ONANCOCK, Va. - Some little hands helped kick off a big project in Onancock Thursday afternoon.
Ground was broken on The Pavilion at Historic Onancock School. The pavilion, which will include a stage as well as professional sound and lighting equipment, is designed to be a new outdoor event venue in the town.
The current plan is for the Pavilion to open to events by the summer of 2023.
Neighbor Terry Swain thinks the pavilion will bring more benefits to the community than just entertainment.
"We're close enough to downtown that people come through and they might come back to shop," Swain said. "Or they might shop on either end of the event they're attending."
It wasn't all handshakes and smiles, though. Some neighbors expressed concern about the project.
The pavilion project is estimated to cost about $500,000.
The Friends of Onancock School, the administrator of the property, expects to raise the money through fundraising drives, as well as a request for $100,000 from the Town of Onancock.
The request for town funding doesn't sit well with neighbor Priscilla Hart.
"I was outraged," Hart said about the request. "I think there are better ways to spend the money and in this economic time, building a pavilion right now, I honestly think isn't in our best interest."
Hart also expressed concerns about how events at the pavilion will stress the town's small police force.
"They'll probably be at [the Pavilion during events] and there are certainly other areas in the town that need patrolling and may need their assistance, so it would leave it kind of thin."
Hart also mentioned that she has heard other neighbors express concerns about noise. The pavilion is located in a mostly residential neighborhood on the south side of town.
The $100,000 in town funds has not yet been approved by Onancock Town Council. The Council will discuss the funding request at its meeting on November 28.
There will also be a public forum where neighbors can ask questions and express opinions about the pavilion. That event will be hosted by the Friends of Onancock School on December 14.