You might say the gazebo on the Irondequoit Town Hall grounds lost its head this morning.
Construction crews were on hand as a $30,000 “upgrade” project at the gazebo got under way.
The first step: The gazebo roof was “raised” and the beams that hold it were built up three feet before the roof was replaced.
The project is being fully funded by the Kiwanis Club of Irondequoit, currently led by President Frank Romeo.
“We have two reasons: First, we want to be able to get the sound out (of the gazebo) better,” Romeo said. “Secondly, we wanted to improve the aesthetics of the gazebo and make it a more visible part of the Town Hall campus.”
The Kiwanis club originally made a gift of the gazebo, called the Kiwanis Performing Arts Center, to the town in 1998. Last year, they spent $10,000 to add a 1,000 square foot concrete dance floor in front of the gazebo.
“From the street now, it (the gazebo) really stands out,” Romeo said after the roof was replaced this morning. “You might not think three feet is much, but it looks totally different.”
The project, which will be ongoing through August, will also include a new, black shingle roof, painting the gazebo white, and the addition of decorative, “gingerbread” style accents.
“It’s time; the gazebo needed some upgrades,” Romeo said, adding that the project won’t interfere with events at the gazebo, including free concerts on Sunday afternoons and on Thursday evenings, during the Irondequoit Farmers Market.
A crane, steel fabricators and other professionals provided through Romeo’s own company, Romeo Land Development, were on hand for today’s roof-raising, as were Kiwanis volunteers.
Romeo said straps and cables were attached to the roof at the six metal beams that hold it up. The beams were then cut, the roof lifted off, and three-foot metal extensions were welded on before the roof was replaced by the crane.
“It (the gazebo) now really stands out a lot better, and audiences will be able see the performers better,” Romeo said.
The new white color was chosen, he added, “because now the earth tones kind of blend in with all trees around the gazebo.”
David Schantz, director of the Irondequoit Concert Band, is among those who has championed changes at the gazebo.
“Performances in the gazebo have kind of become background music,” he said earlier this year. “We need to open up the front of the gazebo so it’s more like the front of a stage, and open up the roof line so the sound can come out and not get caught up in the roof ... We won’t be destroying the beauty of what we have but making it more applicable, so we can get a lot more effective use out of the facility.”
Romeo said the club hopes to have the project complete by Labor Day.
Irondequoit, N.Y. —
