The N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency grant has funded the demolition of a community gathering space in eastern North Carolina in order to reopen nearby recreational fields.
The Magnolia Auditorium in Magnolia was used as a community hub until Hurricane Matthew blew portions of the roof off in 2016; the roof was still in need of repair in 2018 when Hurricane Florence dumped a foot of rain on it.
The auditorium was deemed irreparable and $136,500 in disaster recovery funds were used to demolish it in order to reopen the adjacent town recreational fields, which had been closed because they were so close to the unsafe building.
The funding allowed for clearing of debris, tearing down the building and removing the foundation, and reseeding the ground.