The City of Dayton and the Dayton Chamber of Commerce on Friday, June 18, hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate the grand opening of the pavilion at The Crossroads Plaza.
“The City created the pavilion as a gathering place for the community. The idea is to give people a place to come and enjoy,” said Kimberly Judge, assistant city manager and director of Planning and Development.
Located at the corner of US 90 and Church Street in Dayton, the 30 X 50-foot pavilion is the newest feature to be added to The Crossroads Plaza. The $30,000 needed to build the pavilion came from the City’s hotel occupancy taxes account, which must be used to promote tourism and the local convention and hotel industry. HOT money cannot be used for street repairs or other infrastructure.
The pavilion was manufactured using steel and masonry by Cleveland Supply Company. The design was picked to complement other features in the Pavilion, including gateway markers that were installed in June 2020.
The plaza was the inspiration of the Dayton Enhancement Committee, formed by past mayor, Jeff Lambright. The committee, made up of 11 longtime Dayton residents, formed in January 2016 for the purpose of beautifying the city. By March 2016, the plaza project was in the works. Their plans transformed property from a grass-covered lot to an outdoor downtown gathering place.
On the day of the ribbon cutting, dozens of local residents were enjoying meals from Food Truck Fridays, which is held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday. The Crossroads Plaza also is a popular locale for other outdoor events, such as Dayton’s Treat Street and a Farmers Market. Treat Street is a Halloween-themed trick-or-treating event for children and the Farmers Market is open on the second Saturday of every month from 8 a.m. to noon.
For more information on The Crossroads Plaza, go online to https://www.daytontx.org/community/play/the_crossroads_plaza/index.php. To learn more about renting the pavilion, call the City of Dayton at 936-258-2642.
What a waste of money. On one side is a drive thru fast food restaurant and the other side is the biggest eyesore in town, a ghetto tire shop. They should have spent that money on improving traffic flow. I saw some sort of report put together a couple of years ago where Dayton was poised to be the next Sugar Land. Keep dreaming.
“Money to build the pavilion came from the City’s hotel occupancy tax fund, which is generated through taxes collected by local motels and hotels. HOT funds can only be spent on items that promote tourism and the local convention and hotel industry. HOT money cannot pay for street repairs or other infrastructure.”
Is it going to destroy other property when the next hurricane comes through?