by Danielle Ray
The 1835 Town Hall and the Town of Sterling have been awarded a capital grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) in the amount of $100,000 to restore the great hall in the historic building. 1835 Town Hall Committee Chair Robert McKay Jones worked alongside Sterling Historical Society Curator David Gibbs for a month to complete the grant application and process. Gibbs has experience with grant writing, but for Jones it was new territory.
“It was tough, I had never done it before,” said Jones. “Putting all of the substantiation together and getting support from local representatives took a lot of time and effort.”
CFF grants support projects that create jobs in construction and cultural tourism; expand access and education in the arts, humanities, and sciences; and improve the quality of life in cities and towns across Massachusetts.
Jones, who has been a member of the 1835 Town Hall Committee since 2014, said he was “surprised and elated” when he received an email from Miranda Cook at CCF saying they were the recipients of the substantial grant.
“We had been told the chances of getting it are pretty slim,” Jones said. “There are a lot of applicants. We were not expecting to receive anything at this point in the game, and we’re really very pleased that we got this.”
Jones said the timing of the grant “is near perfect,” as it dovetails with the roof and lift projects that are underway and being paid for by funds in the amount of $298,000 voted through at the May 2017 annual town meeting.
The 1835 Committee will meet this month to formulate a plan, working with the architect, to figure out what they can accomplish with the grant money. Jones said the funds are targeted to be used to “to restore the great hall to what it once was,” as well as to complete the roofing project, update lighting, install audio/visual capabilities, and get the gallery in good shape.
“By this time next year, the 1835 will be fully accessible and the great hall will be open to the public to do things they haven’t done there since the 1940s,” said Jones. “For the last 15 years or more the 1835 Town Hall Committee has been maintaining the building. Starting next year, the committee can focus on how the building is being used and on cultural events instead of painting and fixing.”
Jones said he envisions dances, concerts, dinners, lectures, and other events being held in the oldest building in Sterling. In recent years, the building has been utilized for Sterling Recreation Department programs, meetings, and more.
“I think back to our forefathers that made the town what it is. The 1835 was the center of the community for them,” Jones said. “If we forgot that, if we lost that, what a sin that would be.”