The Benson Park Advisory Committee met on June 18 with encouraging news about the long running effort to restore the park’s historic Lion’s Pride statues. After years of slow progress, the project has gained new momentum thanks to fresh volunteer involvement and a recent $200 donation earmarked for repair work.
Committee Chair Sue Clement said volunteers have already begun hands-on restoration. “We are working on the Lions currently, we have some good volunteers who have started,” she said. “First up is going to be cleaning it. They’re also looking into rebuilding one of the statue’s poor tail, because the tail is no longer there. I’ve been sending pictures that I have, though I only have one or two, that show how long the tail was.”
While restoration is underway, the Committee is still debating how best to display the statues once they are repaired. Most members favor keeping the Lions somewhere near the Elephant Barn, possibly on a seasonal basis to protect them from weather and wear.
Secretary Ellen Griffin floated the idea of a glass enclosure. “Should we put them in a glass window? So people can see them all the time?” she asked.
The Committee agreed that constant exposure could invite problems. Past ideas, including placing the statues on the old Gorilla Cage or constructing a custom cage, were dismissed as impractical. Clement suggested a more naturalistic approach.
“An easy thing that I was thinking was having a nice little display around them where it looks like they’re living in nature,” she said. “We can make it look really cute. If anybody has any other thoughts, feel free to give us some information or if anybody wants to volunteer to help us do that.”
Protecting the statues from rain, erosion, and curious visitors who might try to climb on them remains a priority. Still, Clement said she is optimistic. “I’m just excited that now we have money, and we have somebody who’s starting to work on them,” she said. “I have a good feeling that by the end of this year we’ll have it done.”
The Committee also heard an update from Jan Horvath on the covered bridge replacement project. Horvath recently met with Director of Development Services Elvis Dhima, DPW Director Jason Twardosk, and other staff to review the site and discuss foundation needs.
“I had my first meeting with Elvis where I made a real measurement of the landscape and how we would like to have the DPW build a foundation for the bridge,” Horvath said. A walkthrough revealed areas of water collection and erosion. “We should consider some drainage there so the water won’t erode the side of the foundations. I am going to mention these things when I talk with Jason.”
Horvath plans to develop a preliminary budget to estimate the cost of the bridge before presenting the project to the Board of Selectmen. “I hope we can take money from the Capital Fund,” he said, a suggestion that received support from other Committee members.
The Benson Park Advisory Committee will meet again on Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m. in the HCTV Meeting Room.