Mineola Community Center Coming Down

   The Mineola Community Center building is coming down, but an effort is now underway to replace the structure that has served as a local gathering place since 1916.
    In August, the community center was heavily damaged in a pair of hail and wind storms. The building sustained roof, window, siding and interior damage, but repair costs are more than the community wants to invest in the 95-year-old structure.
    “The building has to come down,” Mineola banker Duane Kahl said. “The plan now is to get pledges for construction of a new building on the site. If we don’t get the pledges, we won’t get anything built.”
    Kahl said modifications are being made to the community center’s status as a non-profit corporation so that tax-deductible donations and grants can be accepted.
    The goal, Kahl said, is to get $30,000 to $40,000 in pledges by the end of winter. Some pledges have already been made, he said.
    A new building is expected to carry a price tag of between $130,000 and $140,000. Kahl said Mineola American Legion Post 705 would be a partner in the proposed facility.
    A community center meeting in Mineola is planned for Jan. 17.