By Cecilia Nasmith/Northumberland 89.7 FM/Today’s Northumberland
Mayor Lucas Cleveland took a moment at Wednesday’s council meeting to thank Victoria Hall Volunteers for their latest donation.
Victoria Hall Volunteers have been thanked by the town on many occasions since they were formed in the 1970s, and this week’s council meeting was the most recent time.
Mayor Lucas Cleveland noted that, over the years, the group has spent more than $380,000 on various projects around Victoria Hall, from the ground-floor display cabinets to clock-tower repairs.
Most recently they approved funding of $14,533 for much-needed kitchen upgrades in the Concert Hall.
These include electrical work, two holding cabinets and steel folding tables.
They also tackled the $312 project of recovering four chairs in the mayor’s office. These particular chairs, Cleveland noted, had been donated by the late Lenah Field Fisher, who was born at 212 King St. W. (the same house where Marie Dressler was born) and was serving on Cobourg council in 1971 at a critical time.
Victoria Hall was 110 years old at the time, and there was serious debate about demolishing the building when it was learned that restoration would be a $7-million project. Field proved an activist on the preservation side, which eventually carried the day. And when it reopened, the Victoria Hall Volunteers dedicated themselves to its continued restoration and preservation.
