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MESOPOTAMIA -- Township trustees are moving forward with replacing a more than 50-year-old pavilion in the park.
Trustee Joseph Pavlic said the goal is to get the old pavilion removed this month and have the new one finished by early June -- in time for the annual summer ox roast event.
Trustees at a recent meeting approved an agreement with Roy Wengard of Garrettsville as contractor for the project. Pavlic said the Mesopotamia Fire Association has agreed to share the $48,000 cost and will make a donation to the project.
"The current pavilion was built more than 50 years ago and is really in bad shape. Not too many use it anymore. It is not worth saving," he said, noting there were issues with bird nests in the pavilion's rafters and birds leaving messes on the picnic tables inside.
The project will include new lighting and concrete.
He said the goal is to have the pavilion installed before the popular ox roast event over July 4 weekend, which brings thousands of people to the township center.
Pavlic said Wengard has done work on projects in other communities.
"I remember being in high school when the pavilion was first put in," he said.
Pavlic said the new pavilion will be built to prevent birds from making nests inside the structure.
In 2023, the township center added a walkway around its perimeter, which was one of several enhancements township officials made in the community's historic district.
The half-mile walkway cost $180,000 with American Rescue Plan funds covering most of the costs.
The gazebo also was upgraded, including electrical work and a new concrete walkway at $27,000. The gazebo has a sundial compass on the floor. The park fountain was upgraded.
Pavlic said funds are being sought to remodel the upstairs of the historic 1902 two-story town hall on the southeast corner of state Routes 87 and 534.
As for the solar eclipse today, Mesopotamia is considered by many to be an ideal location for viewing the eclipse for the longest time.
Pavlic said he doesn't expect a large number of travelers today but noted, "If we can handle 10,000 people for the ox roast each year, then we can handle all the visitors for the eclipse."
Have an interesting story? Email Bob Coupland at bcoupland@tribtoday.com.