BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Officials from Scherer Construction and the City of Starke kicked off the construction of a new stage at Starke Square during a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, September 4.
In comments preceding the shooting of photographs, Scherer Marketing Manager Shelly Vickers introduced Project Manager Adam Steenbeke and Superintendent Kevin Murie, who serves as the project’s on-site manager.
Starke Mayor Andy Redding thanked Scherer representatives for working with the city to move the planned location of the stage from the northwest corner of the one-acre parcel to the opposite side of the square, which had housed Starke’s electric generating station until it was decommissioned and demolished.
Redding said he hoped the project would be completed before Christmas so that the city could host holiday events at the square.
The mayor acknowledged the nearly $1 million price tag for the project as “a lot of money for something like this,” but added, “it will be good for our community. In addition to accommodating ambitions for what we have going for Veterans Park, as we move into the future, long-term, this will help tie everything together.”
Commissioner Bob Milner stated that although the new stage was approved and funded by a grant prior to his term, he supports the project.
“I think a lot of people may not realize that this stage was aging, the structure itself, and unfortunately, as you know, we were not able to prove structurally, going forward, if it would support what was planned here.”
Milner pointed to the success of similar venues in towns the size of Starke or smaller, particularly Heritage Park and Gardens in Live Oak.
“We want to bring as many events as possible back downtown,” he added. “There are some that will have to be at the fairgrounds and perhaps even another venue, like the Strawberry Festival. It just got too big. It had nothing to do, so much, with the city square and the stage, as it did with parking.”
Both Redding and incoming City Clerk Chrissy Thompson underscored the new stage’s role in supporting events at the Charles J. Schaeffer Veterans Memorial Park.
Redding said the park will be relocated from its current location, fronting Call Street, to an area behind the stage. The stage will feature an apron facing the park, serving as an auxiliary stage for park events.
Thompson added, “It will definitely aid Veterans Park for all of the things that the American Legion and the city do together. So, I just think it’s an overall great project.”
Commissioner Danny Nugent said he hoped the stage and the square would unify the city.
“It’s going to be a way of bringing the community together,” he said. “We will be able to use it for veterans. We will be able to use it for Christmas events, any event, and people can also rent it, without really renting it, use it, unless they use power.”
Vice Mayor Janice Mortimer said the square will showcase Starke’s downtown area and should generate revenue for city businesses. She characterized the stage project as fantastic, progressive, and in the best interest of the city.
Incoming Commissioner Dimple Overstreet said she had not yet made up her mind on the project’s value and cost.
“I really am still investigating to get my true feelings on it,” she said, “but since it is definitely underway, I will support it.”
