Among the agenda items for the City of Henderson’s Public Works Committee at their meeting this past Friday, January 11 was the proposed outdoor pavilion set to complete the area known as Breckenridge Commons.

Intended for live performances and more, the pavilion will sit on the open end of the block occupied by the Henderson Police Station – the end closer to Chestnut Street between Breckenridge and Montgomery streets.

City Councilman William Burnette serves on the Public Works Committee and gave WIZS News a synopsis of the meeting.

In regards to the progress made on the pavilion, Burnette responded, “We have the preliminary concept in place. We’ve talked to two different companies concerning the groundwork. So, hopefully, we can get this off the ground pretty quickly.”

According to Burnette, while the committee would like to see the project completed in the next two months, it will more likely be three to four months. Certain donated structures are not expected to be in place until the fall of this year.

The City has been taking its time on this project for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is working out of an abundance of caution given how permanent and important the final product will be.

The cost of the pavilion, to include repair and repaving of the nearby parking lot, will be approximately $200,000 according to Burnette.

The completed pavilion will be used during events such as the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce’s outdoor “Meet Me in the Street” series. Currently, the events require tractor trailers to block off streets and certain permits. Burnette believes the pavilion will make events such as these easier to plan and more accessible to the community.

Burnette is looking forward to seeing the completed project and is confident that citizens will enjoy the pavilion. “We need to get it off the ground so the citizens can enjoy it. I’m excited about it! I think it’s going to add to McGregor Hall. We’re not going to be in competition with them, but it should add to them.”