Access ramp will wrap around Grafton Common bandstand

There’s caution tape on the Grafton Common bandstand and a close inspection of the structure’s floor is to blame.

“I pulled up a couple of floorboards on the edge and straight down the middle and, surprisingly it was not in good shape,” Andy Deschenes, project manager on the Grafton Common revitalization, told the Historic District Commission.

The Grafton Common restoration project will soon be underway and, while the bandstand is included, it wasn’t until recently that the extent of its deterioration was realized.

“This project is basically below the waist,” Deschenes said.

How bad is it? The bandstand’s foundation consists of randomly placed concrete blocks. The railings are loose and several are missing. The floorboards are rotting.

The roof, re-shingled by the Grafton Lions Club a few years ago, remains in good condition.

It’s come a long way since it was built as a prop for the 1935 movie “Ah, Wilderness,” filmed in and around Grafton and gifted to the town by MGM. The design of the railings has changed and the structure is a bit shorter.

And back in the 1930s, the Americans With Disabilities Act wasn’t even part of the Hollywood prop makers design process. Part of the bandstand’s restoration will be a 15 foot long ramp, which will wrap around a portion of the structure.

The exterior of the ramp will have brick to blend with both the bandstand and the new surface of the Common’s walkways.

“We’re trying not to alter the look of this thing too much,” Deschenes said. noting that it is similar to work done on Hopkinton’s bandstand.

The overall project, passed by Town Meeting in 2019, includes:

• Replacing the asphalt pathways with brick
• Moving utilities underground and removing an unattractive pole and junction box
• Expanding the brick area in the center of the Common to create a half circle
• Removing the old, haphazardly placed benches and replacing with an increased number of historic-style benches
• Installing lighted metal archways at each entrance to the Common, a former key feature
• Repairing and repainting the bandstand and fence railings
• Replacing the invasive Norway maples with more accurate species, such as red maples
• Adding additional trees to replace those that are missing.

A public hearing on the Grafton Common project will be held on June 23, 7 p.m. at the Grafton Municipal Center.

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