On Friday, December 27th, 2019, members of the Architecture club run by club leader, Abraham Rodriguez, met up with Lake Como representative, Jon Gibbons, to discuss the further developments of the Lake Como project. Sophomore students, Mahalia Saint Eloi and William Cordova, conversed with Jon Gibbons about implementing the site plan design along the lakefront.
This project started back in late 2018 due to the fact that the lake needed renovation. Since the Jersey Shore is very close to the lake the board thought it would be a great idea to organize a team that would improve the appearance of the lake so that it could be more favorable to the town’s current residents and tourists. Because WHSAD is an architecture school, we couldn’t have made a better candidate.
Currently, we are working on finalizing our design. There is only one more presentation left where Deselle Thompson and myself will propose our redesigns to the Lake Como committee. This project is a great opportunity for students to use their creative skills and put them towards a good cause. By together working as a team, we build leadership and conflict resolution skills by collaborating with each other and find new ways to improve productivity toward a final outcome.
Topics that were discussed during this meeting were zoning, utilization of the Bradford pear trees, the living shoreline, pollinator species and habitats, and the footbridge and the footpath. Mr. Gibbons loved the floor plan design Deselle and I created and is positive the Lake Como community will love it too. With the help from volunteer students, the project is sprouting into a new direction. It’s not just the people who are a part of architecture club who are working on the project but all the students who want to help out the community. Jon Gibbons and the residents of Lake Como are excited for this project to progress and so are the students. Another meeting with Jon will possibly happen on Wednesday, February 5th to discuss the finalization of the plans and any last minute critiques before the final presentation in March.
