Toms River Set To Replace Collapsed Gazebos

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Township Council approved the purchase of steel pavilions to replace the triple gazebo at Huddy Park.

The octagonal steel pavilions are being purchased from Cedar Forest Products through the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s cooperative purchasing system with a maximum contract amount of $213,248.38, according to the resolution approved Tuesday night.

The main gazebo collapsed in early November, and the two smaller ones were then demolished out of safety concerns, Toms River Business Administrator Lou Amoruso said.

Amoruso said officials believed the structure was damaged when Tropical Storm Isaias tore through the area in early August. The winds from the tropical storm tore down trees and flipped bleachers at the Berkeley Little League complex.

“There is evidence of uplift caused by high winds, which compromised the structural integrity,” Amoruso said.

At the council meeting, Township Engineer Robert Chankalian said the wooden frame of the gazebos had been in place for 25 years. When the township renovated Huddy Park in 2017, the gazebos were fitted with steel roofs and bases and landscaping were renovated.

He said the new gazebo structure were being purchased because the township needs to see what changes, if any, it has to make to the bases from the previous gazebos for the new ones.

“We’re hoping to use the existing bases,” he said. “Hopefully we can attach it to what is there.”

Amoruso said the insurance company has asked the township to submit the claim once it has all of the cost estimates, including if it has to replace or change the footings.

“We have not received any indication that they will not cover the costs,” he said.

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