Youngstown Garden Club looks to renovate Main Street gazebo

By Benjamin Joe

Senior Contributing Writer

The Youngstown Garden Club is looking to renovate the gazebo on Main Street as it nears its 40^th birthday in the summer of 2027.

Garden Club member Garda O’Keefe spearheaded the idea to give the gazebo a new look. Renovations include structural work, a fresh coat of paint, and landscaping changes. Early cost estimates are $16,000.

The gazebo was first erected in 1987 after the Garden Club raised funds for its construction. It has been tended by the club ever since.

Youngstown Garden Club Vice President Colleen Summerville said O’Keefe’s vision includes “wide, opening steps” with a variety of beautifying vegetation around it. The structure will comply with Americans with Disabilities Act, to make it more accessible for those using wheelchairs.

“After 39 years, that gazebo is sorely in need of improvement,” Summerville said. “The main structure is sound but, because of weather and various mismatch repairs that did not do exactly what was necessary, it has become outdated and somewhat unsightly.

“So, what we’re proposing is to give it just a fresher look to help it better coordinate with different architectural styles of buildings in the village. What we want to do … is open the front with wide, opening steps, replacing all that dated lattice trim and painting it a nice, crisp, white color. We’re also working to make it handicap-accessible for any of our handicap community members.”

Members of the Garden Club approached the Village of Youngstown Board of Trustees at a March 19 municipal meeting to ask for a donation of up to the total funds needed to do the work on the gazebo.

“We’re also asking any community businesses or individuals who might want to support it,” Summerville said. “We’re very open to accepting their donations … this is an in-demand project for this coming year, and we intend to get it done.”

Summerville said a plaque will be placed somewhere on the gazebo, dedicating it to the community of Youngstown and the volunteers who made the space possible.

“The Garden Club gazebo will be dedicated to community members. We have so many volunteers that help us with our projects throughout the years,” she said, noting a wide variety of support for all of the Garden Club’s activities, including herbal gardens and butterfly paths, which feature plants that attract pollinators like butterflies.

“We would hope to dedicate the gazebo to our supporters. We just want to recognize them because it’s not just the Garden Club; it’s everyone working hand-in-hand together.”