Demolition of Penfield I Pavilion Begins

Demolition of Penfield I Pavilion Begins

(Appeared on Fairfield.Patch.com 10/25)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All Rights Reserved.

10/25/10

Fairfield, CT – With each scoop of the excavator, another memory was removed as demolition began on Penfield I Pavilion at Penfield Beach.

The process was initiated at 7:30am on Monday, October 25, and by late afternoon, the section of the pavilion from the lifeguard lounge through to the snack bar had been removed. All that remained of the structure there was a large heap of twisted and crumpled wood and metal. Signage showing ice cream bar options still remained on an exterior wall at the point where the excavator ceased operations for the day.

A chain link fence surrounded the whole site and blocked access to one half of the main parking lot. The toll booth at the lot’s main entrance had also been moved to one side to allow heavy equipment and flatbed truck access.

The excavator operator said the Town of Fairfield was handling the work itself and expected the tear-down, up to the newly replaced section of the pavilion, to be completed by week’s end.

“There were people here first thing gathering up change from where the boardwalk had been by the snack bar,” said the operator, who didn’t want to give his name. “We had to chase them out.” He referred to all the coins that had fallen down through the floorboards over the years.

A long-time town employee, the operator recalled working on the structure back in 1976. “I had to clear sand out from under the building. At the time, I wondered ‘What the heck am I doing here?’” he mused.

One would imagine such a momentous event in the beach area would gather a crowd of onlookers, but there were only a couple of bystanders who hovered briefly, took a photograph and moved on. Other beachgoers remained seated in their beach chairs on this unseasonably warm late October afternoon and carried on as if this was any other beach day.

Catherine Street resident Janet Souza, a frequent visitor with her family to the beach, said, “I’ll miss the old structure and memories of sharing a locker space with a friend and the kids squealing in the showers. And the snack bar had great food. The kids could order on a tab, which made them feel empowered. I do look forward to something newer though. It’ll be nice to see what they come up with.”

Beachgoer and Fairfield resident Pam Ortiz said the old building had a lot of history and that the town probably could have repaired it. “I’m not sure it was necessary to tear it down and build a new building. It seems excessive. We’ve already spent a lot on other projects, like the new train station.”

The biggest audience overseeing the demolition was the flock of seagulls that had taken their usual rooftop post on the highest point of the pavilion and they no doubt were hoping that food scraps or other salvageable goods would be turned up.

The operator said he would have been able to accomplish his work in a day but that there were other workers in the remaining section of the building conducting lead paint and asbestos removal. He said the building was shaking as he began the demolition and now he must wait until they complete their work.