Volunteers in one Jefferson County town are working on a town square which will be located at the main intersection.
We spoke with one of the organizers and have more on how they hope it will change their town.
A four-story building was torn down, and a “low-maintenance” Town Square will replace it, committee member Eric Mehok said.
The Sykesville Chamber of Commerce and the borough together donated a total of $50,000 for the project, Mehok said.
The chamber had paid $30,000 for that demolition on a vacant former bar and restaurant that also suffered a top-floor fire, Mehok said.
Mehok says the square will have a flower bed, trees, benches, and a flag pole donated by the Eagles Club.
According to Mehok, they got a PennDOT permit to fix sidewalks at that corner, and the 10-person committee is getting donations around town. The contract will give four months to build it.
“It was gonna just be an empty lot and we just didn’t want another parking lot in town. We wanted something in town where we can put a community Christmas tree,” says Mehok. “They’re going to have a veterans’ memorial wall there and there’s also going to be two other memorial walls where people can buy bricks and honor their loved ones and have their names put on the wall. They can also buy benches.”
Mehok, who works as a barber nearby, says the borough office is taking bids to be opened next Friday and the square should be done by winter.