Donated pavilion design for Veterans Park wins councilconcept approval after location questions

Friends of Beach Haven asked the Beach Haven Borough Council on May 11 to approve design work so the group can obtain bids to build a donated pavilion at Veterans Park.

Ken Rubin, president of Friends of Beach Haven, told the council the group had hired an architect and secured a primary donor, and asked for the council's go-ahead to move from concept to construction drawings and a competitive bidding process. "Once you tell us it's okay, we can then have Will prepare construction drawings," Rubin said, adding that the group will not break ground until bids confirm the cost and funds are secured.

Will Eserly, owner of Handline Architectural Firm and the project's architect, described a 30-by-60-foot event pavilion designed to echo Beach Haven's historic porch and shingle-style architecture. "The peak of the cupola is at about 33 feet," Eserly said, and he gave ridge heights of roughly 22 feet and 19 feet above grade for major roof lines.

Community groups and residents largely praised the design but raised concerns about the pavilion's proposed placement. Carol Kirby, president of the Beach Haven Community Arts Program (CAP), said CAP members liked the design but worried the proposed location in the center of the park would reduce vendor space at the summer flea market and eliminate the elevated performance sightline that bands currently use from the existing gazebo. "The biggest concern that CAP has is the location," Kirby said.

Friends of Beach Haven and the architect said those concerns could be addressed through modest siting adjustments and by keeping the existing smaller gazebo in place. Rubin said the group could seek alternate bids for two potential sites so the town would have real price comparisons: "We can get one bid on one site and another bid on the other site," he said.

Council members signaled broad support for moving forward with the concept while asking Friends of Beach Haven to consult with CAP and other regular park users on final siting and operational needs (electrical hookups, staging and sound). Council members and public commenters repeatedly emphasized that the project would be donor-funded and that the group would not ask the borough for construction money unless bids and fundraising indicated otherwise.

The council recorded a consensus to approve the pavilion concept and asked the proponents to return with firm construction drawings and, at the next meeting, a resolution formalizing the council's authorization to proceed.

What happens next: Friends of Beach Haven will prepare construction drawings, meet with CAP and other stakeholders about sound, elevation and access, and then seek bids and firm cost estimates. A formal council resolution to authorize the design and bidding phase is expected at the next regular meeting.