CHESTER — Councilman Mike Dotson has put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the city’s municipal building.

Chester mayor Ed Wedgewood thought it was appropriate to recognize that dedication. So, following Monday’s city council meeting and under the guise of thanking the advertisers had participated in the gym’s scoreboard project, Dotson was lured down to the all-purpose room and gymnasium for a bit of a surprise.

Forever forward, the gym will be known as the Bill Dotson Fieldhouse, the mayor declared.

He attributed much of the success of the Chester Municipal Building to Dotson.

“The hours of work, dedication (and his) love of this town have brought us here today,” Wedgewood explained. “Mike Dotson has given so much of himself to this city and this building.”

The 100-year old building, which once housed Chester High and Junior High schools, has had a new life.

Mayor Wedgewood points to Dotson’s efforts on upgrades to the building: the new parking lot, new bathrooms, a repaired roof, new HVAC system as well as the updated scoreboard and refinished gymnasium floors.

A surprised Dotson expressed appreciation for the honor, while talking about how many other individuals and businesses also have supported the building’s efforts.

Dotson, now wearing a second hat as a councilman, said that he was approached 25 years ago by then-Chester mayor Ken Morris, who asked him to whip the building into shape after it was gifted to the city.

It definitely needed some TLC, he noted.

Dotson explained that his motivation was the same as others.

He just wanted to make sure that the city of Chester had a nice building not only to house municipal operations but also to host residents’ special events, whether it was an Easter egg hunt on a basketball court or a child’s birthday party.

It has been a bunch of a battle that the city is successfully winning thanks to Dotson’s leadership with the building and Wedgewood’s assertive approach with the state.

Mayor Wedgewood gives credit where due. “There has been a long perception what can and cannot happen in the city of Chester. We were told that the money and assistance that others received just don’t come to Chester. A defeatist attitude persisted over a town in decline.”

This included this building. “(We) were told it couldn’t meet the needs of the city and the public,” the mayor added.

Then Dotson, the building’s longtime manager, entered the picture and was a man on a mission.

He also was the right man for the job.

“While others have been great in assisting in assisting with its renovation, one man has stuck it out as not only its caretaker but also its guardian,” Wedgewood concluded.

For more information about the Chester Municipal Building, call 304-670-9296.