About 40 Kaitangata residents attended a public meeting organised by the Clutha District Council on Monday, to discuss the future of the town's hall.
Residents voiced concern over how the rates towards the Kaitangata War Memorial Hall had been spent and why maintenance had not been kept to a higher standard.
Council staff said the hall was facing $170,000 of maintenance just to keep it open, and work had been deferred until the community decided what they wanted to do with the hall. Past maintenance had been kept to a minimum to keep rates down.
Resident Dorothy Williams said the community raised money to build the hall in the 1950s, and many older residents feared it would be demolished.
"It's a war memorial. The hall was built for soldiers who lost their lives and it would be very disrespectful to pull it down."
About 36 residents voted to look into local ownership, following in the footsteps of other Clutha townships.
A community group would be formed to own, run and maintain the hall with support from the council through operating grants.
Residents suggested a multi-purpose building would encourage more use.
Kaitangata, 10km south of Balclutha, has a population of about 800 people.
The hall costs each Kaitangata ratepayer about $31 to $45 a year.
Income from the use of the hall during the past five years has ranged from $200 to $1200 a year, while hall expenditure - insurance, electricity, cleaning and repairs - ranged from $13,000 to $26,985 annually.
After the council-hosted public meeting, about 30 people attended a community meeting at which time another meeting was set for December 5.
