Raising the roof

County staff are working with the Hillier Rec Committee to finalize repairs with a view to reopening Hillier hall this spring.

Can Hillier hall ceiling be something for everyone?

The limestone structure with the red doors, standing on the corner of County Road 33 and Station Road in the heart of Hillier, is a deep-rooted piece of its community. It is nearly 150 years old, built the same year as Canada’s confederation.

Hillier Hall is a love letter to Hillier’s beginnings, the only building in the hamlet made of the material that seems to make up the County. As the former town hall, it’s also the building residents own as their community centre.

And yet the hall has stood empty for months now, as the County’s planning department and community groups try to work out the best way to start fresh.

In the fall, it became clear the hall’s false ceiling, built 48 years ago during Canada’s centennial, would have to go. Moisture had started to build behind it, causing it to bloat and crumble. The hall was shut down.

County council received the work order just in time to add it to the budget they were preparing. With the nod given by council, and an extra $6,000 kicked in by the Hillier Recreation Committee (HRC), the false ceiling was removed.

Other work became evident. The roof had to be fixed to prevent future damage and to connect it with the kitchen. This work was completed in January.

Now the interior ceiling is ready to be repaired. Initially, municipal staff proposed to restore it to its condition before the leak, replacing the false ceiling. HRC objected, and on the advice of engineers, it was agreed the original peaked ceiling would be maintained.

The next step was to determine how to improve the hall by improving the infrastructure of the ceiling. On one hand, the HRC wants to see the hall used as much and as diversely as possible. Proposals have come in for all sorts of workshops, galleries, theatre and even a summer camp in the hall. Many of those proposals rely on the ceiling accommodating them. On the other hand, municipal staff is leery of installing anything that could compromise the look and stability of the County’s designated heritage property. It is a balancing act.

County engineer Ernie Margetson, a resident of Hillier and one of the members of the heritage committee when the building was designated, happily volunteered his time to moderate and help design the ceiling, along with engineer Arnie Hoekstra.

“It’s very important the building be used as much as possible, I think. And that’s part of the aim—to incorporate future uses that the building may have, that haven’t been used for in the past,” says Margetson. “And I think the County just wants to make sure that the building is viable into the future, that the ceiling is in good shape and that there’s no health or safety issues. And also, of course, the building is designated under the Ontario heritage act, so all of us are aware of that and trying our best.”

The HRC has proposed adding a grid where the ceiling begins to slope upward to its point, 17 feet above the ground. The grid will be used to hang lights for theatre, a projector, speakers, installations for art show and curtains to black out light for performances. Other features will include dimmable pot lights for the committee’s famous fish fry and other dinners, fans and electrical outlets. While HRC hopes to add other features in the future, the grid is the key infrastructure to be built now, while the ceiling is being designed and rebuilt. It is where HRC’s financial contribution was intended to go— making the hall more flexible to use for the whole community.

Margetson says the draft drawings for the ceiling should be complete by the end of this week and, if approved, the should re-open in the spring.

“It’s a community centre for the Hillier township,” says Margetson. “And I think the more times it’s open and welcoming people in, it will add to the social life of the community. And it also is good for the building to be used. It’s sitting there, heated, and as much as it can be used, people will care for it and it will be something that people will take pride in.”