The Benson Park Advisory Committee met on Aug. 21 to discuss efforts to restore and protect two historic lion statues. While Michael Cutrona had initially planned to build a protective cage for the statues as part of an Eagle Scout project, the effort has run into several logistical hurdles.
“This unfortunately has ground to a halt,” said Committee Chair Jack Madden. “We got an email from Michael that he’s going to stop the project. He doesn’t have the time, and the lead time to do all the work just isn’t going to work out. That project is dead for this year.”
Building a custom cage for the lion statues was considered crucial to preventing their deterioration while still keeping them on display.
A separate proposal to restore the statues also stalled after Committee member Sue Clement reported that their original contractor was no longer available.
“His wife had an illness, and at this point it’s too much. They’re not going to be able to do the project,” Clement said. “If anybody knows someone or would like to come and take a look at the lions, they do need to be restored. There are lots of cracks in them.”
The lion statues are original to Benson’s Wild Animal Farm. Both remain in “poor shape” due to weathering and are being kept from public view until further notice.
Unfortunately, the statues are not the only concern at Benson Park. Recently, the Old Lady in the Shoe exhibit suffered a series of vandalism and graffiti incidents.
“We’ve had a lot of vandalism at the Shoe recently,” Clement said. “We have video of who did it, and they appear to be minors – possibly two girls, probably young teens – as well as others who were trying to break in during the middle of the night.”
“So, is there a police case number?” asked Madden.
Clement confirmed that all incidents had been reported to the Hudson Police Department and that an investigation is underway. The Shoe, while open to the public for special events, has experienced multiple acts of vandalism in the past.
Madden noted that restoration and maintenance work for exhibits like the lions and the Shoe is only possible through volunteer support due to the Committee’s limited budget.
“We’ve started our new fiscal year, and our new town accountant is producing our budget appropriation report,” he said. “We’re starting out with a total of $1,100 in our accounts. We haven’t spent anything yet. We got through July without spending anything.”
The Committee thanked volunteer Paul Tracey, who has contributed both time and materials toward restoring the Old Lady in the Shoe, including repainting the structure after recent graffiti damage.
“This gentleman has done a lot of work on the Shoe over the past couple of years to bring it back to its former glory,” Clement said.
The next meeting of the Benson Park Advisory Committee is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. in the HCTV Meeting Room.