Published: June 28, 2009 12:03 am      

Summer Motion taking shape

ASHLAND — It’s beginning to look like Summer Motion in Central Park.

On Friday morning, laborers representing four unions constructed the scaffolding for the lighting, sound and mixing towers for next week’s concerts that begin on Wednesday.

The union workers did the job voluntarily and in about two hours.

“They said it couldn’t be done in two hours, but we did it,” said Paul Graves, the construction manager for Atlantic Plant Services. “We’ll come and tear it all down.

Thirty-seven workers were employees of Atlantic Plant Services and one was from Maximum Crane. Unions represented were Carpenters 472, Labors Local 1445, Teamsters 505 and Operating Engineers 181.

“It would take us all day to put up the scaffolding and it took them about two hours,” said Chuck Charles, president of Summer Motion.

The sound towers are 16x32 and eight-foot wide while the mixing tower is 16x16 and 15-foot tall.

Graves said the cost for a project like this would be in the neighborhood of $15,000 if 30 workers were involved. These workers all volunteered their time and talents.

Charles did pass out some VIP tickets for the concerts afterward.

The Summer Motion concert series had to be moved to Central Park because of the ongoing work on the riverfront.

Charles said while the move has some logistical issues, it’s not anything that can’t be overcome.

“Once we have this in the park, people will enjoy it here and may even want us to come back,” he said. “We’ll be able to show off our park.”

Central Park has long been considered the centerpiece of Ashland.

The concerts on July 1 though 4 will be on the former softball field beside the baseball diamond. The main stage for the concerts will be about where home plate used to be on the softball field aimed toward the middle of the park.

Paul Shockey, who lives on Central Avenue across the street from the park, has a bird’s-eye view of the concerts from his front porch.

“I’m a big music fan so I’m all for it,” Shockey said. “I was hoping it would be like Grand Funk or the Doobie Brothers.”

But Shockey said he was looking forward to Micky Dolenz, famous for being with The Monkees, on Friday and the Atlanta Rhythm Section on Thursday.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It’ll be like a mini-Woodstock in Ashland.”

Shockey said instead of watching from his front porch, he’ll probably take a blanket out and sit with the crowd.

Charles sent letters to residents who live in the 2000 to 2100 block on Central Avenue. “I’ve had a couple of calls, but that’s about it,” he said. “They’ve only got the best seat in the house.”

The park won’t have activities during the day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The park festival will be Saturday and Sunday.