Ideas welcome

County looks to community for ideas and help with Wellington gazebo

The gazebo must come down. Structural engineers have examined that the gazebo in Wellington park, damaged by a large branch during a wind storm last month, and determined that it is not salvageable.

Now the work begins to rebuild it. Or something like it. Ideally, in time for Canada Day. The County is looking for input.

Always an aesthetically pleasing aspect of the park, the gazebo struggled to find a useful purpose. It was oftern used more as a backdrop than a stage for official functions . Some are suggesting an alternative design to enhance its functionality. Others have suggested it might be moved to another location in the park.

Councillor Jim Dunlop is looking to community groups, the Wellington District Business Association and the Wellington Recreation Committee to gather ideas about how the gazebo should be replaced and who might help get it done.

He is hopeful that a consensus can be reached and perhaps, too, that communityminded folks will step up to dispose of the existing gazebo and provide assistance in its reconstruction.

On Saturday Dunlop met with CAO Merlin Dewing, the WDBA’s Tina Konecny, Wellington Rec Committee’s Bob Stock and resident David Simmonds to plot a way forward.

Dunlop says he will shepherd whatever proposal comes forward through municipal channels.

He notes that the municipality is committed to providing the resources needed to replace the structure, but keenly hopes that a collaborative community effort can result in a better facility and one in which the community can take great pride in this, the 150th year of Wellington’s creation as a village.