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Old Saybrook Town Beach Pavilion Rebuilt as New

Old Saybrook's town beach pavilion, after withstanding storms for more than 50 years was damaged first by Tropical Storm Irene and then Superstorm Sandy. Town officials, faced with a decision to repair or replace it, asked: Should the new pavilion be different and bigger, or was the original design good enough?

The best and most cost-effective approach, to which town leaders agreed, was to rebuild the pavilion on the same footprint as the old one. The old would just be made new again.

In June, the Town Meeting in two votes approved $30,000 to rebuild the town beach pavilion. Although the funds were approved in June, town leaders decided to wait until after the summer beach season was over to do the construction work. In early October, the town’s Public Works crew demolished the old beach pavilion and disposed of the old building materials.

When the site was cleared, the town’s pavilion rebuild contractor, New England Professional Contractors, started construction for the new structure. With the old foundation footings undermined, this work began with the pouring of new footings and a new concrete pad. Next, the firm’s crew started erecting the superstructure of the Beach Pavilion and installed a new roof over open structure.

Last week, town building inspectors were checking the contractor’s work before giving the all-clear to complete the final task, rebuilding the pavilion benches.

Visitors coming to the town beach now likely may not think the new pavilion looks any different from the original—and it is almost the same. Almost.

What is new is that the new roof is thicker than the old one and the supports for it a little stronger. To most beach-goers the modifications won’t be noticeable, but parents planning beach pavilion birthday parties should be thrilled by the change. No longer will protruding roof nails on the old roof reach out and pop errant party balloons that have floated away from a child’s grip. The new, thicker decking hides the pointed ends of the former pavilion’s roof nails.

Funds to support the town beach pavilion rebuild came from two sources. The Law Enforcement Fund Committee chaired by Christina Burnham voted to contribute $13,000 to the project. The remaining $17,000 of the $30,000 budget came from town funds set aside in a reserve fund that is dedicated for capital maintenance projects and updates on town buildings.

The Law Enforcement Fund received an unexpected infusion of about $35,000 in new funds this fall from Drusilla Ford Chatfield’s bequest. When the fund was created in the last decade from funds donated to the Police Department, it was anticipated that the account’s remaining deposits of under $20,000 would soon be spent and the fund would sunset. With this new addition to the fund, the committee has an expanded balance to tap for new grants.