WILMINGTON -- The Old Bank Lot Park at the intersection of Routes 9 and 100 in Wilmington recently received recognition from the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
On Friday at the 2009 downtown conference in Middlebury, Wilmington was given the Green Mountain Award for Best Public Space Improvement in Vermont.
"We’re totally elated," said Lee Schindel, chairwoman of the town’s Beautification Committee. "It’s recognition for two years of really hard work."
The award comes at a time when the town is engaged in a debate over a prominent feature of the park. The pergola, a tall, wooden structure, has been the subject of much controversy; in July, more than 300 residents signed a petition asking the Selectboard to remove it from the historic downtown, but that petition did not hold up legally.
Today the town will hold a special meeting and vote on whether or not to use the Australian Ballot system of voting to decide all matters pertaining to the pergola from now on.
The park was created after Wilmington suffered the loss of one of its most historic buildings in a fire on Easter Morning, 2007, when the bank burned to the ground; months later, the town took a vote and decided to buy the property to create a public space.
"With the economic struggles we’ve been having here, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that it could still be a chain link fence with the burned rubble still there," said Laura
With help from local craftsmen and volunteers, the plan was not only carried out over the past two years but has developed into an award-winning community space.
"There was heartfelt jubilation in the studio when we heard we won the award," said Joseph Cincotta, owner of LineSync Architecture and Planning in Wilmington. He and a team of six employees came up with the park’s design.
"What was really important was to create an area of refuge with a protective feeling where people can enjoy the river," Cincotta said. "The river is our greatest asset, and we had no public place to give access to it within the village."
The pergola, which he prefers to call an arbor, is an essential element to creating balance in space, he said.
"It’s surrounded by two three-story buildings," he said. "There had to be something vertical."
"You’ve got to have something there," he added, "otherwise it would feel like a suburban lawn for one of the buildings."
He said he is thankful for Sibilia and the chamber of commerce for nominating the park. Residents who are proposing that the pergola be removed often say it doesn’t fit the historic nature of the town, Cincotta said, and the award helps to contradict that notion.
Criteria for the award include that it be given to a community that has demonstrated a willingness to invest in public space improvements as an integral part of a community revitalization effort with emphasis placed on the quality of workmanship and impact on the overall appearance of the downtown/village center.
Wilmington is the first ever village center to win the award -- in years past it has always been given to designated downtown areas.
"I hope people continue to enjoy this pretty little space in town," Schindel said. "We’re starting to decorate the park for the holidays, and we’re in process of putting up lights."
The vote regarding the pergola will take place tonight at 7 in the Twin Valley High School gymnasium.
If the town votes not to hold Australian Ballot votes from now on regarding the pergola, the issue of removing the structure will likely be included as an article at Town Meeting.
Jaime Cone can be reached at jcone@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 277.
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