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New Hampshire

Derry's Upper Village Hall could get new lease on life

By Eric Parry
eparry@eagletribune.com
Published: July 2, 2009

DERRY — Glimpses into Derry's past are visible in just about every corner of Upper Village Hall.

Stage curtains from the turn of the last century are stored in the attic. A glass window on the first floor is left over from when the East Derry post office was in the building. An oil stain on the floor of the hall's main room is left over from when the East Derry Fire Department parked its trucks in the building.

The hall has been empty since 2005, but a group of residents is looking to restore the building and bring it back to life.

A public hearing will be held on July 14, when the East Derry Village Improvement Society will ask the town if it can buy the hall for $1.

Then the group can start restoring the 133-year-old building and community groups will once again be able to call the building home.

"All we need is the place turned over to us," said Paul Dionne, a member of the Save the Upper Village Hall Committee.

The committee formed last year to find a purpose for the building, but soon realized the best option would be for the East Derry group to take charge since it is already a registered nonprofit group that has existed since 1902.

One option would be to have Taylor Library expand into the 4,000-square-foot basement of the hall. The library has been planning an expansion of its building, which is across the street from the hall, for years. It has even raised money for the project, but the town hasn't set a date when it would like to see it completed.

"That minimal rent would start paying for the rest of the operations," said David Milz, a member of the East Derry group.

The group would like to rent the first floor of the building, so there would have to be space for a caterer to set up food and drinks.

The building could even host weddings since there is plenty of parking and the hall is surrounded by four acres of forest.

One of the first jobs would be to paint the exterior to protect the building.

"People would notice it and maybe encourage some donations," Dionne said.

When the doors were closed in 2005, the heating and plumbing systems were never winterized, so all the pipes burst in the building.

In addition to plumbing, the building's electrical system would have to be updated.

Sprinklers would have to be installed to comply with fire codes. A staircase leading to the second floor would have to be replaced if the two meeting rooms on that floor were going to be rented. The stairs don't meet fire code.

"This is the ideal time to overhaul it completely," Milz said.

To completely restore the building would take about five years, Milz said.

The basement has already had some work done. Milz, Dionne and some other volunteers cleaned up the basement last summer. They tore down three walls in the basement and were surprised to find hand-cut granite making up the building's foundation since most of it is made of brick.

The East Derry group hopes that's how a lot of the restoration work will be done — volunteers offering their services and supplies.

Milz estimates it could cost about $500,000 to get the building habitable.

"We're looking for the penny, nickel and dime donations because they all add up," Milz said.

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