In 2015, with changes to Coplay Borough Council’s membership, a plan was put in place to create a community plaza on a pie-shaped piece of land next to the Giant supermarket.

“There was no commercial value in the property. But the property is a corner that defines a major intersection in town,” Councilman Stephen Burker said.

Councilman Charles Sodl and Burker sketched out a few ideas on a napkin.

“We needed something to define Coplay as a hometown,” Sodl said.

The problem was the borough had no money for a town plaza, no matter what size it might be.

Burker, during his time on council, focused on making Community Days a bigger event.

“Community Days used to be something only a few Coplay residents attended,” he said. “It was locally focused. I wanted to make it a bigger event so that people from outside the borough would see what a great community we have.”

Community Days grew exponentially as volunteers guided the events agenda and pumped up the advertising. In addition to being a family event, Community Days was started with the idea of raising funds to benefit the borough.

“As we grew bigger, we raised more money, and we could fund bigger projects in the borough,” Burker said.

Burker said he and Sodl were the instigators, but the rest of council looked at Community Days as a way to fund a community plaza.

The first step was to get the land in better shape.

“We talked with Lowe’s and they had a program where their people would volunteer to plant bushes and shrubs as part of their community outreach program. We applied for the program, and they awarded us a grant,” Burker said. “They designed and selected the plantings with a little guidance from us.”

With the land more suitable for a plaza, Burker and Sodl moved on to the next step in the plan.

“Every small town has a gazebo. It made sense for us to at least explore the option,” Sodl said. “We wanted a town clock with some benches, too.”

The duo searched for a gazebo, but the cost had to be within the range of money earned at the 2015 Community Days event.

“We found one near Lancaster made by Amish craftsmen,” Burker said. “We cut a deal with them, and they delivered and installed it.”

Well, not quite. A gazebo needs a foundation -you cannot just plunk it down on the ground and expect it to last.

Councilman Carl Luckenbach stepped up to the plate with his construction expertise. He designed a concrete foundation, and with cash, donated materials and a little help from the borough’s public works crew, he had a foundation in place when the straw-hatted, suspender-wearing crew from Lancaster came to install the prefab gazebo.

The original goal was to have it ready and lit up for Christmas 2015. There was no electric service. Councilman Mark Molitoris and his brother Dean rigged up a temporary connection to light the gazebo for Christmas 2015.

In 2016, the electric plan was formalized, along with a design that can include walkway lights.

Luckenbach stepped up to the plate again. The gravel pathway to the gazebo needed attention. He replaced the walkway with patterned concrete.

According to Sodl, the cupola needed a light.

“It would just look better if that was lit up, but it was just sitting on top of the roof with no access,” he said.

Luckenbach cut a hole for access, and the Molitoris brothers added lights.

“It took a lot of effort and the work of a lot of borough resident volunteers to get everything done,” Sodl said. “But it shows what the community can do if we work together.”

The project continues in 2017. The town clock is the next big item.

“We have people who want to dedicate benches,” Burker said.

The bratwurst at Community Days 2017 might yield a clock and a meandering pathway on the once-barren corner of Chestnut and Second streets.