Pinola High School Auditorium recently underwent a name change to Pinola Community Center. Signage has arrived and is ready for placement…once a cherry picker is located to do the heavy lifting.
Renovations to the old auditorium began in earnest around 2000 under the guidance of Truitt Grubbs and the Pinola Historical Society. Two years ago society board president Charles Slater believed a change was in order to reflect the building’s availability county wide, not just to Pinola proper.
According to Slater, it is the largest available space in Simpson County for events. The one issue it faces is lack of air conditioning. Even with ceiling fans and open windows summertime especially is intolerable.
In 2000 the PHS received a federal grant that funded roof replacement. However, once all fees were paid nothing was left to being work on the inside to address other issues from a falling ceiling to rotting floors. The building remained untouched.
The impetus to return to rehabilitate the auditorium came after Katrina. Slater, who graduated in 1965 from Pinola High, always hosted class reunions at his home. That paused in 2005, but classmates began calling, asking when he would restart them. “It came to me that if we wanted to have a school reunion, to have it at the school house … So I got my group down here. We had our little reunion; I had a pretty good turnout that day.”
Before ending the event Slater made a request of his classmates. “If y’all want to continue having these every year, then I’m going to put a challenge up to you. We’re going to have to fix the dining room to have a place to have it. I’m going to challenge y’all to put the money up.” Slater added that he would provide the labor, which included a previously arranged commitment from his friend carpenter Danny Welch. Materials cost was between $12,000 and $15,000.
A group of six men worked regularly on the dining hall. Enough funding was raised to cover not only building materials but all the necessary furnishings to build a kitchen from the floors to countertops and cabinets and appliances, including two stoves.
The auditorium has been the site for an annual school reunion for several years, the most recent held the last Saturday in April. As those gatherings have taken place attendants have begun making donations to the center’s funds in addition to the $10 charged for the lunch. It is available for rent, $150 a day, but without air conditioning/heating those rentals are few and far between.
But new life has been breathed into the old building, returning it to its original use. Two years ago the board was approached by Christie Wester, who wanted to open a home school for the community. The board agreed and began to work on the large storage room off the back of the auditorium. Slater, Welch and Jimmy Abernathy worked for weeks in the sweltering summer heat leading up to the school’s opening in August, including adding a mini split unit to provide heating and cooling. The school is now under the direction of Jennifer Walker.
At the same time the men refurbished the school room, PCC received a grant to fund a roof from a private business. In June 2024 a new metal roof was added. They have money left over but need to determine if it will be used outside for aluminum around the roof line or inside ceiling insulation.
In addition to the new central units the center wants to replace the bolted seating with removable chairs that will seat people more comfortably. Also with the seats removable a large dance floor would be available.
Slater is also hoping to add Bingo in the coming months under the PCC 501(c)(3) status to provide a means of fund raising. There are basic costs in addition to upkeep on the building – utilities, insurance – that still must be met.
Slater did not mince words. “We’ve got to get somebody not associated with it so much to come in and start taking over what we’re doing. I’m 78 years old. We’re all old people, and we’re the ones that have pushed it.” The Pinola Community Center needs new people to help keep the momentum moving forward.
