The words shown in the graphic, soon to appear as a banner at the front entrance of the Andover Community Hub, have two meanings:

First, they invite the public to pay a visit to the interior of Andover’s old town hall, and to learn about – and take part in – all the activities and events recurring there after the long COVID-caused hiatus.

And second, they invite the same public – mainly, all the people of Andover – to actively participate in a just-announced fundraising campaign to make the old town hall more user-friendly, more able to withstand the elements, and better able to accommodate a wider variety of community activities.

So the message is this: “Come on in, Andover folks, and through your donations and participation help bring the Hub back to life and open to a broader variety of local residents’ interests and abilities.”

The goals of the fundraising campaign are:

Construction of an access ramp from the parking lot to the first floor

• Construction of an accessible first-floor bathroom
• Replacement of the badly-leaking roof
• Construction of a community kitchen

Estimated total cost of these improvements, and the goal of the fundraising campaign, is $100,000. 

For more information and to make a donation in any amount to this community-building campaign, residents can contact the Hub at TheAndoverHub@nullgmail.com or 603 735-5509. Contributions can also be mailed to the Andover Community Hub at PO Box 157, Andover NH 03216; dropped off in the mailbox to the right of the Hub’s front door; or made using PayPal through the Hub’s website at AndoverHub.org.

In addition to support from local individuals and businesses, funds have already been received or pledged from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund and the New Hampshire Electric Coop Foundation; and additional foundation grants have been applied for. To date, $21,000 has been received or pledged toward this “access for all” campaign.

Hub volunteers are hoping that donations to the campaign will permit construction to begin this winter for the roof replacement, and as soon as snow is off the ground next spring for the access ramp. The main floor accessible bathroom is nearing completion, and work on the kitchen will begin with the help of volunteers this winter but not be completed until late 2022. Watch for campaign progress in future issues of the Beacon and on the Hub’s Facebook page.

And please, the Hub volunteers request, “Come On In.”