Dear Editor:
Arthur Seniors Hall has been around since 1863. During its first many years it was used as a drill hall for the local militia. After the Boer War, the building was turned over to the town for $1. It became the hub of the town with shows, council meetings, dances and much more. When the Second World War ended, the town saw new schools and larger halls being built. The building lost its popularity and started to deteriorate.
In 1970, under the leadership of John Walsh, the council turned over the building to local seniors. With the help of grants and many volunteer hours, the seniors were able to restore the building and make it a meeting place for seniors and locals, for activities, parties, dinners etc.
Fifty-three years later, the township no longer feels the hall is a safe building to be in. We, the members, are uncertain as to what the problem is, as we have never received a structural engineer’s report which would outline what the problems are. We do not have a leaky roof, or walls and you can not see daylight from inside.
The town would like us to vacate the building and rent the upper floor of the community centre. The stairs there would be a definite challenge for seniors and the elevator only holds two at a time. We have shuffleboard equipment, cribbage tables, a pool table and card tables that we would not be able to take with us.
Presently people rent the hall at a reasonable price for various events. The money generated from these events helps to pay the bills. This would not be permitted at the community centre, making it very challenging for the seniors to pay the rent bill for use of the upper hall of the community centre.
VON Smart exercise is taught at the hall for zero cost to the seniors. This could only take place at the community centre if there was an employee working at that time to let the members in and it would not be free. There would be no guarantee that the exercise could take place on a regular basis or at all. AA has used the Senior’s Hall for many years. They too would have no where to go.
If you take a look around the town at any function, you will notice that many of the people doing the work are seniors. They volunteer a great deal of their time and energy to help our community. They do not receive any money for the endless hours that they put in. They do, however appreciate the fact that they have a building in which they can play shuffleboard, cards and exercise – helping to keep their minds and bodies in good shape so that they can volunteer in the community.
If the Arthur Senior’s Hall is closed and there is no viable place to relocate, what kind of disservice will you be doing to the seniors who dedicate much of their time and talents to make this community a better place to live in? Have they not earned the right to keep the building that was established for them 53 years ago?
Patti Emery,
Arthur Seniors Club