Newton Falls committee provides updates on Community Center

A committee aimed at saving the old Newton Falls Community Center met with the public Monday night to discuss it's next steps.

The former USO building is on the National Register of Historic Places but needs a lot of money to get fixed.

City manager Pam Priddy says they're looking for grants up to a million dollars to help with the costs.

The biggest need right now is asbestos removal and fixing the flooring. Priddy estimates it will cost around $120,000 to remediate the asbestos and another $35,000 for the flooring but she says it will be all worth it in the end.

"There has been a big void by not having it open," Priddy said. "As you heard this evening, a lot of people have used it for wedding receptions, birthday parties. It was a place for people just to gather and you know we had silver sneakers in there, we had a lot of senior events, we had dances, a number of different things that occurred in that center that there is no place to have them at this point in time within in the community."

Priddy says once they get the asbestos removed, flooring fixed and some interior cleaning, it can reopen to the public. Insurance already covered fixing the roof.