West Wing of Ramona Town Hall Re-Opens; Barnetts' Relatives Join Festivities

The west wing of Ramona's town hall re-opened to the public on Sunday amid cheers, almost a few tears and a lot of gratitude.

"I'm honored that the town's people think enough of what my great-great-grandfather left behind to go through all the effort to refurbish it," Ramona resident Dan Parker told Patch. He said he was honored that Ramona has an artist of the calibre of Judy Nachazel to create portraits of his ancestors.

Parker and his brother, Phil Parker, unveiled the charcoal portraits of Augustus and Martha Barnett, which now hang over the new faux fireplace.

The Barnetts donated the building to the people of Ramona in 1894. Since then, the State Historic Landmark on Main Street has been maintained by private donations, grants and rent monies. The two-story adobe brick structure is one of California's oldest remaining town halls still in use. 

"It was a tremendous effort on their part to donate the town hall to the people of Ramona, back when they did," Phil Parker said of the Barnetts. "It was a meeting place—very important—for the people to congregate."

Over the decades, the building has been used for a school, library, bank, court, movie theater and dance hall.

A seismic retrofit got under way in 1993 along with other major restoration, including a new roof. Over the years, arson, changing building codes and increases in insurance costs slowed the restoration and brought it to a grinding halt in 2002. The town hall was shut down due to public safety concerns and lack of money.

A great deal more fund raising is needed to complete the full restoration. The great hall on the lower level and the second story still require work. The estimated cost is $2 million.

Pledges totalling $2,000 came in on Sunday—$1,000 from Coldwell Banker in Ramona and $1,000 from Jack and Linda Knowles. Another $1,175 was raised in donations, including the sales of T-shirts and mugs.

Honorary Mayor Sharon Davis has created a list of projects, with some pledge amounts, which is at the end of this article.

State Sen. Joel Anderson has issued certificates to each of the board trustees (Woody Kirkman, Darrell Beck, Sandee Salvatore, Bob Hailey and Bob Krysak), as well as Dawn Kirkman and Sharon and Ken Davis for their efforts so far. The certificates are for "outstanding work in restoring Ramona Town Hall."

At Sunday's gathering, residents sang and tears welled up in Nachazel's eyes, as the drape that had covered the large portraits fell to the floor.

The resemblance between the Parkers and their ancestors was distinct and a few good stories were heard as guests mingled.

"I had Judy make both ends of (Augustus') mustache go down," Dan Parker said. "He was like me; one end of my mustache goes up and the other goes down. I told Judy, 'Help him out a bit.'"

Nachazel created the portraits by studying photographs of the Barnetts. She told Patch last week that she also studied Parker's face to be able to capture the expression in the eyes, because his eyes are so similar.

At Nachazel's insistance on Sunday, Parker played the piano in the west wing that was donated to the town hall about 30 years ago.

Pam Stubbs and her son Andy also played the piano and violin at the event and Ramona Rockettes performed too.

Here is the list of projects and the amount needed to fund them. Donations can be sent to Ramona Town Hall, Inc., P. O. Box 1954, Ramona, CA 92065.

#EE-1 Awning (East)  $4500

#WE-1 Awning (West) $4500
#WO-2 Cabinet in West Office    $850

#EE-2 Concrete Pad, 4’ x 8’ (East) $320
#WE-2 Concrete Pad, 4’ x 15’ (West) $600

#EE-3 Concrete Pad, 10’ x 24’ (Dumpster) $2400
#WE-3 Concrete Sidewalk, 3’ x 50’ (North) $1500

#WW-1 Conference Table Restoration $800

#WW-2 Cabinet Door Materials $500

#U-1 Doors, (7) Upstairs $1750
#LR-1 Faucets, Ladies (2) $300
#MR-1 Faucets, Men’s (2) $300

#WW-3 Flag and Pole (West) $175  

#WW-4 HVAC Air Handler (West) $1200
#WE-4 4 Ton HVAC Compressor (West) $3000

#EW-1 HVAC Air Handler (East) $1200

#EE-4 3 Ton  HVAC Compressor (East) $2500

#U-2 HVAC Air Handler (Upstairs) $1200
#U-3 3 Ton HVAC Compressor (Upstairs) $2500

#AE-1 Annual Insurance $10,000
#EW-5 Instant Water Heater (East) $1200
#EW-4 Janitor Sink (East) $500
#WW-5 LED Lighting for Cabinets (West) $900

#EE-5 LP Gas Piping $750

#MR-4  Mirror (Men’s Room)  $150
#WW-6  Plastic 6’ Tables (8)  $560
#EE-7  PVC Conduit for HVAC    $250

#WE-5 Rain Gutter $400
#EE-8 Rain Gutter $400

#WW-7 Re-glaze Windows (West) $480
#WW-8 Stacking Chairs (50) $1250

#MR-5 Stalls (Men’s Room) $800
#U-6 Staircase Handrails $400
#U-7 Staircase Solar Tube $500

#WW-8 Security System $3000

#LR-2 Toilets, Ladies (2) $500
#MR-2 Toilets, Men’s (2) $500

#U-4 Toilet, Upstairs (1) $250

#EE-6 Trenches for HVAC Conduit and Gas Piping $300

#WW-9 TV/Flat Screen Monitor (West) $2000
#V-1 Vestibule Floor Epoxy Coating $3000

#MR-3 Vinyl Flooring, 12’ x 14’ (Men’s Room) $400
#U-5 Vinyl Flooring, 12’ x 12’ (Upstairs Restroom) $425

#EW-2 Window Coverings, (East) $500

#WW- 10 Window Coverings, (West) $500

#EO-1 Window Shades, (East Office) $300

#WO-1 Window Shades, (West Office) $300
#AE-2 Window Cleaning $600
#EE-9 150’ Wire for HVAC (West) $450 (Pending Material Donation from Phil and Clare Parker)
#AE-3 Annual Expenses, Less Insurance $3000

Total: $64,660