CENTERBURG — Although the Centerburg gazebo remained dark over the holiday season, efforts are moving forward to correct damage the structure suffered during a Sept. 14 storm.
“If you look real close, it’s twisted and leaning,” said Phil Lohmeyer, village administrator. “It is fixable.”
Lohmeyer told village council earlier this week that he was having trouble getting local contractors to take the job, but is certain an Amish contractor from the Fredericktown area will take on the responsibility.
“We will have to jack it up a little and straighten it out. We’ll have to add some bracing to the roof,” he said.
Although he has not seen any written estimates, Lohmeyer does not anticipate a big bill for the project.
“It should not be expensive,” Lohmeyer said. “It should be covered by insurance.”
What isn’t covered by the village’s policy, Lohmeyer hopes to recoup from an additional Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.
The village was recently approved for $10,942 from FEMA for debris cleanup following the Sept. 14 storm.
“That helped pay for debris cleanup — downed limbs and trees — from the first few days [after the storm],” he said. “A second grant would help pay for safety issues including damage to buildings like the shingles that came off the town hall and the work on the gazebo.”
Lohmeyer said there were trees and limbs that were damaged in the storm and now need to come down.
“This is one of those things we have to do. We have to do some of it regardless. We’ll spend the money and hope we get some of it back,” he said.
