A long time coming, but well worth the wait! BY TERRY HOLUB
Lorimor's Mayor Kent Forbes sat in his new office and smiled a genuine Lorimor-serving smile. "It's a great day for our community," he said. "Lorimor [pop. 427] is heading in the right direction."
The day in question occurred a couple weeks ago when Lorimor, on a stunning Saturday afternoon, held an Open House for its brand-spanking new 60 X 100 City Hall/Community Center.
The newly christened building dominates an entire corner of downtown Lorimor. The building, in addition to the mayor's office, includes a large city clerk office [Mary Seales] that includes a separate room with ample storage, a city council meeting area with new tables and chairs, a large kitchen that includes two of almost everything [2 stoves; 2 dishwashers; 2 refrigerators], an airy community room, and a small room for the Lorimor Lorimorian, the town's weekly communique.
Over 100 attended the Open House. Among them was Congressman Steve King. "When you get together to do things, those things inspire people," said King, who's visited all the 36 counties and 286 towns of his massive 5th District. "When you're pulling together for your town the rest of us see the best face you can display."
"It's a very good job by very good people," said Union County Supervisor Bob Brown.
New Sharon-based Pro-Line Bldgs. built the new $330,000 building.
Lorimor received several grants from such entities as the Hansen Foundation, USDA, and Clarke County Development.
The new City Hall is very impressive! "It takes a community to build a community," said Mayor Forbes. "Lorimor is on the commuting edge of Des Moines. Many people live here and choose to drive the 30 to 35 minutes to Des Moines. They prefer the small-town flavor of Lorimor to living in metropolitan Des Moines. We expect to grow."
The new City Hall/Community Center replaces the former city hall, a small cement block structure located east of the new building. The town's former community building is located across the street and just west of the new building. Again, both buildings became too small for the up-and-coming Lorimor.
The former ciity hall is now rented to MRI Executive Solutions, a job tank firm. The former community building [roughly 40 X 65] is for sale.
Residents may rent the new community center for $55; it's $65 to nonresidents. The community center will host everything from exercise classes to wedding anniversaries.
"We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in the old building," recalled Michael Peterson, a Des Moines Register pressman who, at the moment, was enjoying lunch provided to all during the building's Open House. "This is really nice, very nice. It will be great to come here for the different events."
"This building is part of our revitalization plans for downtown Lorimor," said Mayor Forbes, a former two-term mayor of Pleasant Hill who prefers living in Lorimor today. "Our plan is to sell or tear down old buildings, and to build new ones as needed. We want to spiff up the town."
The City of Lorimor began planning this new building in 2001. Persistence paid off and earlier this month the community dedicated, in celebration, the building's completion.
"A lot of people deserve thanks for this," the mayor continued. "Former Mayor, Melvin Davis, helped in this, as did council members who organized and planned for this."
It is nice to have a Congressman come to your open house and are glad that he likes the project!Congressman King, who lives in a small town in Sac County when not in Washington D.C., suggested people "may flock from the city" to live in Lorimor. "I'm pleased to be here today," he said. "My heart is in small, rural towns."
Lorimor's new City Hall/Community Center joins a bustling commerce that includes a beauty shop, country store, massage therapist, lumber yard, momuments, and house moving business, among others.
"Oh, it's a beautiful building," said Diane Orwan, wife of Lorimor Councilman Dennis Orwan. "We will probably rent it in the future."
