Onset Bandshell to reopen after frustrations over construction timeline
Barriers at the Onset Bandshell at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, which are expected to be taken down later in the day. Photos by Nick Mossman
Fabricated metal fencing, which Sullivan said was one of the last elements of the project, sits behind construction barriers.
Barriers at the Onset Bandshell at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, which are expected to be taken down later in the day. Photos by Nick Mossman
Fabricated metal fencing, which Sullivan said was one of the last elements of the project, sits behind construction barriers.
Construction on Onset's Lillian Gregerman Bandshell is expected to wrap up Wednesday, Aug. 5, after the project pushed past several publicly stated completion estimates and drew frustration from residents.
At 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, construction barriers were still up at the bandshell with multiple construction workers at the site. Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said that those barriers would come down later in the day, allowing the bandshell to reopen for the Onset Bay Association's "Summer of Love" concert Wednesday evening and the Onset Cape Verdean Festival on Saturday, Aug. 8.
The project remained under construction past several publicly stated completion estimates.
At first, the town posted to its website that construction on the bandshell was estimated to be completed by July 1. On July 14, Sullivan told Wareham Week the project would be "substantially completed" by the end of the week of July 20. Then, during a July 21 Select Board meeting, Sullivan said he "hoped" the project would be fully completed by Aug. 1.
While the project did extend beyond estimates, Sullivan said the "drop dead" deadline for the project has always been the Onset Cape Verdean Festival, which the town remained on track to meet. The festival, which draws tens of thousands of attendees from all over the country, is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8 at the bandshell.
During a Tuesday, Aug. 4 Select Board meeting, residents expressed frustration that construction continued more than a month after expectations that the project would be complete by July 1.
"The buzz around this project is changing: growing more and more disgruntled and negative on social media as each day passes," resident Susan Noonan said on Tuesday.
Noonan urged the Select Board to bring the bandshell project to a close "sooner rather than later." She asked for an "after action report" to determine why the project ran over deadline.
"We need to understand what went wrong, because it should have been done," resident Neil Sullivan said. He added that he believes "mismanagement" contributed to apparent delays with the project.
The project stems from a $250,000 grant to make the seating and walkways at the bandshell compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The town removed and replaced the bandshell's existing bench planks and making walkways more accessible at the site.
The closure of the bandshell impacted several events slated to be held there, including the Onset Bay Association's weekly "Summer of Love" concerts, which have instead been held at the Onset VFW since their start this summer.
In an email to Wareham Week in July, Sullivan wrote that because the project was funded by a grant, the money had to be expended by June 30. He called the situation a "catch 22" because the town received grant funding in January and couldn't wait until the fall to build or the funding would be lost.
