When the Ontario Village Board sought citizen input on use of FEMA funds on Tuesday, the group generally agreed to give priority to construction of an open pavilion at the former Ontario Community Hall site.
Besides the board, about 13 people attended the meeting.
In addition to the pavilion idea, the board may submit two community-hall-replacement proposals to FEMA. The first option would involve tearing down the 1937 section of the former Ontario Elementary School building and adding a larger room to the 1983 section. The board already has invested $140,000 in the 1983 section, though it noted it could possibly sell the building instead of designating it for public use. Most at the meeting seemed to favor expanding the 1983 wing of the former Ontario Elementary School.
Another possibility is adding on to the current Ontario Fire Station, expanding it toward Garden Street.
Furthermore, the board pondered whether the village still needed a larger public space, noting that rentals at the Ontario Community Hall had decreased in recent years.
Though at one time the village had considered renovating the former MECA sewing plant building on Lincoln Street as either a community hall or a fire station, it has since been sold to Taylor Signs of Wilton.
According to preliminary plans, the pavilion would be 72 by 96 feet with a standing seam roof. Canvas panels could be raised and lowered to enclose the structure if desired, plus the board considered installing infrared heat in the ceiling, thus allowing it to be used in colder weather.
FEMA would not allow panels made of more substantial material such as glass, metal or wood. Tor Eness of rural Ontario, who in the past organized country concerts at the now-demolished Ontario Community Hall, told the board that canvas would in fact provide better acoustics.
Some questioned if the 1937 section of the former elementary school could be saved. In response, board president Mark Smith said that doing so would entail spending “serious money,” as the building needs a new roof, plumbing, electrical, windows and heating system. The school closed in 1995 after the Norwalk and Ontario elementary schools were consolidated at the Brookwood site. Since then, the Ontario building has been vacant and largely unmaintained for a significant portion of that time.
The village will attempt to ascertain if school demolition costs, which Smith estimated at about $80,000, could be covered by FEMA funds.
The board plans to discuss the matter further at its regular meeting Monday.
