After much debate, committee meetings and public input, the village of Manteno decided on where a pavilion would be placed on the Square on Second.

The 30-by-50-foot pavilion will be constructed on the south end of the Square, and the trustees voted 4-2 on Nov. 17 to put a metal roof on the structure, which will prolong the lifespan of the roof. The metal roof costs $10,692.

“I think as a group, we just felt that the lifespan of that metal roof would far surpass the asphalt shingle roof,” said Trustee Todd Crockett, who voted in favor of the additional cost.

Also voting in favor of the metal roof were Trustees CJ Boudreau, Joel Gesky and Annette Zimbelman. Trustees Mike Barry and Peggy Vaughn voted against the measure because an original estimate on the metal roof was about $7,000.

The board OK’d the purchase of the pavilion kit from NuToys Leisure Products of Westchester for $158,333 by a vote of 4-2 on Sept. 15. There are additional plumbing, electrical and mechanical expenses of about $122,000 for the pavilion, which includes restrooms.

The village will do some utility work during the winter, and construction on the building will begin in the spring.

Gesky said he and Vaughn recently did a walk-through of the park with Jacob Carlile of Carlile Group of Manteno, which provides architecture, inspections and property management services. Carlile donated its services to provide renderings of the upgrades.

“We sat together and walked around the entire park, because obviously it was a bit contentious when we passed it as to where it was being placed,” Gesky said. “And so I think that Mr. Carlile and myself and Miss Vaughn, we came up with a plan that we thought was pretty good.”

The pavilion will be placed in the middle of the south end of the Square, and the merry-go-round will be moved next to other playground equipment. A sidewalk and a fence that runs east to west in the middle of the park will be removed to allow for more turf area.

In addition, two separate shade sails with concrete benches will be added to the north end of the Square. Those upgrades will be bid out at a later date.

“I think it was a consensus with every board member and the mayor, and we were all happy with the way this turned out,” Gesky said. “We hit some bumps in the road on the way, but thankfully, I think we’re all in agreement that this is going to be a great plan.”

Mayor Annette LaMore said she agrees with the placement of the pavilion, which initially was suggested to be situated in the middle of Square.

“That’s a nice compromise, putting it back in the south corner,” she said. “I think that’s a good idea.”