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KEELER TOWNSHIP — A local township welcomed its constituents to its new facility Tuesday evening.

Keeler Township hosted a dedication for its new Township Hall prior to its monthly meeting on Tuesday. The 50-foot by 80-foot building, just west of its current office at 64121 Territorial Road in Hartford, broke ground in June and recently finished construction. The space, which will house both the township hall as well as administrative-offices, was built using just under $1 million in township funds.

Previously, all township government business was conducted in an open room inside the Keeler Fire Department building. The township purchased the property in 2012, and has been saving money for the project for years. 

“I’m really excited about it,” said Supervisor Don Blackmond. “I think it’s been a long time coming. All we had was the fire station and there was no privacy there. It was kind of a disservice to the residents at the township if they needed to come in and talk to us about sensitive stuff, it was very hard to have a private conversation. I think this building is gonna be amazing for the township residents. This is a wonderful building that is built to last a very long time.”

Hours of operation for office administration have not yet been decided. Blackmond said the Hall will be able to provide meeting spaces, not only for official township activity, but for residents and groups as well.

Township Trustee Jerry Morin, along with Clerk Carl Davis and Treasurer Sharon Clupper, made up the building committee responsible for the Township Hall project being brought to life. 

“I hope the community’s proud of it,” Morin said. “I think it’s gonna enable our employees to be more functional in their work, get their jobs done and meet the needs of the community.”

Morin believes new space will be an asset for the community for years to come.

“This is their hall, it’s not ours. It’s a community hall, paid for with their tax dollars. We built it for the people. We want them to feel comfortable to be here to show up and become involved in our township government.”