The iconic Gridley Veterans Memorial Hall will soon reopen for public use. Photo by Mickey Mrakuzic

 

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - After five years of closure and more than a decade of limited access, the iconic Gridley Veterans Memorial Hall will soon reopen for public use, following a decisive vote by the Butte County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12.

The decision marks a significant shift in policy, reversing a 2013 resolution that restricted the hall’s use to veteran-sponsored events only, said Butte County Director of General Services, Mike Hodson. 

The Board will shift management of the facility to the Butte County Fair Association, a nonprofit organization that has agreed to take over rental scheduling, maintenance and custodial duties of the facility, which underwent a $1.6 million renovation and reopened to veterans earlier this year. 

Hodson said county staff, local veterans and representatives from the Fair Association met with Butte County Board Chair Tod Kimmelshue, whose district includes the Gridley area, to address longstanding logistical challenges, including the absence of the required veterans committee to manage public rentals, which made community access difficult. 

Public use of the historic building, which was constructed in 1926, responds to a growing demand for event space in Gridley, where few comparable facilities exist.

“The chairman (Kimmelshue) was very clear that he wanted the facility to be open to the public,” Hodson said. “It was an economic driver. It was a unique facility to the county.”

The proposed arrangement with the Fair Association will be limited to the Gridley facility and does not apply to other county halls, Hodson said. Veterans will keep priority access to the building and exclusive use of the designated meeting room, which will be rekeyed for their use only. 

Hodson said a Memorandum of Understanding is being drafted to define the County and Fair Association's roles and responsibilities. The Fairgrounds will serve as the main point of contact for public rentals and will track income and expenses related to the hall. Reporting frequency will be decided according to the level of rental activity.

The Board’s action honors the hall’s original purpose for veterans, while expanding its availability to the broader community for meetings, celebrations and gatherings, officials said. 

Financially, because the Fair Association is a nonprofit organization without bidding and prevailing wage requirements, maintenance costs for the Veterans Hall should be significantly lower, Hodson said. Once the agreement with the Fairgrounds is in place, no income or expenditure related to the Gridley Veterans Hall will go through county procedures or accounts. 

“You get away from all those other sorts of hurdles that make our cost so much more expensive,” Hodson said. “We will be able to have greater service for the hall and for maintaining the hall.”