Jim Thorpe Borough will celebrate the dedication of its newly renovated Memorial Hall on Wednesday. An open house will run from 1-6:30 p.m., with a ceremony beginning at 4 p.m.

Borough council held its first meeting in the new facility in September after years of planning and construction.

“The residents now have a facility that’s going to carry us forward,” council President Greg Strubinger said. “We’ll never need to expand again. 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 complete 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 Construction was awarded $895,125 for electrical work.

Funding for the project came from several sources, including $4.74 million in financing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and $3.96 million in federal appropriations.

The effort to renovate Memorial Hall began nearly a decade ago.

“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.”

Rising costs delayed the project.

“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 updated 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 occupies the lower level.

“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, which had served as a banquet and social facility until 2017, will once 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.”