Reservoir Park’s bandshell will receive a fresh coat of paint and general maintenance repairs.
Reservoir Park’s bandshell is slated to receive a fresh coat of paint and general repairs by early May. This comes after City Council tonight unanimously approved a resolution allowing the city to move forward with the $50,000 project.
Right now, the wood in the bandshell’s dressing rooms rots while the stage’s paint chips away, said Hillary Greene, city purchasing manager. The contractor, Steelton-based Kemar, Inc., will address these problems in addition to fixing the flooring and other general maintenance and repairs.
These updates will make the bandshell more appealing to performance groups looking to rent the space, Greene said.
“[After these updates], we feel better about renting it out,” she said.
Kevin Sanders, parks and recreation director, said a basic rental for residents costs $150 without using electricity. The fee increases depending on how a group plans to use the facility.
Gamut Theatre’s annual June Shakespeare in the Park is slated to be the first to use the refurbished venue. The contractor aims to finish repairs before the performance, Sanders said.
The bandshell also needs updates to light and sound systems, which may be in the cards for this year, Sanders said.
His department plans to install a video security system at the bandshell in hopes of protecting the area from vandalism.
During a pre-meeting discussion, Councilmen Cornelius Johnson and Ben Allatt requested that the purchase of the surveillance system be sped up.
The city park at 4th and Emerald streets is also slated to receive video surveillance.
“A lot of these facilities, it takes the community to maintain,” Johnson said during the legislative meeting tonight.
The security system would “identify who vandalized property and deter those actions from happening,” he said.
Also at tonight’s meeting, council approved three members to the LERTA appeals board. This marks a final step in implementing the tax incentive program, which is intended to foster development in the city. Developers can go to the LERTA appeals board if they disagree with the city LERTA administrator’s decisions.
Members of the administration, including Mayor Eric Papenfuse and city Solicitor Neil Grover, were absent tonight as they attended a mandatory Three Mile Island readiness drill.
This story was updated on April 18 to include the cost to rent the bandshell.
Author: Danielle Roth
