Pennville renovation

Pennville’s community center has gotten a facelift.

Contractors finished nearly $95,000 in renovations this summer to the building on 210 S. Union. St., which included new gutters, windows, doors, flooring, lighting, appliances and sound-dampening blocks, as well as newly painted walls, updated bathrooms and brickwork. The facility also received a ceiling in the dining hall along with a new roof and roof cap. Shalee Myron, Pennville community center committee president, explained they wanted to accommodate all community members.

“We just wanted a (nice) place here in Pennville that people could come and just enjoy different community activities,” she said.

Committee members raised about $95,000 for the project starting in 2019. Volunteer and former community center president Joe Vinson estimated it had been about 30 years since the building has been renovated.

He explained renovations were needed, but it became more evident as a community need when the COVID-19 pandemic caused schools to close.

“We really started to look at ways we could help the community and, I guess, allow it to continue to thrive even without a school,” Vinson said. “We thought one of the ways we could do that was to have a really nice facility that people could use in the town.”

Community members often rent the building for reunions, small wedding receptions, birthday parties and baby showers. The center has recently hosted exercise classes and sign-painting classes. There’s also five or six fish fries at the facility — the next fish fry is Nov. 13 — and holiday events like easter egg hunts and visits with Santa.

Myron noted people from all over Jay County are welcome and encouraged to use the building.

She also recognized the 83 donors who donated toward the cause and a $50,000 grant from The Portland Foundation.

“I think it’s really important that they know that, you know, we have done our best to do everything we could with the money that we were given,” Myron said.

“We didn’t get everything that we wanted, but we’re still working hard to write grants.”

The committee is now seeking funding to update the heating and cooling systems.

Recently, The Portland Foundation granted $3,000 to the community center to add more chairs, a water heater, a refrigerator, a stainless steel commercial-grade three-compartment sink and a baby changing station.

The United Way also donated funds to purchase different sanitation items, such as towels, washcloths, face masks and gloves, for the community center’s monthly fish fry. On Sept. 12, the community center served more than 200 to-go fish meals.

“We’ve always heard, ‘Well it’s just Pennville, it’s just Pennville. Things don’t have to be the best or the nicest. It’s just Pennville,’” Myron said. “When people came in (to the fish fry), they were just so excited to see this nice place here.”

The eight-member community center committee is currently looking for new members. Local residents interested in joining or renting the building can check out the Facebook page for more information.