Gazebo Goes Up

Andrew Avalone reflected proudly on workers as they assembled the project that took him three years to conceptualize, fund and move through municipal channels.

Saturday morning Avalone, the rest of his Boy Scout Troop, and assorted volunteers began to assemble the pre-fab gazebo that has become the source of some controversy.

Avalone's project is a effort toward achieving his Eagle Scout ranking. He raised $23,000, and got the approval of the city's Park and Recreation Department to erect the gazebo as a tribute to veterans.

About the controversy, Common Council member Phil Pessina, who was among the volunteers said he was mystified.

"I'm disappointed at that reaction," Pessina said. "This has been in the works for three years, and to have people pop up at the eleventh hour to oppose it is disappointing."

The crew expects to have the gazebo fully assembled by the end of the day Saturday.

Gazebo To Be Erected Despite Objections

Boy Scout Andrew Avalone is working toward merit badges for his Eagle Scout designation, and he's trying to do a good deed for Middletown, but he's learning another life lesson in the process.

Avalone approached the town about raising money to build a gazebo to honor veterans. The gazebo would be built on the South Green.

There is a very specific ordinance about building structures, or monuments, in the park and in Veteran's Memorial Park on Washington Street.

And that's where the trouble began.

The decision as to what monument will be placed on Union Park or Veterans Memorial Green shall be made by the City of Middletown Parks and Recreation Commission upon the advice and recommendation of the City's Memorials Restoration Committee, the Middletown Council of Veterans, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, and the Middletown Design and Review and Preservation Board.

The Middletown Design Review and Preservation Board applauded Avalone and the project, but suggested that the pre-fab gazebo kit proposed by Avalone, and the Parks and Rec Department, needed some modification in size and design. The Board said that the gazebo, as presented, would not be able to accommodate staged activities of the kind currently held in the park.

The Arts Commission concurred, suggesting that any gazebo should be of a size and location that it could replace the use of the town's showmobile and portable stages currently used for events in the park. The Arts Commission asked Avalone to present his plans, considering the recommendations, at the September meeting of that Commission.

In the meantime, The Parks and Recreation department had a concrete footing which would accommodate the originally-planned gazebo, poured near the Eastern border of the park.

According to Common Council members Ron Klattenberg, and Earle Roberts (who is also a member of the Arts Commission), the construction of the footings was premature since all the appropriate boards had not approved the gazebo.

While Klattenberg and Roberts both support Avalone's efforts, they suggest that the Parks and Recreation Department began the work before all alternatives were considered.

"It's very unfortunate that the spirit of the ordinance has not been followed in any sense," Klattenberg, who is, himself, an eagle scout, said. "If there ever was an opportunity, and Park and Recreation would consider Veteran's Memorial Park, it would create a wonderful gateway into downtown."

Parks and Recreations department director Ray Santestefano said that as far as he was concerned all boards had given their approval and that the gazebo would be erected Saturday morning September 19 as scheduled.

The Arts Commission, for their part, disagree with Santestefano, and at their meeting Thursday (a meeting held a week earlier than usual to accommodate a review of the proposed gazebo), voted unanimous support for Avalone and his efforts, but also agreed, unanimously that the gazebo, as proposed, should not be built on the South Green because it is proposed for the wrong location, it is inadequate in size to host staged functions in the park, and that it was inadequate for many of the events held in the park.

Construction of the gazebo is scheduled to begin Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.