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Iroquois Park pavilion renovations

Many city projects are on hold as Louisville Metro deals with budget shortfalls.  But one long-proposed but delayed project is finally moving forward.

They may not know it has a name, but lots of South End residents certainly know Iroquois Park's Sunnyhill Pavilion.  Regular park visitors have watched for years as the pavilion went from an historic treasure to an eyesore.

From its ten million dollar amphitheater restoration to a new spray park and children's playground, Iroquois Park has seen a lot of upgrades in recent years.

While the improvements are appreciated and well-used, one of the things South End residents such as Chris Staton really love about Iroquois Park is its long history in this community.  That includes an 80-year-old pavilion which, even propped up with supports, is ready to fall down.

The Sunnyhill Pavilion was supposed to be restored about five years ago when the city landed a $200,000 federal "Save America's Treasures" grant.  Metro Council member Marianne Butler says, "I think everyone was very frustrated that it hadn't moved. We didn't want to lose the funding."

The pavilion work never began because the federal grant did not cover the full cost of restoration. With the grant in jeopardy, Councilwoman Marianne Butler proposed that some Iroquois High School students rescue the project:  "And I knew about the construction program at Iroquois, which is right down the street, and what a wonderful match for those kids to get practical experience and draw them into a community project."

Thursday morning Iroquois students in the Construction Magnet Program stepped up to save the pavilion.  Timothy Schoembachler of the program explains, "It needs a lot of work, but I think the way we work, it'll get done. We'll do it. It'll be a good job too."

The students and their supervisors will save as much of the structure as they can, but replacement parts will have to be custom-made.  It will take about a year to restore Iroquois' Sunnyhill Pavilion.