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Waterfront Park’s new, improved
stage area, complete with an electrical re-do. The stage was put to
good use during Building the WAY’s Party in the Park June 11.
-News photo |
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Stage Expansion Nice Improvement to Waterfront Park
Sovereign
State Foots the Bill
Waterfront Park is a nice,
little gem in the center of the village and the stage facility has
been a busy place for many a summer season. But, it was recognized
early on that “the stage was simply not large enough,” said
Sovereign State Vice President John Bartow. “Many bands refused to
play on it. This forced us to rent an adjunct stage when we hired
larger, more popular bands. It was getting rather expensive.” SS
committee members say the cost was roughly $2,000 per rental.
So, a few years back, the SS
committee began considering a modification to the area in front of
the stage, previously reserved for landscaping. Completed just this
week, the front tier has undergone a complete re-do with a solid
surface of concrete now wrapping all the way back to abut the
building. “We’d filled in that landscaping strip with pavers as a
stop-gap measure,” said Marlene Lenz, who also sits on the SS
committee, “but it was uneven and unsafe for bands. This is a
tremendous improvement.”
In addition to the newly
re-done front tier, there is a new electrical box for the bands to
access, making the whole stage user-friendly and safe. Hired
contractors were Longworth Builders, LLC, Jared Harvey Masonry,
Zillges Materials and Huller Electric. “Longworth Builders is
donating $500 back to Sovereign State on the cost of the job,”
commented Lenz.
Bartow reiterated, though
Sovereign State operates on a tight budget, “We invest our profits
back into this community. Use of the stage will in turn generate
dollars, which will set up, hopefully, a continuance and future for
Sovereign State.” Bartow believes the stage improvements will pay
for themselves in roughly four years. Larger bands are already
booked for this summer and the need for additional staging is no
longer a cost consideration.
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