An artist’s rendition of a Candia town common came partially to life when more than a dozen local volunteers strapped on tool belts to build a 24-foot diameter gazebo off High Street.

“It will be neat when this thing is still standing many years from now and I can say, ‘Yeah, I helped put that together,’” said volunteer Rick Zang, who joined the all-day effort on Saturday, Nov. 11.

The Pondside Park project – one of the first goals of the Candia Heritage Commission – has been four years in the making, and was sparked by a $36,000 federal land and water conservation grant. Candia residents voted to match the grant at 2003’s annual Town Meeting.

The lighted, all-cedar gazebo, which sits on town-owned land behind the Smyth Public Library and across from the town hall, will offer a view of a lighted skating pond, which volunteers said should be ready for use this winter.

Smyth Public Library Director and Candia Heritage Commission member Jon Godfrey said the pond was a popular skating spot for residents until sometime in the 1930s or 1940s.

Other plans for the park – which will develop depending on how far the money goes – include a trail around the pond, benches, fire rings and a picnic area.

“It’s a real nice project for the town,” said resident Al Couch, who assisted putting up the gazebo, which was brought in from Michigan. “People can come, sit, relax and maybe meet their neighbors.”

Godfrey suggested the area could offer a pleasant alternative to Moore Park, which is heavily used for organized sporting events.

“There’s hardly a picnic area over there any more,” he said. Until now, the visual image of the park has been in the form of a drawing from Town Clerk Christine Dupere.

Some ill-timed weather and problems with contract schedules have slowed the project’s progress over the last three years, said Godfrey.

“Some things happen slowly,” he said.

The gazebo should be completed within the next couple weeks, said resident Rick Champagne, who volunteered to lead the construction effort. Candia resident Ron Severino has been the contractor for the Pondside Park project.