Churchville gazebo, clock tower under construction

The foundations are in and ready for construction to begin on the gazebo and clock tower at the Village of Churchville's new municipal park on the banks of Black Creek on East Buffalo Street.

"You'll see some activity there within two weeks," said Mayor Donald R. Ehrmentraut. Then it should only take a few weeks to build.

Testa Construction, Inc., the same company that built the new Village Hall on the site earlier this year, was awarded the contract to build both the gazebo and the clock tower, according to Ehrmentraut. The village's department of public works put the concrete footers in for both projects.

Ehrmentraut said he hopes to schedule some programming at the gazebo around Christmastime this year. "Next year we'll have a full calendar of events," he said.

The village is now looking for someone to help coordinate those events, such as concerts, and Ehrmentraut said anyone interested could contact him through the village office.

The Churchville Lions Club is funding most of the clock tower project, according to Ehrmentraut. He said the village has also received $7,500 in private donations, including an anonymous donation of $5,000 for the construction of a carillon.

According to Ehrmentraut, the clock tower will be dedicated to the victims of September 11 in a formal ceremony next year.

Improvements to the village's new municipal park will conclude in the spring with cleaning around the creek banks and improvements to the walkways. "It will be a valuable, usable park," Ehrmentraut said.

He said the gazebo will be an important part of an effort to revitalize downtown Churchville. "Weekend entertainment should help energize the downtown area," along with new economic development, Ehrmentraut said.

"We definitely have needs ... we have empty storefronts, and with the new town building being built, (the town offices will be moving out and) we will have more empty storefronts, he said. Ehrmentraut is establishing a new economic development committee to look at these needs and, he said, "See what we can do to protect the future of the village."

Ehrmentraut urges anyone interested in the village's economic viability to contact him and be a part of the economic development committee. He said he would be heading the first few meetings, possibly once or twice a month, in the beginning.

"The downtown area is a vital part of any community," Ehrmentraut said. "We need to aggressively get these storefronts filled and keep our downtown area a vital and interesting place for residents and visitors alike."

In other economic development news, the village board granted a request for a zoning change on North Sanford Road from light industrial to highway commercial, clearing the way for Meyer's Campers to develop that site.

According to Ehrmentraut, the recreational vehicle retailer and service center plans to move into the former Rochester Auto Collection building temporarily, while waiting for new construction elsewhere on the property.