Gazebo gets new home Boro and KBA move structure from Mini Park to First St. BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer ERIC SUCAR staff Former Mayor John Merla (in the background, center) and Joseph Merla (background, right) were among the many volunteers who helped move the gazebo from the Mini Park on West Front Street to its new home on lower Broad Street and American Legion Drive, Keyport, Saturday. KEYPORT - Sometimes it takes a town to raise a gazebo. Under the direction of Police Capt. Thomas Mitchell, members of the Keyport Business Alliance (KBA) and other volunteers pitched in Saturday morning to load the Mini Park gazebo on a flatbed truck for a short trip down West Front and Broad streets, ending up on a small patch of grass near the water on First Street. "It's down by the boat ramp on First Street," Mitchell said on Monday. "How did we move it? Planks, backhoes, tow trucks, all three," Mitchell said. "It didn't take that long. It took about three hours from start to finish. We carried it over on a big flatbed. The only casualty was one cable wire we took out." "How did we move it? Planks, backhoes, tow trucks, all three." - Thomas Mitchell police captain Although only a year old, the prefabricated gazebo was moved to make way for a new amphitheater that faces the waterfront. The current amphitheater faces away, or toward West Front Street. Mitchell, a KBA member and owner of TNT health club, suggested the gazebo be replaced with staggered seating platforms that offer unobstructed views to summer concertgoers. The gazebo was the source of some controversy when it was purchased. Erected in March 2006, the gazebo remained off-limits until mid-summer of that year, when the borough installed a handicap-accessible ramp. Originally a joint project between the KBA and the borough, in the end, the borough wound up footing the approximately $13,000 bill, officials said at the time. Residents complained the gazebo was too costly and perhaps unnecessary. Since the gazebo opened, residents have complained it has become a hangout for street vagrants, or as some in town have nicknamed these individuals, "the gazebians." Nevertheless, many local business owners volunteered to help move the structure, including Wade Pedersen of Hans Pedersen & Sons Boat Works, who offered "knowledge and manpower," according to Mitchell. "He's a boat guy, so he's got knowledge of how to move big bulky things," Mitchell said. "You had Pedersen's marina and Bill Wright & Sons Towing. You had Gary Gallopo with his tow truck. ... Magic Touch Construction and Eddie Burlew; his whole crew was there. Jackie Cattle from Apollo Sewer donated the backhoe and the driver. And then just volunteers." Mitchell was clearly pleased by the community effort, which enabled construction on the amphitheater to begin Monday morning. "They started today," Mitchell said on Monday. "They're getting ready to start laying the pavers." Next up, railings and lighting fixtures will be added, Mitchell said. He estimates the project will be completed within a month. In the meantime, the gazebo is once again off-limits until the borough creates a handicap-accessible entrance. Mitchell said it hopes it will be done quickly this time, within a week, he estimated.