Pergola wins award

what a joke, they can put all the frosting on this they want but it's still a poorly planned and just plain ugly design, I could see it in NY city but not in vt, wonder who cincotta sucked up to or threatened to get this award! whoever gave it must be blind

Is that you Skip Moover?

I've followed this "debate" with a mixture of amusement and disgust. The pergola is a lovely structure, and I'm completely confused that the self-appointed historical experts of the town are getting their panties all in a twist over it. As others have pointed out, Wilmington is not itself specifically a historically preserved area in any other sense. This is not a glass skyscraper, people! Amazing that people who on any other day are wailing about tough economic times are eager to waste the time, money, and effort that went into beautifying the park.

Perhaps they'd be happier with a public stocks or a whipping post in the park. That would certainly be "historical" in terms of being in a public gathering place.

PS to Jethro: a pergola is a garden structure. Your "this isn't NY city" comment proves your ignorance. Talking like a hick, i.e. claiming anything you don't like is some newfangled, city-people thing, doesn't exactly establish credibility.

I think the basic problem is the people in Wilmington don't understand what it is, so they freak out that it "doesn't belong here". It's like an arbor, for climbing plants. You know, like people have in their gardens??

CAN'T TOUCH THAT NOW If you do it will be a federal crime now that it is a historic joke and on put over on the taxpayers. It's the start of a new religious temple or mosque for a free zone for terrorist to hide from marlboro

Passed through there today. Still haven't changed my mind...it truly is an eye sore. If this is supposed to be a sheltered spot to look at the river, then how about putting a roof or a tarp on it. Utterly useless and ugly. It took 6 people and how much money for this? Yuck.

Really? Is this really a problem for you folks? If so, I suggest that you visit a VA hospital on Veteran's Day and check out what this war is doing to our troops. A bit of perspective is in order for Bennington!

Tamarac wrote:

Really? Is this really a problem for you folks? If so, I suggest that you visit a VA hospital on Veteran's Day and check out what this war is doing to our troops. A bit of perspective is in order for Bennington!

Someone with some perspective. Amen Tamarac

As the Chamber Director said anything would be better than the chain link fence and rubble that existed at the Wilmington site prior to the Town's purchase of the burned-out property. To many thats just what the Town got - a bunch of anything.

Fran wrote:

PS to Jethro: a pergola is a garden structure. Your "this isn't NY city" comment proves your ignorance. Talking like a hick, i.e. claiming anything you don't like is some newfangled, city-people thing, doesn't exactly establish credibility.
I think the basic problem is the people in Wilmington don't understand what it is, so they freak out that it "doesn't belong here". It's like an arbor, for climbing plants. You know, like people have in their gardens??

And im sure you know how much this arbor cost. The special wood that was used to build it. Hard economic times..........lets build a very ugly and even more expensive structure that serves no real purpose.

kaya wrote:

<quoted text>
And im sure you know how much this arbor cost. The special wood that was used to build it. Hard economic times..........lets build a very ugly and even more expensive structure that serves no real purpose.

Agreed.

Just how much did this team of six people get paid for designing this? Does anyone know? Is this like the quarter of a million dollar Pliny Park in Brattleboro?

Tamarac wrote:

Really? Is this really a problem for you folks? If so, I suggest that you visit a VA hospital on Veteran's Day and check out what this war is doing to our troops. A bit of perspective is in order for Bennington!

What a moron. This isn't Bennington, and this isn't about whatever personal rant you are on. Why don't you post similar things on the other topix boards then. Go lay this stuff on the VY board, or some other random place.

The problem is many townspeople believe the designer and builder of this pergola has both a huge conflict of interest and ego. Some say he built whatever he wanted, not what he was contracted to do: which was a pergola in much more traditional, New England style. He created an avant garde design that was not what was specified and he did it without consulting anyone. He is a businessperson in town but also on a town board(as is his wife) -- a decisionmaker -- which makes some folks think he thought he was invincible in this deal. It's more of a showdown over power than design.

thedogatemyhomework wrote:

The problem is many townspeople believe the designer and builder of this pergola has both a huge conflict of interest and ego. Some say he built whatever he wanted, not what he was contracted to do: which was a pergola in much more traditional, New England style. He created an avant garde design that was not what was specified and he did it without consulting anyone. He is a businessperson in town but also on a town board(as is his wife)-- a decisionmaker -- which makes some folks think he thought he was invincible in this deal. It's more of a showdown over power than design.

Well, then, that SURE does explain it. Actually, that thing is so distracting and useless that it had to be an 'inside job'. So just how much did it cost for a team of 6 people to design this thing?