Jim Thorpe Borough Council held its first meeting in the newly renovated Memorial Hall on Thursday night, marking a return to the building after nearly two years of construction.

Council had been meeting at Jim Thorpe High School since late 2023.

Council President Greg Strubinger said the reopening was a milestone for the community.

“It feels great,” he said. “The residents now have a facility that’s going to carry us forward. We’ll never need to expand again. For most of the borough’s 71-year history, we rented buildings. In my time on council, we’ve met in at least four different locations. Now, everything is under one roof.”

The $9.69 million project included a full renovation of Memorial Hall and construction of a new public service garage.

Contracts for the hall were awarded in September 2023. Bognet Construction received $3,010,198 for general construction. JBM Mechanical was awarded $915,000 for mechanical work. Reading Mechanical received $337,200 for plumbing, and G.R. Noto Electrical Instruction was awarded $895,125 for electrical work.

Funding came from several sources. The borough secured $4.74 million in financing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and received $3.96 million in federal appropriations.

The effort to renovate Memorial Hall dates back nearly a decade.

“We started this in 2016 but couldn’t get it off the ground before the pandemic,” Strubinger said. “Here we are, almost 10 years later, finally getting into the building.”

Delays caused expenses to rise sharply.

“Before COVID, the project was just under $5 million,” Strubinger said. “After COVID, it doubled to $10 million. That was very disappointing. We were fortunate to receive HUD and USDA grants. Without those grants, the project never would have happened. We couldn’t have gone to taxpayers and asked for $5 million.”

The renovations included new HVAC systems and a redesigned interior layout. One-third of the top floor now serves as borough office space, while the rest remains a community center. The police department will move into the lower level.

Borough staff are scheduled to move Sept. 22-23.

“The borough will be closed those two days to move,” Strubinger said. “That should get us in here and up and running. The police will move their equipment that same week.”

Consolidating borough operations will improve efficiency, he added.

“The real benefit is having everything under one roof,” Strubinger said. “We have the community hall, the borough office and an executive conference room right off the council table. If we need a document during a meeting, staff can grab it. The police are right downstairs. It’s the best of all worlds.”

The top floor of Memorial Hall had been used as a banquet and social facility until 2017. The space will again be open to the public.

“We promised to dedicate this hall space back to the community,” Strubinger said. “Our first veterans event will be in November. For years, the volunteers who organize the annual Thanksgiving dinner for veterans had trouble finding a venue. Now they’ll have a permanent home here.”

Future uses could include senior events, youth programs and church breakfasts.

“We’re offering the space, but the borough can’t run all the events,” Strubinger said. “We hope community members will step up and start groups, like they have in Palmerton with the Concourse Club. The residents helped us pay for the facility, and now it’s here for them to use.”

He emphasized that the project will not place additional burdens on taxpayers.

“We had a small tax bump a few years ago to set aside money for the project,” Strubinger said. “We don’t expect any big tax increases going forward.”

The renovated hall, he added, is more practical for today’s needs.

“You don’t see 400- or 500-person events anymore,” Strubinger said. “The old hall was too big. Now it’s a beautiful space that can be used regularly by the community.”