Participants in the Lee Middle and High School carpentry program work on a pavilion in the First Congregational Church park in Lee on Thursday. 

Over 20 students from Lee Middle and High School are helping to build the open-air pavilion in the town's de facto town square.

Matt O'Brien, left, and Jack Clark construct the frame of the pavilion. "I can't wait to be here with my kids some day and tell them I helped build this," said O'Brien.

Participants in the Lee Middle and High School carpentry program work on a pavilion in the First Congregational Church park in Lee on Thursday. 

Over 20 students from Lee Middle and High School are helping to build the open-air pavilion in the town's de facto town square.

Matt O'Brien, left, and Jack Clark construct the frame of the pavilion. "I can't wait to be here with my kids some day and tell them I helped build this," said O'Brien.

LEE — Jack Clarke and Matt O’Brien are side by side standing on six-foot ladders. The budding carpenters are attaching a four-foot long piece of pine lumber to the roof of a pavilion under construction in downtown Lee.

“We’re putting up facia boards using a nail gun that we learned how to use in the carpentry program,” said Clark.

The two juniors and 20 other upperclassmen are helping to build the open-air structure as part of the Lee Middle and High School carpentry program.

“It feels good to know we’re helping the community look good,” added junior Aden Keefner.

Lee-based Berkshire Gateway Preservation is spearheading the estimated $25,000 to $30,000 project for the First Congregational Church park — the de facto town square.

The nonprofit has raised more than enough to cover the cost of the project, according to Berkshire Gateway head Garth Story, with up to $20,000 in private donations and a $12,900 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism already in hand.

“We’ll have enough money left over to put away for maintenance and upkeep of the pavilion,” Story said.

The structure — 14 feet by 20 feet, and 13 1/2 feet high — is placed on a concrete slab installed by LB Corporation of Lee.

Carpentry program teacher Corey Heath says the project has allowed his students to hone their skills as they create something that can be seen by everyone who visits the park.

“Until now, the kids have been building 8-by-10-foot sheds; framing walls, putting in floors, installing rafters. This allows them to do more,” he said.

Junior Ricky Morris says the program has been a great learning experience.

“It has taught me how to read a tape measure, make sure things are level and cut boards to the right length,” he said.

Story said his organization didn’t hesitate to include the high school students as the pavilion is truly a community project. Story said other key Lee contributors include the Kiwanis Club, Henry’s Electric, architect Kerry Bartini of Berkshire Design, Ray Murray Inc., Dresser Hull Lumber and Building Supply, and the town’s Department of Public Works.

Berkshire Gateway committee members say the pavilion should be usable in time for the Berkshire Gateway Jazz Festival from June 17-19.

“This is going to be a beautiful addition to the park and host a lot of cultural events,” said Richard Vinette.

“Imagine bringing your grandchildren to the park on a Sunday to listen to music,” added church moderator David Markham.

Once built, the pavilion will join other Berkshire Gateway Preservation upgrades and aesthetic improvements to the park.

After a $46,000 restoration, the Kilbon Memorial Fountain, featuring the face of Mohican Chief Konkapot, was rededicated Memorial Day weekend 2019.

A year later, a 25-foot, multicolored wooden sculpture was created and installed by artist and summertime Lee resident Harold Grinspoon. The sculpture’s streaks of orange, yellow, red, blue and other hues complement the boldly colored visitor’s center and picnic tables in the unofficial town square.

For the carpentry students, the pavilion will be a project they will be proud of for years to come.

“I can’t wait to be here with my kids some day and tell them I helped build this,” said junior Matt O’Brien.

Dick Lindsay can be reached at rlindsay@berkshireeagle.com.

Richard Lindsay is a general assignment reporter for The Berkshire Eagle.

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