Exciting News
DeRuyter Town Hall To Be Renovated
The DeRuyter Town Board is pleased to announce a magnanimous
offer of funding to preserve and renovate the DeRuyter Town Hall. George and Claude Staley, along with other family
members, will underwrite the costs of the much-needed exterior repair, as well as much of the interior renovation needed to
make the building safe. The result will be a handicapped accessible, more energy efficient and spacious building for
the Town Offices, Library and Community Services.
Prompted by his late wife Genevieve's long time love of books and the library, as
well as a desire to return something to the community he grew up in, George contacted the DeRuyter Free Library and the Town
of DeRuyter in fall 2007 and indicated his wish to help. Not only has the Staley family offered financial
help, but also Claude's expertise in construction and renovation.
A project of this magnitude will require an effort of the entire community, as all
entities may need to find temporary housing during construction. We plan to accomplish this project with a combination
of the Staley's generous gift, along with local fundraising, grant applications, and volunteer labor where possible.
The Staley family has offered us an incredible opportunity to save an important landmark in DeRuyter. We are most grateful
to them for their vision, civic mindedness, and spirit of giving.
Town Hall Update: After
four years, the project is nearing completion. The Town offices are settled into their wonderful new home on the first floor
and DeRuyter Community Services is now open for business in the bright and clean basement. The DeRuyter Free Library
is waiting for the custom book shelving to be finished and should be moving into the building soon. The building has seen
a true transformation with beautiful woodwork and all the conveniences of a modern building.
Pictures of Progress
