8- May 01, 2014 Yollr Hometown Newspaper News Outlook
Large crowds on hand for Sharpsburg Community
Open House and Dedication
.By Cecil Lawson
KyNewsGronp
cecil@kynewsgronf).conl
This past Saturday and
Sunday were busy days for
the City. of Sharpshurg as
Mayor I)orothy Clemons,
City Council members
Thehna June Gulley, Pat
Richardson, l)avid Jones,
and Philip Fetters, and
many community mem-
bers and officials held
()pen House and an ofli-
cial dedication ceremony
for the Sharpsburg Com-
munity Center:
Built on the site of the
Sharpsburg High School
and utilizing the shell of
the old gymnasium, the
project was a lonDtime
dream of Sarah Ratliff
Ford, whose family owned
the property following the
closure of the school in
11963. Ford worked with
Mayor Clemons for the
past seven years to help
get the project off the
ground, and for the past
three years, the combina-
tion of federal, state, and
loe fl flmding and public
and private partnerships
helped get the $3.1 million
project completed.
The new structure was
completed by RJ Construc-
tion of ' anceburg several
weeks ahead of schedule
in January and has been in
use by Maysville Commu-
nity and Technical College
and Bath County Coopera-
tive Extension since Feb-
ruarg The facilily features
a fully-flmctioning class-
room with state-of the-art
equipment, a branch of
tIie Bath County Memorial
Library, a full kitchen, and
a gymnasium wi% seating
for over 150 people.
Display cases in the
main hallway in the build-
ing also feature a list of
all the graduates of the
Sharpsburg High School
since its construction.
Bath County Schools,
Morehead State Univer-
si , and the Gateway Area
Development District Area
Agency on Aging also plan
to use the facility for vari-
()us programs beginning
this year. The facility is
also open for private rental
and community functions
and has already hosting
training sessions for lo-
cal businesses, a job fail
indoor yard sales, a crafts
fair, and. birthdw parties
and reunions.
Rep. Andy Barr presented Mayor Dorothy Clemons a
certificate of Congressional Recognition of her achieve-
ment in bringing the Sharpsburg Community Center to
completion.
Tom Fern, U. S. Dep. of
Agriculture Director of Ru-
ral Development for Ken-
tucky, and Fleming County
native, spoke during Sun-
day's dedication ceremony.
Teresa Shields, Gate-
way Area Development
District Community Plan-
ner, worked tireless with
Mayor Clemons and the
Sharpsburg City Council
for three years on the
community center project.
The Sharpsburg Greater First Baptist Church Choir
sang "My God Is Awesome" during the dedication
ceremony
Mayor Clemons looks on as Sarah Ratliff Ford dis-
cusses her 15 year dream of making the old Sharps-
burg High School property into a community center for
Sharpsburg. Clemons, the Sharpsburg City Council,
and Ford's family, all worked hand in hand with the
Appalachian Regional Commission, USDA Rural Devel-
opment, Kentucky Dept. of Local Government, and the
Gateway Area Development District to make the com-
munity center a reality.
Library staff members Kristy Perry-Ashby, Melinda Carolyn Shelley finds her name listed on the board of Visitors during Saturday's Open House enjoyed a table
Smith, Sarah Scott, and Director Brenda Vance. graduates of Sharpsburg High School. of school memorabilia in the renovated gymnasium.
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