“Betty Moore displays the still-solid 1914 support posts for Freeland Hall. Decades ago, kids using white chalk wrote their names on the beams.Jim Larsen/staff photoJoin the clubAnyone who wants to support Freeland Hall while having fun and dining well is welcome to join the Holmes Harbor Activity Club. The club meets the first Thursday at 6 p.m. at the hall during the months of October, November, December, February, March, April and May. Each meeting includes a delicious dinner cooked by club members, plus business, a raffle, door prizes, and entertainment. It’s a lot of fun, said member Betty Moore.An annual fee of $25 includes dues and all seven dinners. Last year the club had 85 members but there’s room for more. The more the merrier, Moore said. For information call 331-6341.Historic Freeland Hall has undergone several recent renovations in preparation for another century of serving the community.The most recent addition came as a surprise. The old drainfield gave out and a new one is now installed and operating.Freeland Hall and the surrounding park are owned by the Island County Parks Department, while the hall is managed by the Holmes Harbor Activity Club. Between them, they’re bringing the old hall into the best shape it’s been in for years.Lee McFarland, county parks director, said the old septic system failed about a month ago, so a couple of portable toilets were installed outside. But since Freeland Hall is a popular place for weddings and other celebrations, it was obvious a quick solution was needed to the problem.A new system was designed, the proper county permits acquired, and the drainfield work was started early last week by Harold Hagglund Construction. Hagglund said the old drainfield was old, maybe 30, 40 years, but nobody knows. The extensive new pressurized system is designed to handle peak loads produced by the large gatherings at the hall.McFarland said this week that bills for the new system haven’t yet come in, but he estimates it will cost around $8,000.Also planned for next year is a new restroom in the basement of the hall. We’re going to get a real accessible restroom in there, he said, estimating that the goal can be accomplished some time next year. The existing men’s and women’s restrooms will stay the same.Betty Moore oversees and books the hall for the Holmes Harbor Activity Club, and while she was saddened to see the old septic system fail unexpectedly she’s enthusiastic about the new one. It allows us to make more use of the hall, she said.As improvements have been made, the hall has grown in popularity among people looking for a place to hold a party or large meeting. Moore said members of the Activity Club painted a mural on the stage, repainted the interior, and installed new windows. Someone donated a new refrigerator, and a flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol has been installed. It’s looking pretty spiffy in there, Moore said.Outdoors, the back side of Freeland Hall has been cleaned up and planted with new grass, and the covered kitchen area boats a new barbecue and five new picnic tables. Last year, the Parks Department installed a concrete sidewalk and ramp leading to the main entrance of the building.What with weddings, birthday parties, and political meetings, Moore said the hall has been booked solid since late June through most of October. With the improvements, that situation should remain the same well into the 21st Century.Other park improvementsFreeland Park isn’t the only South Whidbey location where the Island County Parks Department is active.Director Lee McFarland said this week that Dan Porter Park in Freeland should have new restrooms by the end of this year. He has the money and permits; now it’s just a matter of finding a contractor with the time to do the work. There will be two single-stall restrooms with locking doors and flush toilets. The building will be prefabricated concrete.At Dave Mackie Memorial Park at Maxwelton, the water system has been out of commission all summer and that forced closure of the restrooms. Portable toilets were brought in. McFarland said a chlorinator and some new pipes are needed to get the system up and running, and that work should be complete sometime next spring. “