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Work Continues at Benwood Community Center in Marshall County

The former steelworkers union hall in Benwood is close to becoming a place for events as the city continues progress on a $110,000 renovation project to establish a community center there.

Inside, much of the building has been cleaned up and painted, and a kitchen will soon be in place to accommodate large gatherings in a second-floor banquet hall. Chairs and tables will be purchased, and the room is big enough to hold at least 250 people, according to Mayor Ed Kuca.

And it won’t be the only room in the building available for events. A smaller space on the ground floor is being made into a place for more intimate celebrations with as many as 50 guests.

Other rooms in what will be the new Benwood Community Center will be available for lease as business space, said Police Chief Frank Longwell.

It was two years ago that city officials decided Benwood needed a community center, in part to host the city’s annual Christmas party for children.

Initially, city officials looked into building a new facility at Benwood Park on the site of the miniature golf course there, but cost estimates for this project came back at more than $500,000, according to Longwell.

Shortly after this, Longwell said he was patrolling the city when he noticed the former United Steelworkers of America Local 1185 John Green Hall on Water Street. The building had sat vacant in recent years, and was for sale.

The city purchased the building for $65,000, Longwell said. Renovations are expected to cost about $45,000, resulting in a total investment by the city of $110,000.

The banquet room will be ready in time for this year’s children’s Christmas party in December, Kuca said.

The former union hall was constructed during the 1950s, utilizing the work of local tradesmen and locally made products.

Kuca pointed out the steel ceiling on the third floor of the building, consisting of the “E-Deck” style made at the Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel’s Beech Bottom plant, where Kuca once worked.

And it appears today’s industry also is going to have a presence within the building. JLE Industries, located in Benwood’s industrial park, already has asked to lease out a larger room to use as training space for its workers, according to Longwell. The training must be done outside of its plant facility.

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