The Vanishing Gazebo

[XLFD]

Corrections Officer John Long led off public comment at the Ludington City Council's April 14, 2025 meeting with a bit of news, from our perspective.  He had noticed that the gazebo overlooking Lincoln Lake out in Cartier Park had disappeared without a trace.  Long indicated that when he tried to figure out what happened to the gazebo, he found (by sifting through the City's records) only that it was never discussed as a topic of any committee meeting, only as a future consideration of whether it should have its roof repaired or be demolished.  

The Ludington Torch felt that this was a good topic to explore in more detail, and we found after some research that Long's statements were well-founded and suggest that someone in the City of Ludington took action to demo and remove the gazebo without any discussion in front of those in the community that saw value in that gazebo, as Long would relate.  First, we verified that the gazebo was gone and that Long was not hallucinating.  

Sure enough, the octagonal gazebo, originally placed in that octagonal slab of concrete you see above in 2003 after being moved from the downtown "Lunacy Park" area, was completely gone without leaving any other octagonal footprints for its departure.  That part of Long's narrative verified, we plunged into the meeting minutes of the City's records and found that the gazebo had come up as a topic for future discussion at every meeting of the City's Parks Committee since July 2024, when citizen Tom Sanders complained about the gazebo in need of roof repairs-- at Waterfront Park (as seen below, with a brand-new roof approved by the council since that time).  When it came time to decided future issues, the gazebo at Cartier Park came up as a topic for roof repairs.

And that would continue until October, when it was still left undiscussed, but the topic turned to "roof repair vs. demolition.  That choice would be under future considerations for every monthly meeting of the Parks Committee since, even at the March 25th meeting.  Yet even at that meeting, it would not come up for discussion, meaning that somebody took it on their own initiative to demolish and remove the Cartier Park gazebo without any input from elected officials or the public.  

At the 150-minute meeting of the city council where Long would seek answers (then depart himself), there was no good answer given as to the process used to demolish the gazebo.  We only learned that the gazebo didn't get up and move on its own; it was demolished using city resources or by some unknown contractor paid taxpayer money to haul it out.  This would generally amount to a cost between $600-$2000 to do but may have cost more in this case as there was no incentive or time to bid out the project and the City typically does not seek the cheap solutions, even when they bid out.  

Ironically, a lower range of costs apply to repairing a gazebo, according to Homeguide.com, from $500-$1700.  What one sees is that they could have repaired the roof on the gazebo and kept it out at Cartier Park for less than they spent in its demolition and removal.  This is why we have a process that takes place before we make decisions like this, so that reasonable people can figure out what's best rather than having some anonymous official buck the process and do something counterproductive and more costly than what reason would tell us is best.  

Who made Gazebo-gate an issue by taking it upon themselves to demolish and remove the Cartier Park gazebo before it could be discussed in order to decide whether repair or removal was called for?  We hope to find out through the Freedom of Information Act and once we do find out, we will make sure that this non-transparent and capricious type of process is never repeated again by the City of Ludington.

[stump]

I believe when the city purchased the Gazebo it was quite expensive I believe more than $60,000. It was made out of weather resistant wood so it's hard to believe that it would be in such a deteriorated shape to be torn down because of a roof problem. I would look in one of the upper city peoples back yard.

[XLFD]

That would be good advice, but I do have a reliable source who did not see the demolition but saw a dumpster filled with gazebo wood, so if it is in the backyard of a city official it's likely just gonna be firewood.

The $60,000 for this gazebo that is over 33 years old seems high, and I don't expect the DDA spent that much when they originally put it up in the Lunacy Park plaza in 1992 or slightly before.  They have since put up a gazebo at Waterfront Park and spent some significant figure over the winter to fix their roof so that it will last.  That one is bigger, purchased later and may have the cost you quote.  Ironically, they have a gazebo-like structure at Lunacy Park now that assuredly cost more than $60K.  If you recall, at one point they moved the 1992 gazebo out of that area to Cartier Park, because kids were using it as a hang-out spot in the downtown and Police Chief Barnett didn't like that.  

[woodsman]

  Was the Gazebo at Cartier Park a look alike for the Gazebo at Peter Copeyon Park?  If so they where build like tanks by a local contractor who also built the one at Loomis Street launch which is much larger.  If not then my point is useless but if they where why did 2 of them survive and one fall apart?

[XLFD]

I couldn't figure out a good answer to that question.  Do any of our more seasoned readers know any extra Ludington gazebo lore to answer this?

[Willy]

I checked out the gazebo site and to my surprise, It's back. All it needs is some TLC and it will be as good as before.

[stump]

Looks to me like the latest site for the annual Ludingtons bonfire . Nice location, easy cleanup on that cement pad. And the City doesn't have to haul in their chemical soaked pallets