Thursday, November 5th, 2015
New Rockford park building taking shape
By Jesse Pollack
Photo by Jesse Pollack/The Daily Standard
Construction crews work on Wednesday on the new building in Rockford's Shanes Park. Village administrator Jeff Long says the new Shanes Hall will serve as a concession stand and storage building. If additional funds are raised, officials will add bathrooms and a kitchenette.
ROCKFORD - Construction began this week on a building to replace the concession and storage building in Shanes Park.
The current Shanes Hall, built in 1920, has fallen into disrepair, village administrator Jeff Long said.
"It gets rented out about 22 weeks out of the year," he said, "but it's still a crappy old building. We're building a nice new building."
Construction crews on Tuesday set the posts for the new hall. The building will be 50 feet by 30 feet and feature a porch on two sides.
The project entered the building phase when the village raised $22,000 - about half of the hall's budget.
"The funding has come in mostly through donations," Long said.
Donors include the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the American Legion, the Shanes Crossing Historical Society and private individuals.
When completed, the building will serve as a concession stand and storage facility.
However, according to Long, if additional funding is received, the village will add two restrooms and a kitchenette.
The new building is being erected next to the original Shanes Hall, which will be torn down in the spring, Long said.
