Watford residents will be using Centennial Hall until at least 2018.
That from Warwick Township council which has set up a special committee of council to figure out what should be done with the aging community hall.
A consultant recently told Warwick Council the 50 year-old community hall is not up to code and suggested it should be closed instead of sinking hundreds of thousands of dollars into it.
He suggested community events could be accommodated in either the Warwick Hall or the local arena. That caused concern from groups in Watford who want Centennial to remain open saying it has more space. Members of the local gun club, which has a shooting range in the basement, are also concerned. They say it would be next to impossible to replicate what they have in Centennial Hall.
The consultant also suggested building a new hall instead of renovating Centennial.
Mayor Todd Case says the new group will be made up mainly of members of the current recreation committee. It meets regularly with community groups who are hall users and council believes it would be the best to get input from the groups.
“They’re going to expand it to other groups like churches, Boy Scouts or Girl Guides who have expressed an interest already,” says Case. It’s not clear how long the committee will consult but the mayor says the township has worked with the fire department to make sure the hall meets fire code and he believes it can be used into 2018, when the municipality has a better idea what its next steps will be.