Sport a T-Shirt to Help Restore Ramona Town Hall

It won’t be long before people wearing commemorative T-shirts will be seen around town. The shirts will be sold at , 734 Main St.

Sandee Salvatore, secretary of the Town Hall Association, said the shirts should be available by the end of March. The board also has ordered framed posters of a print of the Town Hall, measuring 12 by 18 inches, which should be available at the same time. All proceeds from the sales of T-shirts and posters will go toward the restoration of the 117-year-old building.

Plans are moving along for membership in a newly formed organization, Friends of Ramona Town Hall, headed by honorary mayor, Sharon Davis.  The rates are: $20 for individuals; $40 for a family; $50 for a business or organization; $100 for a life membership; $150 for a memorial; and $1,000 for a benefactor.

The life and memorial memberships will include a pewter medallion featuring the Town Hall and small plaque. The benefactor category comes with a three-piece set of medallions – pewter, silver and brass – along with the plaque.

Members also will receive a monthly newsletter, invitation to an ice cream social and annual dinner, and discounts on renting the hall. Membership forms will be available online at www.ramonatownhall.com.

In other business, plans are in the works to add heating and air-conditioning to the hall. The board also is moving forward with hiring an electrician to switch out the lighting in the east and west wings.

“The bulbs now are obsolete and we can’t get them anymore,” Salvatore said.

A work party has been scheduled for 9 a.m. April 16 to get ready for the electrical work, as well as cleaning the main hall and the back yard. Salvatore said volunteers are needed to join the trustees on the work crews.

School tours are expected to start in May, under the direction of trustee Bob Hailey. They will be offered for free to groups and will coincide with tours at the local museum.

Another fundraiser for the Town Hall is the purchasing of sheets of drywall. The fee has yet to be determined, but Salvatore explained that once people pay for the sheet, they will have an opportunity to decorate the sheet before it is installed.

“We’ll sell the sheets, then you can come in by yourself or with your family and write a message on that sheet, do artwork, whatever won’t harm the drywall,” Salvatore said. “It will remain that way after the wall is covered. It’s kind of like a little time capsule. You can come to the hall, do your artwork, and it will be there for posterity.”

In other business, the board approved renting the office space two evenings a month to the Stephens Ministry from Mountain View Community Church. Judith Guest, leader of the group, said she will be training others to work with people who need counseling in coping with situations in their lives.

More candidates are needed to run for honorary mayor. The deadline is April 1 and entry forms are available online. A person can be nominated for $1. Each person will campaign for the next three months, collecting votes at $1 apiece. The candidate who raises the most money will be named honorary mayor at the annual Fourth of July celebration at Olive Peirce Middle School.