Once a vibrant and buzzing venue, East Penn Township’s social hall is in need of updates and supervisors got a better idea Thursday of a possible price tag for such work.

Christine Carl, of the W2A Design Group, presented highlights of a building feasibility study during a town hall meeting, focusing on suggested accessibility, electrical and plumbing improvements.Checking off every item in the study could cost the township between $418,000 and $602,000, per rough estimates, but picking and choosing more immediate needs could result in a reduced total.“One of the main concerns is how the building would match up to current building standards,” Carl said. “Code has changed significantly since the hall was built.”Suggested accessibility improvements included a paved and striped parking lot and a larger vestibule to better accommodate handicapped people.Board Chairman William Schwab asked meeting attendees if they felt the township should spend several hundred thousand dollars to upgrade the social hall.“This place used to be a real sought after venue,” said Loretta Smith. “You used to have to book this for a wedding about two years in advance.”East Penn Fire Chief Robert Kleintop Jr. agreed, noting that many nights the building was full to capacity.“I would start with fixing the floor,” he said. “Also, drywall it and paint it to give it a better appeal. Paneling went out in the 1980s.”Supervisor Steve Heckman presented several potential scenarios, but said there could be even more options.“We could do a project between $275,000 and $400,000 with a low-interest loan to really polish it up, hire a promoter and cross our fingers for about 8 to 10 rentals a month,” Heckman said.“We could do a $100,000 project with a low-interest loan and do mostly stuff to bring it up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, hire a promoter, give up on the kitchen completely and go with outside catering companies, and hope for five to six rentals a month. Or we could list it with a real estate agent and get rid of it.”Township officials said the hall currently has about five moneymaking events per year.“It can make money but it needs to be run right,” Supervisor Deanna Cunfer said. “The township should not be in the social hall business.”Cunfer made it clear, however, that the immediate future is not in question.“There are booking for 2017 and we are still in business,” she said. “I don’t want word coming out of this that we are shutting down.”Schwab said the plan is to put the issue on the March supervisors’ meeting agenda.A copy of the feasibility study is available at the township office and will be posted on the East Penn website.