A jewel

It's a place where you would be proud to host your son or daughter's wedding reception.

A large covered portico greets you at the entrance, and upon entering the building you can't help but noticing that everything is first class.

The Penn Forest Township Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 reopened its renovated banquet hall last weekend, and the transformation is impressive.

The million dollar project, $632,000 of which was received through Speaker of the House Keith McCall's grant, and the rest financed through the Jim Thorpe National Bank, is money well spent.

After a long wait, the facility will once again be the social hub of the community.

The kitchen has been upgraded, there's a new roof over the engine bay. The parking lot's been repaved, and there's a new septic system.

There's no doubt the hall will be a source of income for the fire company. Down the road we can envision many weddings, banquets and other affairs being held there, thanks to a new upgraded and larger kitchen.

But the hall will be more than a social enterprise. In the event that there is an emergency, the hall is equipped to handle displaced people. New shower facilities have been added to the restrooms and will be available for emergency situations requiring sheltering people. In the event of some emergency, like a prolonged power outage in the township due to weather conditions or other situations, there's an emergency generator that would keep power in operation.

And last, but certainly not least, Bingo will be returning to the hall in mid-January.

The banquet hall serves as a tribute to a community working together. A million dollar project is no easy task to undertake and finance during these difficult economic times. But, thanks to the grant money, and the community working together with the fire company, the mission was accomplished.

We're confident residents of Penn Forest will patronize and utilize the new facility. It's aready the jewel of the township. The volunteers who are involved in the fire department should be very proud of their efforts.

Bob Urban

rurban@tnonline.com