It may be only a partial facelift, but work is underway to restore areas of the Clark Lake Community Center that have been under siege by nature.  Under the watchful eye of M-R Builder’s Mike McKay, soffits are being mended.  “Critters try to make this home their home by boring holes into vulnerable areas” according the Community Center Treasurer John Deming.  “It doesn’t take much room for a critter to move in.”  Mike McKay comments “we’re using wood filler to plug the holes to keep the house tight.” In the photo, Jim Roberts is sanding some of the area that will eventually be repainted.

The Community Center is not a new building.  In fact construction was not completed in this century or even the previous one, but in the 19th century.  It’s now in its 117th year. Clark Lake residents love to revisit the story of how the Graziani cottage on Kentucky Point was moved by barge to its present location in the County Park.  Not only is the structure itself a significant part of our history, but the process of moving it was a chapter in and of itself. You can read the story of how Benjamin Graziani came to build the cottage and the family’s long occupancy of it by clicking here. 

The maintenance and improvement of this iconic structure is continuing process.  The Community Center board works hard at it.  Only part of the expenses are defrayed by rentals, so they look to people who love the idea of what this structure represents to make donations.  Click here for details on how to rent the Center for your event and details on the work ahead to keep this part of Clark Lake history well preserved so that it’s an ongoing benefit to residents.