Steve Eckard plans to fill the void left by the demise of the Bethany Community Center by opening a new large meeting place on the property of the Eckard’s store.
The sale of the community center and fire station to make way for the Dollar General Store received a mixed reaction in Bethany where area residents and groups were worried about finding a new location for reunions and meetings.
Eckard, a Stanberry businessman, had a vacant warehouse and former restaurant north of his store that he decided to remodel as a community center.
He said it was a spur of the moment decision.
“I do a lot of things without thinking about it,” he chuckled.
The Eckard’s store manager, John Findley, has been in charge of getting the building ready for community gatherings and meetings. The floor is being re-tiled and other repairs are being made.
Space in the building became available with the closing of Shooter’s Restaurant. The former barbeque facility is 50 by 50 feet and the warehouse portion has a high ceiling that would be ideal for a banquet hall, Eckard said.
“That building has been underserved,” the Eckard’s owner said, and “we haven’t tried very hard to find a new tenant.”
Once the renovation has been completed, the building will be rented out for banquets, reunions and meetings.
Harrison County officials have also been looking at moving the Bethany voting precinct to the building for future elections. County Clerk Jackie Deskins said Bethany residents will vote in the courthouse lobby for the March 15 Presidential Preference Primary, but the Eckard’s site may be available in time for the April 5 municipal election.