Thorne municipal hall returning to municipality

Thorne municipal hall returning to municipality

At the MRC Pontiac council of mayors meeting last Wednesday (October 19), Thorne pro-Mayor Robert Wills spoke about the ownership of the municipal hall, an issue that loomed large in the municipality over the years.

Terry Murdock, the mayor from 2013 to 2017, had taken legal action against the Thorne Community Recreation Association (TCRA), arguing that the initial sale of the building to them for $1 in the 1980s was illegal. He also noted that the municipality was ineligible for certain grants since they didn’t own the building.

In a follow-up email, Wills said that the process of transferring the building was still ongoing, and praised the efforts of the TCRA volunteers over the years. He added that the TCRA was “reeling” from legal costs over the ownership dispute, followed by not being able to fundraise effectively during COVID.

“We’re seeking a person for a full-time maintenance job, the building has had inspections with regard to various utilities which need upgrading. Remember, it’s an old school building from 1955, and so there have been many ad hoc additions over the decades,” he wrote. “So, as when any real estate item changes ownership, there is an updating of systems, to present standards. We’re still working out how to arrange rentals of the facilities, so as to be fair to all who use the building, and appeal to more varied uses of the spaces. The Municipality has been renting part of the building for years, and the Center is the official emergency shelter and communications hub. We’re hoping that the Recreational Association will continue to sponsor events in the building, and that Oktoberfest might continue to use parts of the facilities for its annual event.”