Dayville awarded $472,000 for community hall

The city of Dayville received $472,000 in grants to improve and repair its 100-year-old community hall.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced Oct. 13 that Dayville was awarded $300,000 in Community Facility Disaster Grants and $172,000 in Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants to renovate the community hall.

“The community of Dayville is beyond thrilled that our beloved, 100-year-old community hall will be receiving the much-needed restoration and renovations that it so desperately stands in need of,” said Dayville City Recorder Ruthie Moore in a press release from U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley. “This old building is the heart of our community and throughout its 100 years has provided the space for dances, movies, high school basketball games, a box factory during WWII, a skating rink … weddings, plus so much more.”

Moore said, without the renovations, the city would be in jeopardy of losing the facility in the near future due to the building beginning to show its age.

“We are so grateful to the funding agencies who are making the restoration of this grand building happen, and we can’t wait to fill our old building with 100 more years of memories,” Moore said.

Dayville community hall was built in 1920. The funds awarded will help fund structural repairs, install insulation and a new roof, replace the kitchen and bathrooms and more.

“Every Oregonian in every part of our state — regardless of their zip code or their income — should have the facilities and infrastructure necessary to build community and stay safe from risks like wildfires and cyberattacks,” Merkley said. “…These grants will help cover some of those steep upfront costs and put essential services within reach for nearly 25,000 Oregonians.”