Council considers options for aging Coraopolis gazebo

-PAUL TRIKO GAZEBO-

By Elizabeth Perry

Public comments by a local business owner seem to have led to greater scrutiny of a Coraopolis mainstay.

Brian Diggins, owner of DG Builders on Ridge Avenue, spoke to the board on Jan. 11 about the current condition of the Paul Triko Gazebo on Fifth Avenue.

“The gazebo is like the town center and it hasn’t been touched in years,” Diggins said. “It’s a bad look for our town.”

Several board members have taken the comment to heart and have made trips to examine the structure themselves.

“That gazebo is actually a disgrace,” Councilmember Rudy Bolea said during a Feb. 2 council meeting.

Bolea also said if the board does not move to redo the structure, they should take it down.

Council’s Chad Kraynyk agreed the structure was “in pretty poor shape.”

“I actually think it’s kind of a nice fixture in town,” he said.

The borough officials did not come to a decision about the future of the gazebo but agreed to look into the matter further.

HISTORY

Funds to build the 5th Avenue gazebo were donated by the Triko family of Triko Holdings Inc. in honor of their late father Paul Triko.

Carrie Triko, now a Robinson resident and daughter of Paul, said her family had strong roots in Coraopolis. When Paul died in 1998, she said he had just completed an extensive project in the area.

Her parents’ company owned the Ridgeview Apartments and Stateview Apartments which have since been sold.

Carrie said that the borough has not contacted her about the recent discussions, but that the family had not been involved with the project after the initial donation.

“The money was donated by my mother to honor her husband,” she said.

The gazebo was built in the year 2000, which would make the structure about 23 years old.

Although she’s no longer a Coraopolis resident, Carrie said she still loves the area as much as her parents Paul and Helen did.

“We were very proud of what he did in Corey,” Carrie said.