existing walls remained untouched since the hall’s construction in 1940 and that repairs were now “urgently needed” to keep the building standing strong.
“Kentucky’s Hall is proudly owned and loved by the local community, who use it for everything from 21st birthday dances, to a preschool space and presentation evening for the local school,” Mr Marshall said.
“Unfortunately, 78 years of rain, hail and damp have taken their toll on the weatherboard construction, rendering the old wood soft, pliable and increasingly leaky.
“This funding will allow the committee to repair the wooden walls and weatherboards, upgrade the old timber roof trusses and replace windowsills on the north western face of the building.
“With that complete, the community will work on a longstanding drainage problem at the front of the hall, reshaping the path to the roadway to improve water flow.
“This will prevent water from pooling out the front, which will enable better access to the hall during wet weather and crucially keep the damp away from the hall’s foundations.
“When painted these repairs will be virtually invisible when completed – keeping the hall true to its original 1940 construction, while protecting the structure for many decades more to come.”
Hall Committee President Dan Ward said the ever-popular hall was seeing an increase in usage, with windfarm community information sessions and council meetings.
“We have four dances through the year, the school uses it, we’re getting a band to come out once a fortnight for the younger residents; there’s a lot of usage in the hall throughout the year,” Mr Ward said.
“It’s a hub for the district, people come here throughout the year for a function, or just enjoy meeting up here.”