Town Officials Agree to Repair Damage to Kenbridge Community Center

 By Brian Nowlin, Staff Writer

KENBRIDGE – Kenbridge Mayor Emory Hodges recently spoke to town council members about maintenance issues at the Kenbridge Community Center. The building, which houses the town offices, police department, Kenbridge Auditorium and other businesses, has some damage caused by water leaks.

Mayor Hodges said that he and others had been around the location and discovered areas where there was damage to the plaster and walls in the building.

He had also gotten a repair cost estimate of $9,987.00, received from Richmond Primoid Inc., a business that specializes in fixing issues such as this. Mayor Hodges stated, “This is not something that we want to have to pay for right now, but if we don’t fix it, we will end up having more expense to fix problems down the road.”

He went on to say that the issues needed to be fixed immediately instead of waiting for the upcoming winter weather to possibly make them worse.

Councilman Ken Blackburn stated, “We can’t just let the building continue to take on more damage.”

Blackburn also said that while funding issues continue to be a concern, there were some areas that had been put in the budget that may allow for that designated money to be used. He noted that there was some funding set aside to relocate the treasurer and administrative offices possibly downstairs in the building. That coupled with some of the budget maintenance money would come close to covering the expense. The group also asked Town Manager Robyn Fowler to see if the bill could be paid in more than one payment.

Blackburn stated, “I think we just need to go ahead and do it.” The other members agreed as the motion was made and approved by the group to go ahead with the repairs.