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Elizabeth Sudgen Broughton Community Building project kicks off

Photo by Michael Kelly Marietta developer George Broughton, left, and Rick Snyder of Morton Buildings shake hands while looking over the foundation for the Elizabeth Sugden Broughton Community Building on Ohio 821 in the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area on Tuesday. Morton delivered five truckloads of engineered building materials to the project.

MARIETTA — The foundation is laid for the Elizabeth Sudgen Broughton Community Building, but for George Broughton it’s a foundation for much more than a structure.

Set in the privately owned, publicly used Broughton nature preserve just off Interstate 77 the building will not only fill a local need but also might attract interests and organizations that otherwise could miss the appeal of Marietta, he said.

The project initially was announced in August at a meeting of the Washington County Commissioners. The Broughton Foundation, which is the developer and operator of the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area, 800 acres of trails through hills and woodlands near Devola, saw the need and benefit for a building that would allow community groups, private individuals and commercial entities to hold events in the woodsy setting. Broughton told the commissioners that the foundation would undertake the project and have the building ready for use by July 2019. The project is on track.

On Monday, five truckloads of building materials from Morton Buildings arrived at the site. The site and foundation, just south of the Broughton commercial complex, just north of the Devola multi-use trail head, and just west of the Ohio 821 exit off I-77, are ready for construction.

“It’s unique, it won’t compete with anything we already have, like the Shrine auditorium,” Broughton said. “The location is perfect, and a lot of the amenities are already here.”

Possible uses for the building, which will hold 250 people, include training sessions, classes, events such as weddings and meetings, and corporate retreats, he said.

Outside, heavy equipment was moving dirt around Tuesday, preparing the site with a lay-down area around the foundation for building walls before raising them up. Broughton gestured toward a 100-foot long retaining wall on the high side of the sloping site.

“We had to make our land here,” he said.

The materials for the building shell came from Morton Buildings, an Illinois firm with a branch office in Caldwell. The structural elements — wall materials, roof trusses and other pieces — were shipped out of Morton’s facility in Kent, said sales representative Rick Snyder.

“We’ll start putting it up at the first of the year, and expect to be done by March,” Snyder said.

Snyder, who has worked for Morton for 39 years, said the company’s relationship with Broughton goes back 18 years.

“They’ve really helped with the cost and the design,” Broughton said.

In addition to bringing in the basic needs for the building, including 3-phase power, underground telecom lines and natural gas, the infrastructure for the project can help other developments in the vicinity, particularly the sewer system, construction for which is scheduled to take place in the spring.

“We’re creating all new infrastructure here,” he said.

Once the building shell is complete, Broughton said, the interior finish and other work will be done as funds get raised for the project. Broughton said a significant amount has already been pledged.

In addition to local usage ranging from nonprofits to local government and individuals, Broughton said he hopes the facility will develop a following as a site for corporate meetings and retreats. The park already sees substantial use during the spring, summer and fall, and the all-season building could help build up use during the colder months of the year, he said.

“If we can log 100,000 visits a year, we get a brown sign on the highway,” he said, referring to the prospect of having an Ohio Department of Highways park sign on I-77.

The building can serve as an attractive site for corporate regional meetings, he said.

“It will bring people in from out of town and show them what Marietta has to offer,” he said.

Commercial uses are intended to offset the cost of operations, allowing the facility to be available to public entities at no cost, he said.

Inquiries about reserving the building for banquets, school events, weddings and other uses already are coming in, said Debbie Davis, Broughton’s administrative assistant.

“When this building is being used every day of the week, then I’ll be happy,” Broughton said.

Reservations, Davis said, are not being taken yet but inquiries are welcome.

So are contributions to the project. Broughton can be reached at 740-374-9396. So far, he said, “people have really stepped up.”

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Elizabeth Sugden Broughton Community Building

* Location: Ohio 821 at the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area

* Purpose: Meeting place for up to 250 people, to be used by community and commercial organizations

* Size: About 8,200 square feet

* Amenities: Nature park location, outdoor seating, fully climate controlled, acoustically engineered indoor space with kitchen area, telecommunications equipped, paved parking, ADA compliant, easy access from Marietta or I-77

* Opening date: July 2019

Source: George Broughton

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