It has been almost 4 years since the Parish Association acquired the former Municipal House.
The agreement with the municipality included a purchase price of 1 krona and 600,000 kr for investments and repairs. The municipality also leases the library premises until March 2022.
“It was a big undertaking for us,” says Franz Larsson, who is the contact person for the group that takes extra care of the Parish House. Other members are Roine Andersson, Göran Blomkvist, Kenneth Broqvist and Ninna Lundin. And then there are of course skilled craftsmen on hand. “The parish house is old and worn out, so it constantly needs to be improved and repaired. There is now WiFi throughout the building and the large halls have been equipped with technical equipment. The Lärka Hall and the Parish Hall have been repainted. Storage spaces and locking systems have been improved and some new ceiling fixtures have been installed. But now the elevator is out of order and that is not something we had expected,” sighs Franz.
“We have gained better control and economy over energy costs because the control system is more efficient today,” says Göran Blomkvist.
When Solleröbladet is in Lärkasalen, the blows of Ove Eriksson's hammer are heard. The new catering kitchen is being built. "It will be a boost for the entire building," says Roine Andersson. "Now it will be attractive for meetings, events and parties. The challenge will be to lay a new wooden floor in Lärkasalen, but plans are in full swing there."
Revenue is needed for the Parish House to “run its own”. That is why there are several tenants: the BID project and Patrik Håll's company have offices here.
Klippen rents Norpan and Djuprummet. The pensioners rent the old IOGT premises. Sold's Finest plays rockabilly and a group brews beer in the basement where Bittis Nöjen also has its storage of stage clothes and props. Per Andersson's company rents premises upstairs where there is also a rental apartment.
The parish office is staffed by volunteers. The service point is a meeting place with a connected computer where you can get community services and you can borrow books from the fine library. In the basement there is the interesting village archive.
What are the future plans? The floor is first in the pipeline, as well as an extended cooperation agreement with the municipality. When the pandemic has subsided, the Parish House will be an important meeting place again!
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