By Deidre Purdy
As most people probably know, the Upper West Fork Park community building burned in July 2025. This spring the Park’s fire insurance paid just enough to build a new building, which is under construction. See pictures taken 8/15/2026.
Brian Jarvis and his company UES prepared the site, creating a large level space well out of the flood plain for the new building, parking, and some green space. Travis Jarvis ran the utilities to the new building site.
The new building is 40’ by 80’. It will have a 40’ by 60’ open meeting & dancing space with a stage, a 20’ by 20’commercial kitchen, bathrooms, and a shower. The shower and a backup gas generator will allow the building to be used as an emergency shelter, when needed.
The Park’s contractor, Michael Roberts of R2 Construction in Glenville has worked closely with the Park’s board of directors to save money while making the building attractive and functional. Like all the buildings on Red Roof Lane, (the Park’s address), the roof is red with clay-colored siding banded with red at the bottom except in the front where there will be a band of faux stone. A porch runs the 80’ length of the front of the building and a gable roof covers an entry porch on the side.
Roberts will build an island in the kitchen and a new gas stove has been donated, but otherwise the kitchen will be furnished with equipment from the Minnie Hamilton Hospital kitchen, which is being replaced with new construction. That equipment won’t be available until next spring, but the cooks of the Upper West Fork are good at making do until then.
All tables and chairs from the original building were ruined in the fire. The Calhoun County Commission has provided a grant to purchase round and rectangular folding tables and folding chairs so the building will be suitable to large gatherings as well as small ones. The county commission also provided a $10,000 grant to be used for booking bands. Music is planned for outdoors for now and indoors as soon as possible.
The Grand Opening of the new building is tentatively scheduled for October17th. Watch the Upper West Fork Park Facebook page for more news and developing concert information.
