A £1.25million refurbishment to Elgin Town Hall is expected to be completed with the building being handed back to the community by the end of November.
For the last year the landmark building has undergone extensive renovation works – but following a meeting this week between contractor’s Morrison Construction and Moray Council it has been revealed that the building is expected to be handed over on November 28.
The confirmation will come as a relief for groups who have organised events to take place in the Hall during December – including the Council themselves who will hold the count for the Elgin City South by-election in the Town Hall on December 12.
“Morrison’s will formally hand over on the contract completion date,” Moray Council property resources manager Eddie Milne confirmed at a meeting with a Town Hall user group on Thursday.
He added: “A lot of the work has been done to the fabric of the building and this will not be immediately obvious, such as roof replacement with added insulation, improvements to heating controls, complete electrical re-wiring, new energy-efficient windows and new lighting throughout.”
Other improvements that are more apparent is a complete refurbishment of the toilet areas, while the hall has also been provided with a new sound system that will prove a major boost for the annual Christmas Panto in December.
Earlier this year a call from SNP councillor Patsy Gowans to scrap the current 1960’s building and replace it was firmly rejected, although some councillors were not in favour of some of the works undertaken in the refurbishment.
Councillor Eric McGillivray said in March of the decision to fit a new sound system: “What are we talking about here? Elgin Town Hall or the Albert Hall? To spend £126,000 at a time of austerity is simply not right.”
The Elgin Amateur Dramatic Society plan to stage ‘Snow White’ in the Town Hall from December 17 to December 20.