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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Got survey? Return it soon ... AMS to host parent nights ... Elderly homeowner flees violent burglar ... Got survey? Return it soon ... AMS to host parent nights ... Elderly homeowner flees violent burglar ... TALENT New Talent Community Center to be dedicated during Harvest Festival Saturday New Community Center to be dedicated during Harvest Festival today Comment By Tony Boom For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Tony Boom For the Tidings Posted Oct. 2, 2015 at 5:56 PM By Tony Boom For the Tidings Posted Oct. 2, 2015 at 5:56 PM » Social News Weddings, ping-pong, memorials, gatherings, Food & Friends lunches and other activities will move from a 19th-century building to a 21st-century home with the opening of a new Talent Community Center Saturday. Dedication of the 5,000-square-foot center, located behind City Hall, will be at 11:30 a.m. as part of the town’s annual Harvest Festival. Tours of the facility will be available following the ceremony. The Harvest Festival runs from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in downtown with a pancake breakfast, races, parade, music and activities. For a schedule, see www.cityoftalent.org/harvestfestival . A $1.5-million federal Housing and Urban Development grant paid for the new Community Center. The city and donors covered other costs, as well as equipment that is not permanent. “It was built with federal funds for the benefit of the people,” said City Manager Tom Corrigan. City staff will manage the site. Talent sought the grant because the 1899 former schoolhouse on Main Street, a designated historic building, was experiencing wear and tear. Now renamed Town Hall, the building will continue to host city government meetings. HUD restrictions don’t allow government meetings in the new center for five years or the placement of a flagpole at the site. The agency wants the building to be viewed as a community center rather than a government building, Corrigan explained. Events already booked for the center include a community leaders' forum on pesticides on Oct. 16, a Rogue Climate Talent workshop on Oct. 24 and a mayor's conference for Southern Oregon economic leaders. “We will reach out to the other groups that have shown an interest,” said Corrigan. Ogden Roemer Wilkerson Architecture of Medford designed and engineered the building, Adroit Construction of Ashland built the center, and Talent Public Works crews installed landscaping. A 1,750-square-foot conference room is available for large gatherings and can be divided into two meeting spaces. There are two smaller meeting rooms, and a 675-square-foot dining area can seat 50 at tables and be used for meetings. Two patio areas with seating and tables are located outside the building. An arbor structure graces the front entryway. Forty-nine parking spaces were created for the center, and additional parking is available at the library and City Hall. A push-button entrance for those with disabilities can be accessed from the parking lot in back of the center. Sustainable practices were incorporated in the project. The roof was constructed for future installation of solar panels. A bio swale will handle all building runoff. Silverware will be used for all meals. Talent Food & Friends will look at expanding the number of days it offers lunches at the site. Meals currently are served Tuesdays and Thursdays. “It really depends on whether we can get volunteers to pick up the extra days and whether Talent is OK with us picking up those extra days,” said Evelyn Kinsella, nutrition manager for Rogue Valley Council of Governments, which oversees Food & Friends. A change in method could also be coming to the Meals on Wheels program in Talent. “Thanks to increased storage space and more efficient layout, the new kitchen also could allow the home-delivered meals to be packed on site,” said Kinsella. The operation would be more efficient, although the food would still be prepared elsewhere. The city spent $7,000 on freezers and refrigeration, and Food & Friends purchased a $3,000 sanitizing dishwasher. Visitors can enter two drawings Saturday. One is for a $50 gift card. The second is for a $50 credit on a city water bill. Tony Boom is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach him at [email protected]. By Tony Boom For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Tony Boom For the Tidings Posted Oct. 2, 2015 at 5:56 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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