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Coldwater community center outlines repairs, new programs after structural concerns
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Summary
Kathy Babbert, executive director and chairperson of the Coldwater Community Center (the Beach House), told the City of Coldwater Downtown Development Authority on Aug. 27 that the nonprofit has completed major interior improvements, recorded roughly 4,500 volunteer hours and is shifting from construction to programming, but the center’s side porch is currently closed pending structural repairs.
Kathy Babbert, executive director and chairperson of the Coldwater Community Center (the Beach House), told the City of Coldwater Downtown Development Authority on Aug. 27 that the nonprofit has completed major interior improvements, recorded roughly 4,500 volunteer hours and is shifting from construction to programming, but the center’s side porch is currently closed pending structural repairs. "You've seen all the improvements we've done inside with, like, a $115,000 worth of in kind and monetary support," Babbert said during public comment.
Babbert said the center obtained a State Historic Preservation Office grant to fund a structural‑engineering analysis; the engineer has recommended repairs and the Beach House has closed the side porch because it is not safe. She also listed recent security and aesthetic work paid for with a mix of donated labor and cash: restored exterior lighting, motion‑sensitive lights, security cameras and landscaping funded in part by the Noon Club.
The Beach House has begun expanding public programming as construction winds down. Babbert described recent and planned offerings that drew attendance in recent weeks: an underground‑railroad history program that was "standing room only," a "brush up on the Constitution" series planned to continue with a First Amendment focus, a monthly culture and music series starting Sept. 4, a library‑partnered book club and an English‑practice program for Haitian community members on Saturday afternoons. The center also is teaching sewing skills with the goal of starting a sewing business focused initially on scrubs and uniforms.
Babbert said the center will display student work and art connected to domestic‑violence awareness in October and will host a live event with poetry on Oct. 23. She also mentioned recurring community events the Beach House coordinates or supports, including a Cultural Jubilee in May and a Yuletide event in December that will include a horse‑drawn carriage and other holiday activities.
Babbert invited board members to visit the center for an update and told the board she and Vaughn Svoboda, introduced that morning as assistant executive director, are available to answer questions.
Ending: Babbert requested that board members contact the Beach House or visit the facility to see the repairs and programming plans; she offered to provide updates at future meetings if the board wished.
