For anyone who may be wondering what is going on at the First Avenue Mini-Park, this is for you. The demo of the backwall and fireplace was an idea that turned into more than was originally intended, but came about at the right time.
The pavilion there had turned into no more than a place for the night-crawlers to urinate and make a mess. The fireplace wall had become a hiding place to step behind, out of camera view, and a place to do ”whatever.” The picnic tables that had just been repainted were vandalized and cut on with a knife, before the paint was completely dry.
So, the fireplace and wall have been torn down as a new approach to opening the view of the river and to encourage the users to find a new location to heat their beanie-weenies. The open-view concept is much better. Removal of the fireplace and wall lightened up the space and made for a better view of the river for those who come and sit for all the right reasons.
However, like other projects, problems were discovered, beyond what is seen when just driving by. First, the fireplace was helping to hold up the structure. Cross pieces that were scabbed together in the original construction were sagging. Boards over the fireplace were rotten. The closer examination made clear that the structure itself was past due for a major refurbishment. Joe Smith remembers the Rotary club building the pavilion in the early 70s. That makes it 50+ years old.
Olivia Dean, Scott Gibb and I had a discussion about repair or rebuild. We plan to add this item to the September Town Council agenda.
• To discuss and/or Act upon: the tear down of the structure or to build a new structure, and to re-name it the “Roger L. Trusler Memorial Park” in memory of our friend and Town Councilman Roger Trusler, who passed away this month.
If the Council is in agreement, an account will be set up at the Town Office so that contributions can be made to the “Roger L. Trusler Memorial Park” building fund.
Depending on funds raised, additional playground equipment could be added to the park.
