Gym to close in July for retrofit. Bertha is 80-years-old and ready for retirement. The World War II-era boiler has been heating the Methow Valley Community Center for most of the building’s 113 years. But she won’t be burning waste oil much longer.

The center is getting an energy retrofit starting this summer, thanks in part to a $450,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce.

In my first four months as Executive Director, I’ve come to appreciate that we are ALL members of our Methow Valley Community Center. The multitude of classes, events and groups that pass through these doors every week are a testament to how essential this place is for the well-being of our rural community.