The Clarkdale Historic Preservation Commission provided an update on the town gazebo during its Sept. 5 meeting.
Community Development Director Ruth Mayday presented the findings from a meeting of preservation experts that took place on July 12.
Town staff met with members of the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, including the state architect, as well as representatives from Advanced Structural Engineering and a subcontractor for Woodruff Construction, whose bid for the bandstand renovations was accepted.
Town staff requested a second report on the bandstand after issues arose with the initial structural engineering report. The new report will detail the condition of the existing structure and provide recommendations on restoration activities and a maintenance program. The town intends to have as many parties as possible involved in the restoration process to discuss options for repairs or replacements.
ASE provided an agreement for professional services between ASE and Diamond Ridge Development, a subcontractor for Woodruff. Once the agreement is signed, ASE will begin its review of the structure and provide recommendations for its restoration.
Mayday described the meeting as very productive and said that she thought the most interesting suggestion they had received was to uplight the rafters and framework of the roof to highlight the craftsmanship rather than replacing the roof, which she called an amazing feature that most people don’t get a chance to view.
Commissioner Michael Lindner addressed the previous report’s references to fire damaged joists, claiming that the apparent damage could be evidence of a wood preservation technique used to prevent dry rot and termites. He pointed out that if a portion of the gazebo had caught fire, then the entire thing would have burned down.
Mayday countered that the preservation experts had determined that the joists showed fire damage rather than evidence of preservation. She added that they can expect an engineering assessment report by the middle of October for review.
