| OCTOBER 11, 2012 -- The Cherry Brook Grange is disbanding after nearly 70 years and has offered its grange hall to the town.
That offer was outlined to the board of selectmen when it met on Wednesday. Grange officials said when the group will be officially disbanded has not been determined but they want to offer the hall to the town as a last act of public service to the community. A condition of accepting the hall is that the town must use it for community functions.
Timothy LeGeyt, a past master of the grange, said after the presentation that the group is disbanding because of declining membership. He said the local grange was founded in 1947 and that the hall was built from timbers taken from houses in Winsted destroyed by the flood of 1955.
Grange officails told the selectmen that the only other serious option for them is to give the hall to the Connecticut State Grange but that group would likely just sell it.
The grange hall is at 534 Cherry Brook Road. The selectmen took no action but some members said they are open to accepting the donation. First Selectman Richard Barlow said the hall could be a good resource for the town.
"It's tough to take on another piece of infrastructure, but this could provide a good place for community activities in North Canton, it's the kind of gift that keeps on giving," Barlow said.
The hall is structurally sound but needs some repairs, Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner told the board. That includes a new roof and fixing a floor beam damaged by water leaks, he said.
"This is a generous gift and I would love for the town to have the building, although I would love it more if the building had a new roof on it," said selectman Lowell Humphrey. "Accepting this building means money and manpower and we have a difficult enough time keeping up with the buildings we already have."
The selectmen decided to hold off on making a decision until town staff can develop a more precise estimate on what it would cost to fix up the building.
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