Historic Ramona Town Hall Remains Closed; County May Step in to Take Over Management

By Ruth Lepper

The historic Town Hall, once a hub of activity in Ramona, has been sitting idle about four years — a source of frustration to many in the community. With insurance rates escalating, the board of directors decided in 2001 to close the facility to the public.

The two-story adobe building, constructed in 1893 by Augustus Barnett and deeded in trust to the people of Ramona, was severely damaged by an arson fire on Jan. 28, 1995. An out-of-court insurance settlement of $350,000 was not enough to completely restore the old building.

“There’s really no revenue being generated,” said Beverly Ragsdale, president of the governing board of Ramona Town Hall Inc. “The insurance really started escalating after the arson fire. Usually, after a claim with an insurance company, your rates go up.”

In the past few years, annual insurance premiums had run between $5,000 and $7,000, she said, but in 2004, the rate jumped to $18,000.

“After the fire, we had a building that couldn’t be used,” Ragsdale said.

The Town Hall’s share of the settlement, after attorney fees and other expenses were paid, was about $250,000, Ragsdale said. The money was used to do some repair work, enough to open the east wing for meetings. The west wing and main hall remained closed, however, and money ran out before renovations could start on those areas of the building.

Ragsdale said a monthly income of $2,400 would be needed to meet ongoing expenses, such as utilities and insurance. She has been in contact with the Ramona Pioneer Historical Society and the Ramona Chamber of Commerce about taking over the Town Hall but neither organization is interested, she said.

However, help might be on the way from the county. Supervisor Dianne Jacob has asked the recently appointed Ramona Town Center committee to look into the Town Hall situation. The committee serves as an advisory panel to the county Board of Supervisors but does not act in an official capacity.

“I need something from the community that (indicates) there’s interest in the community for the county to take over the Town Hall,” she said.

Jacob said the county does have an interest in helping with the Town Hall. She has consulted with the county Parks and Recreation Department about the issue.

“If it means for the county to take over the Town Hall, I would be willing to promote that,” she said. “At the present time, the county doesn’t have money to put into it.”

Jacob said she is depending on the Ramona Town Center committee to let her know whether there is community interest and what should be done with the building. If the county is asked to step in, the supervisor “will need a letter from the community in order for (the county) to do that,” she said.

“I don’t want to be presumptuous and conclude that that would be the wishes of the community,” she added. “If it is, I’m certainly willing to work on that and make it happen.”

One of the county’s first steps would be to try to raise enough money to finish the renovation and continue with the upkeep, she said.

“The county would then manage the Town Hall, unless we contract with a community group to take over the management of it,” Jacob said. “It’s a very important historical structure right in the middle of the town. I definitely want to help bring it back to where it was at one time (and) complete the renovation.”

Bryan Woods, chairman of the Ramona Town Center committee, said the Town Hall will be on the June 15 meeting agenda. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the former shoe store at 1905 Main St. Bob Cooper, the county’s assistant chief administrative officer, is expected to attend, and the public is encouraged to be present to voice views on the outcome of Ramona Town Hall.

Woods said the 11-member committee discussed the Town Hall dilemma in May and the consensus was in favor of the county taking over the building.

“It’s been a suggestion from both Dianne’s office and the (chief administrative officer) that the county would take over ownership and indemnify it and get it open,” Woods said. “We would support that.”

At present, the Town Hall Board of Trustees are Woody Kirkman, Sandee Salvatore and Ragsdale. Board meetings are not held on a regular basis. Any action would require the approval of the Town Hall board before the county could take over the building.

The hall was originally designed by San Diego architect William Sterling Hebbard and built by contractor Titus O. Samuels. The cost of the building in 1893 was $17,000 and was paid by Barnett. The land, covering two town lots, each measuring 50 feet by 150 feet, was donated by developer Milton Santee.

In the past, the Town Hall was home to Ramona’s first high school. Classes met upstairs from 1894 to 1898. The town’s first bank and first library also started in the building, and several religious groups met there before their churches were built.

Other organizations that met in the Town Hall included Ramona Grange, Santa Maria Masonic Lodge, Ramona Pioneer Historical Society, Ramona Chamber of Commerce, Ramona Art Guild, Town Hall Players and Ramona Council of Arts, Unlimited.

The Town Hall was used as a theater in the 1940s, with Harry Miles running the movie projector. It also was known as the community dance hall and the site of costume balls.

But Ragsdale doesn’t envision the Town Hall returning to what it was in the past.

“Even if we get that Town Hall sopen again, it’s not going to be big enough for any townwide meetings,” she said. “We need to retrofit the building. There’s no air conditioning or heating in there. Even if it gets opened up again and we get enough money to have it financially survive, it’s going to have to be a commercially run building.”

And that, she said, could create a problem.

“People who may want to donate to a nonprofit entity wouldn’t want to donate to a commercial building,” she said. “As a historical building, it really does need to be restored, but people need to understand that the chances are, it will have to be used as a commercial building instead of a community building.”