Bandshell might not be ready for July 4 celebration

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Apparently the new bandshell at Greencastle’s Robe-Ann Park is a not-ready-for-prime-time player right now.

It wasn’t ready in time for the opening Parkfest music events this month, and may not be done in time for the annual Fourth of July celebration.

That’s the message Park Director Rod Weinschenk conveyed to Greencastle Park Board members Tuesday night during their rescheduled meeting at Micaela Cancilla Park in the city’s South End.

And it’s not the recent rain that’s been the problem, although Park Board President Tim Trigg was quick to remind the group that it was still snowing in late April when Joe Spiker Excavating started the construction project.

At issue now are the native timbers that were being specially hewn for the Friends of the Park project and are reportedly in the process of being kiln dried by Pingleton Lumber Co. The timbers will then need to be stained and put in position with the limestone columns to create the chosen motif of the new bandshell.

However, there’s another fly in the ointment, Weinschenk said as he told the board the Fourth of July Committee hopes to be able to use the front, concrete riser portion of the new bandshell to stage its entertainment for the annual celebration.

“That’s going to be up to Homeland Security,” Weinschenk said, indicating that the agency’s approval is another reason for a further delay that he said “could see another four weeks.”

Pressed for more information, Weinschenk explained that Homeland Security approval has been the rule for all outdoor performance stages since the tragic incident at the 2011 Indiana State Fair. That’s when the scaffolding of a temporary stage collapsed during a windstorm at the Sugarland concert, killing seven and injuring 58.

The old Robe-Ann Park bandshell itself had become a safety concern.

The original bandshell, which was erected in time for the nation’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976, was razed in February 2017 after the deteriorating condition of the structure was discovered during repair attempts when a workman put his hand through the rotting wooden roof as he leaned onto it for support.

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  • Should have been in the contract to be ready in time!!

    -- Posted by Falcon9 on Wed, Jun 13, 2018, at 9:56 AM
  • So in February 2017, when "a workman put his hand through the rotting wooden roof", this was the reason to replace the entire structure?

    -- Posted by Lookout on Wed, Jun 13, 2018, at 10:39 AM
  • Seems like many City projects can't stay on schedule. Has the paper asked City Hall why the South Jackson/railroad crossing project has stalled? There's a dangerous dip in the road next to the tracks.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Wed, Jun 13, 2018, at 11:03 AM
  • Everyone has an excuse... but no one will just stand up and say, "get it done". And then make sure it gets done.

    Bald Eagle is correct - there should have been specific language in the contract to be done on time, with penalties for non-compliance.

    And why is Homeland Security involved? It should be a simple matter of being checked by civil engineers... we still have those, right? (Homeland Security is simply "more government" that isn't needed or wanted.)

    -- Posted by AverageWhiteGuy on Thu, Jun 14, 2018, at 9:48 AM
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