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The Whitehall bandstand is undergoing renovations that will return it to its original grandeur.
Work began last week and is expected to be finished in time for the Hartford Community Band’s opening performance of the Whitehall Music in the Park summer concert series on Friday, July 20.
The Whitehall Historical Society is financing the project, using funds that were left to it by former resident Ed Scott, who died last summer.
It’s estimated the project could cost as much as $10,000.
“The board of the historical society decided it needed some work and because the village doesn’t have the money, we thought we would take the project on,” said Carol Greenough, who serves on the board.
The bandstand, located inside Riverside Veterans Memorial Park, was built in 1982 by mostly volunteer labor.
At the time, there was a small cement pad with two posts connected by a wire and several lights, but the historical society wanted to build something that was a little more elaborate.
So members of the organization applied for and received a grant, and the town historian supplied matching funds to make the project happen.
The design was based upon a previous bandstand that once stood approximately where the old Liberty marina is located.
But over the last three decades, the structure gradually began to succumb to age. Parts of the roof were rotting and the railings were in need of replacement.
Scott Eckhard, owner of Silver Birch Construction and the contractor completing the project, has replaced all the wood and shingles on the eight-sided roof, and expects to replace the railings, spindles, and steps this week
He will also install new lighting and apply a new coat of paint, returning to its original color so that it matches the lampposts found elsewhere in the park.
The bandstand will remain closed until the work is complete.
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