Vontran to fund construction of central structure  

 by Heather Perlberg

    Plans to replace the weathered Heritage Park gazebo with a new and improved structure are moving forward, following a input meeting involving several community leaders  in June.
    The new pavilion “will stay a binding contract between us and the community,” John Vontran, the Yorkway developer and the man responsible for funding the project, said Monday. “I’m eager to get it done for them.”
    Suggestions to replace the gazebo came about  in discussions addressing the “community benefit” requirement in the Yorkway Planned Unit Development process, a project to build 66 single-family homes.
    Initial ideas to fulfill the requirement included creating a scholarship for the Community College of Baltimore County, Vontran said, adding that he is still interested in establishing a college fund that provides academic assistance through development of the former Seagram’s distillery, which is expected to go through the PUD process.
   

The Dundalk Renaissance Corp. suggested the gazebo be considered for the “community benefit” requirement  “based on several years of hearing comments about how horrible it looked in its current condition but how there was no money for the county to fix it,” DRC executive director Amy Menzer wrote in an e-mail.
    When representatives from community organizations who frequently use the park assembled to discuss the future pavilion, they agreed it should remain simple in design and have features that require low maintenence, Menzer said in an interview earlier this month.  
    “I think we had all agreed upon keeping it in the center of the park and making it bigger for Concerts in the Park,” said Joe Falbo, who attended the meeting representing the Heritage Association of Dundalk. “It would be a nice improvement to the center of the park because that thing is in bad shape.”
    Some stakeholders mentioned that a newer, larger structure could offer more opportunities for public use.
    “I think actually it could be used for more events than it is at present,” said Marianne Thomas, president of the Old Dundalk Neighborhood Association. “A new design would give incentive to use it for more events.”
    Community representatives at the meeting also discussed ways to prevent the new gazebo from damage and vandalism.
    “The skateboarders have been a problem there. I have no problem with skateboarding, but the damage to the gazebo is very obvious,” Thomas said.
    “There is not one night you go by there and there aren’t 20, 30, 40 kids,” Falbo said. “They are tearing it up.”
    Vontran said his architect will look at different surfaces to construct a gazebo that will be less likely to attract skateboarders. The pavilion also will have a lit cupola with recessed lighting on a sensor through the night in an effort to deter destructive behavior, he said.
    “I think that Vontran seemed to listen to suggestions, so the next thing would be to see what the design reveals to see if we are in agreement with that,” Thomas said.
    Other community representatives present at the summer input meeting included Buzz Christ, representing the Dundalk-Patapsco Neck Historical Society, and Mark Persiani, who runs the annual Concerts in the Park series.
    “I’m all on board and my architect is ready to go,”  Vontran said, adding the project will be constructed  swiftly once he and the local leaders come to a final decision that is approved by Baltimore County.
    “It wouldn’t take us long,” he said. “Weather permitting, 60 to 90 days. ... So far we have not had any disagreements.”