By CRAIG FREILICH

NORWOOD – The extensive and long-sought renovations to the Norwood Municipal Building are complete.

Mayor Jim McFaddin says that in addition to the new kitchen facilities and improvements in accessibility to the handicapped, the work will save the village about $10,000 a year in energy costs.

“It was very inefficient,” McFaddin said. “There was no insulation,” among other problems with the building, built in 1952. The old boiler has been replaced.

The total cost is about $442,000 of which $50,000 came from a USDA rural development grant.

There is a new addition on the back of the building, two new handicapped-accessible bathrooms, and a lift for people who can’t climb the stairs.

Two new kitchens have been certified by the state Department of Health, McFaddin said.

“The kitchen had been closed by the board of health,” he said, and people who had depended on the kitchen for community events had no place to go, especially in light of the health authorities’ crackdown on community food events in the last couple of years.

And now there are two kitchens, a full one on the main floor and a smaller service kitchen downstairs, “and members of the community are already reserving dates,” the mayor said.

The two-kitchen setup will allow the Kiwanis Club to leave their food truck behind when they serve at Norwood Green concerts. They can cook in the main kitchen and keep the food hot downstairs for the convenience of concertgoers on the green next door.

McFaddin says he’s sure the fire department will be happy with the setup when they hold their barbecues.

All that, a new coat of paint inside, and a fresh exterior have been drawing praise.

“We’ve been getting so many favorable comments,” McFaddin said.

“It was a struggle getting it done, but it was worth the effort. It’s gratifying that the public has accepted this so well.”

To view a slide show of “before and after” photos visit http://northcountrynow.com/slideshow/norwood-municipal-building-renovations-are-complete-and-after-slideshow